RxDB vs SurrealDB
A detailed comparison to help you choose between RxDB and SurrealDB.
Quick Verdict
3.9/5
RxDB
0 reviews
3.6/5
SurrealDB
0 reviews
RxDB is rated higher (3.9 vs 3.6). RxDB is a real-time, offline-first NoSQL database for JavaScript applications. Works in the browser, Node.js, React Native, and Electron. Syncs with CouchDB, Firestore, and others. SurrealDB is a multi-model database that handles relational, document, graph, and full-text queries in a single database. Schema-optional, built-in auth, and real-time subscriptions.
RxDB Reactive database for JavaScript apps with real-time sync | SurrealDB Multi-model database with built-in real-time sync and WebSocket support | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.9 (0 reviews)✓ | 3.6 (0 reviews) |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best for | JavaScript teams building offline-first, UI-reactive apps (PWAs, Electron, React Native) that may later sync with their own backend | Teams building real-time, multi-model applications that would otherwise combine a document database, a search engine and a graph store |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | — | 0 vCPU |
| RAM | — | 1 GB |
| Storage | — | 1 GB |
| Bandwidth | — | — |
| SLA uptime | — | — |
| Data-center count | — | 3 |
| €/GB RAM/mo | — | €0.00 |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ✓ | |
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ||
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | — | AWS Ireland (aws-euw1), AWS US East N. Virginia (aws-use1), AWS US West Oregon (aws-usw2) |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen source | free tieropen sourceself hostableapi access |
| Visit RxDB → | Visit SurrealDB → | |
RxDB
Pros
- + Apache 2.0 core at $0 with replication, reactive queries and schema migration included
- + Pluggable storage engines keep one codebase across browser, Node, Electron and React Native
- + Mature project with a public changelog, 15,000+ commits and a documented replication protocol
- + Explicit conflict handling with revisions instead of silent last-write-wins
- + Tier pricing is published openly, including the exact free-tier limits
Cons
- - Paid tiers jump straight to $99/month billed annually with nothing in between
- - Free tier caps at 13 open collections; trial SQLite storage is evaluation-only at 500 documents
- - RxJS-shaped API carries a learning curve for teams new to observables
- - Effectively a one-primary-maintainer project with no support org behind the free tier
- - Sync backend is bring-your-own; there is no managed hosting or SLA on standard tiers
SurrealDB
Pros
- + One engine for relational, document, graph, time-series and geospatial data, plus full-text and vector search
- + Transparent published rate table with a real free instance (0.25 vCPU, 1 GB memory, 1 GB storage)
- + Hourly billing keeps development and prototype instances cheap
- + Granular permissions at table, document and field level defined in the schema
- + Self-hostable under BSL 1.1 with open-source (Apache 2.0 / MIT) SDKs as an exit path
Cons
- - Young database: 1.0 in 2023 and the storage engine is still being replaced
- - Only three AWS regions (Ireland, N. Virginia, Oregon) — nothing in APAC
- - Smaller ecosystem, tooling and hiring pool than PostgreSQL or MongoDB
- - Scale plan requires a three-node minimum; several advertised features are still marked coming soon
- - Custom SLAs only at Enterprise tier; backup retention policy for free instances is ambiguous in the docs
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