Alation
vs Atlan
vs Atlan
Traditional catalogs weren't built for cloud-native, AI-driven workloads—they store metadata but don't activate it. Atlan changes that with automation-first, adoption centric design and open extensibility that turns metadata into a living intelligence layer across your data estate.
Trusted by companies with
more than $10T in enterprise value
Why top data teams choose Atlan
and never look back
Adoption-driven
Automation
Open and extensible
Data products marketplace
Adoption-first design
Intuitive data discovery
Industry leaders choose Atlan over legacy catalogs
Alation vs Atlan:
key differences that drive better outcomes
User experience & adoption
Technical architecture & performance
Governance & automation
Business value & ROI
Future-ready capabilities
| What Teams Need |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Intuitive Experience | Personalized UI with business-friendly search | Complex UI/UX. Not easy to use for non technical users |
| Embedded Context | Context in end-user tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, GitHub, Google Sheets) | Context primarily accessed within the catalog, with limited embedded capabilities |
| Search & Discovery | Semantic, AI-powered search delivers instant, contextual results | ML-powered search with less intuitive and relevant results |
Alation vs Atlan: what users say
Authentic voice from the data community (G2)
| Feature | | | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
Ease of Use | 9/10 | 8.3/10 | Teams adopt faster with less training |
Data Discovery | 9.5/10 | 8.4/10 | Users find what they need, fast |
Data Lineage | 9.3/10 | 7.3/10 | Clear impact analysis prevents breaks |
Business and Data Glossary | 9.2/10 | 8.5/10 | Shared language, faster alignment |
Metadata Management | 9.3/10 | 8/10 | Context stays accurate automatically |
Quality of Support | 9.3/10 | 8.6/10 | Partnership approach drives success |
Overall Rating | 4.5/5 (121 reviews) | 4.4/5 (92 reviews) | Trusted by peers |
G2's analysis highlights that Atlan scores higher on Ease of Use and Quality of Support, making it easier to set up and integrate while delivering more responsive and effective support than Alation.
Recognition that validates your choice
Industry experts recognize Atlan's innovation
Forrester Wave™: Data Governance Solutions (Q3 2025)
Leader and Customer Favorite, with highest-possible scores in 15 criteria. Forrester evaluated 13 providers in this report.
Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Data Catalogs (Q3 2024)
Leader placement with the highest scores across all vendors in Current Offering and Strategy, and highest-possible scores in 15 criteria including Governance, Risk & Compliance, Data Lineage, Adoption, and Deployment and Time-to-Value.
Gartner® Magic Quadrant™: Data & Analytics Governance Platforms (2025)
Recognized as a Visionary in the inaugural MQ for this category, published in January 2025.
Atlan is a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Metadata Management Solutions
See how enterprise AI depends on modern metadata management.
Snowflake Partner of the Year (2025)
Data Governance — Data Cloud Product Partner of the Year
Frequently Asked Questions: Alation vs Atlan
Which platform delivers ROI faster: Alation or Atlan?
Is Atlan just a data catalog, or does it do more?
How do Atlan and Alation compare on governance and lineage?
Which is easier to deploy and adopt across roles—Atlan or Alation?
How open and AI-ready are the two platforms?
How does Atlan drive higher adoption across business users?
How reliable is Atlan's lineage compared to alternatives?
How is Atlan's governance approach different?
What do analysts and peer reviews say about Atlan?