Editorial take
Why it stands out
Marquez should be framed as the reference-service layer around OpenLineage, not just another generic metadata project.
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Tool profile
Open-source metadata service and web UI for storing, querying, and visualizing OpenLineage metadata across pipelines and datasets.
Lineage metadata service
Marquez is worth adding because it gives the OpenLineage ecosystem a concrete reference implementation teams can actually run. It is more than just an abstract standard companion. The official site positions it as the complete OpenLineage solution, with a metadata server, visual graph, and lineage API for understanding interdependencies across a data estate.
Its pricing posture is also clean. Marquez is open source and the GitHub repository is Apache 2.0 licensed. The official project site does not expose a first-party commercial pricing page, which means the practical cost is operational: hosting it, integrating it, and deciding whether it is the right service layer for an organization's lineage workflow.
Quick fit
Editorial take
Marquez should be framed as the reference-service layer around OpenLineage, not just another generic metadata project.
What it does well
Primary use cases
Fit notes
Compare with
Pressure-test this pick against nearby alternatives.
Pricing snapshot
Marquez is an Apache 2.0 licensed open-source project with no official public pricing page. The software is free to run, and costs come from infrastructure, implementation, and ongoing ownership.
Alation
PaidEnterprise data catalog
Enterprise data intelligence and catalog platform for search, governance, trust, and AI-ready knowledge layers over organizational data.
Choose Alation when the buying problem is enterprise trust, governance, and discoverability across data assets.
