Apache Spark is an open source cluster computing framework that provides fault tolerance and data parallelism. Apache Nifi is a software project that automates data flow between systems using a flow-based programming model. While Apache Nifi focuses on data ingestion and distribution, Apache Spark is designed for rapid computation through interactive querying and memory management. Apache Nifi works in standalone mode while Apache Spark can operate in standalone, YARN, and other cluster modes. Both have different use cases and advantages for data processing.