PocketBase vs CockroachDB
A detailed comparison to help you choose between PocketBase and CockroachDB.
PocketBase Open source backend in a single file | CockroachDB Distributed SQL database that survives failures | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.5 (188 reviews)✓ | 4.4 (357 reviews) |
| Pricing model | free | freemium |
| Starting price | Free | Free tier available |
| Best for | Developers who want the simplest possible backend for small apps and prototypes in a single binary | Applications requiring high availability across multiple regions where database availability is mission-critical |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen sourceself hostable | free tiermanaged optionbackups includedeu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenterapi access |
| Visit PocketBase → | Visit CockroachDB → | |
PocketBase
Pros
- + Single binary — extremely simple to deploy
- + Embedded SQLite — no separate database
- + Real-time subscriptions built-in
Cons
- - SQLite — not suitable for multi-writer high-concurrency
- - Single file limits horizontal scaling
CockroachDB
Pros
- + Survives datacenter failures by design
- + Postgres-compatible SQL
- + Automatic geographic distribution
Cons
- - More complex than standard Postgres
- - Free tier limits apply
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