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Apache Spark vs Oracle Application Development Framework comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Apache Spark
Ranking in Java Frameworks
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
Hadoop (1st), Compute Service (6th)
Oracle Application Developm...
Ranking in Java Frameworks
9th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Java Frameworks category, the mindshare of Apache Spark is 11.2%, up from 7.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Application Development Framework is 6.5%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Java Frameworks Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Apache Spark11.2%
Oracle Application Development Framework6.5%
Other82.3%
Java Frameworks
 

Featured Reviews

Devindra Weerasooriya - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Architect at Devtech
Provides a consistent framework for building data integration and access solutions with reliable performance
The in-memory computation feature is certainly helpful for my processing tasks. It is helpful because while using structures that could be held in memory rather than stored during the period of computation, I go for the in-memory option, though there are limitations related to holding it in memory that need to be addressed, but I have a preference for in-memory computation. The solution is beneficial in that it provides a base-level long-held understanding of the framework that is not variant day by day, which is very helpful in my prototyping activity as an architect trying to assess Apache Spark, Great Expectations, and Vault-based solutions versus those proposed by clients like TIBCO or Informatica.
Asad Ur Rehman - PeerSpot reviewer
ERP Manager | Implementation Head at Tharsol
Eases the writing of code in Java with JavaBeans; easy to set up
My advice to anyone who intends to use ADF for the first time is that you must make sure that you have powerful enough hardware in order to run everything smoothly, especially when it comes to JDeveloper. If your hardware is adequate, you can get by without a problem in terms of speed, but be advised that it can use a lot of resources. However, even though ADF is a good product with great scalability that has really helped me out in hard times since 2014, I would ultimately recommend that new users look toward Oracle APEX instead of ADF. I would rate Oracle Application Development Framework a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Spark is used for transformations from large volumes of data, and it is usefully distributed."
"One of the key features is that Apache Spark is a distributed computing framework. You can help multiple slaves and distribute the workload between them."
"The main feature that we find valuable is that it is very fast."
"It is highly scalable, allowing you to efficiently work with extensive datasets that might be problematic to handle using traditional tools that are memory-constrained."
"It is useful for handling large amounts of data, and it is very useful for scientific purposes."
"Having everything in the same framework has helped us out a lot."
"We use it for ETL purposes as well as for implementing the full transformation pipelines."
"The most crucial feature for us is the streaming capability. It serves as a fundamental aspect that allows us to exert control over our operations."
"The single sign-on features applied to Oracle Cloud is a valuable feature. All parts of this application are compatible with single sign-on, where you have a security feature that is very good in Oracle Cloud."
"There are several valuable features. First is the fast deployment. Also the ease of use."
"It's database-centric, and it's seemingly easy to use the model–view–controller pattern that's built-in."
"The single sign-on features applied to Oracle Cloud is a valuable feature."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the business components."
"The most valuable feature of the Oracle Application Development Framework is the rapid development and the security it provides."
"We can create objects that allow us to develop pages and applications very rapidly."
"The most valuable feature of the Oracle Application Development Framework is the rapid development and the security it provides."
 

Cons

"We are building our own queries on Spark, and it can be improved in terms of query handling."
"Spark Streaming is difficult to stabilize as you're always dependant to your stream flow."
"Stream processing needs to be developed more in Spark. I have used Flink previously. Flink is better than Spark at stream processing."
"It requires overcoming a significant learning curve due to its robust and feature-rich nature."
"This solution currently cannot support or distribute neural network related models, or deep learning related algorithms."
"Stream processing needs to be developed more in Spark. I have used Flink previously. Flink is better than Spark at stream processing."
"Apache Spark could improve the connectors that it supports."
"One limitation is that not all machine learning libraries and models support it."
"Oracle ADF needs more components and the layout can be improved."
"The technical support should be improved; it's not as good as you get from other solutions and we don't get responses in a timely fashion, so we end up doing workarounds to solve issues."
"I use JDeveloper along with ADF and, unfortunately, JDeveloper is a very slow tool. It takes a lot of time to accomplish things with it during both development and deployment. I hope that Oracle will improve JDeveloper to make it run faster."
"Another downside with ADF is that, right now, no one is using it because everyone has moved to Oracle's APEX technology."
"We have some problems with Oracle relative to third parties. Like in one project, there were some loopholes for hackers to penetrate through our main application."
"The application needs to be more lightweight and the performance improved."
"Lacks tailoring to geographic regional differences and consistent integration with third parties."
"That's where I have issues with it. It's said that it's scalable, but I have found that it's a bit lacking in that department."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Apache Spark is open-source. You have to pay only when you use any bundled product, such as Cloudera."
"The solution is affordable and there are no additional licensing costs."
"They provide an open-source license for the on-premise version."
"It is an open-source platform. We do not pay for its subscription."
"Licensing costs can vary. For instance, when purchasing a virtual machine, you're asked if you want to take advantage of the hybrid benefit or if you prefer the license costs to be included upfront by the cloud service provider, such as Azure. If you choose the hybrid benefit, it indicates you already possess a license for the operating system and wish to avoid additional charges for that specific VM in Azure. This approach allows for a reduction in licensing costs, charging only for the service and associated resources."
"Apache Spark is an expensive solution."
"Spark is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs."
"Since we are using the Apache Spark version, not the data bricks version, it is an Apache license version, the support and resolution of the bug are actually late or delayed. The Apache license is free."
"We have yearly licensing costs."
"Oracle ADF is an expensive product. I don't know the actual figures, but our licensing costs for the year 2020, for example, were very high."
"The solution has an annual licensing cost and there are only standard fees. If you want Oracle support this is charged extra on top of the licensing fees."
"We use a lot of Oracle products and in total, we pay about £5 million ($6.1 million USD) per year."
"The cost of this solution is approximately $47,000 USD per site."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
23%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Insurance Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise32
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apache Spark?
Apache Spark is open-source, so it doesn't incur any charges.
What needs improvement with Apache Spark?
I find that there really lacks the technical depth to do any recommendations for future updates of Apache Spark. I used it for two years for our prototype work and testing things, but because I had...
What is your primary use case for Apache Spark?
I attempted to use Apache Spark in one of our customer projects, but after the initial test, our customer moved to another technology and another database system. I do not have any final remarks on...
Ask a question
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Also Known As

No data available
Oracle ADF
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

NASA JPL, UC Berkeley AMPLab, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, UC Santa Cruz, TripAdvisor, Taboola, Agile Lab, Art.com, Baidu, Alibaba Taobao, EURECOM, Hitachi Solutions
Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) of Egypt, Red Samurai, ChB Jelly House
Find out what your peers are saying about Apache Spark vs. Oracle Application Development Framework and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.