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No-Code · head to head

Bubble vs Dgraph

Bubble logo

Bubble

No-Code

No-code platform for building web and mobile applications visually

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit BubbleFull review
Dgraph logo

Dgraph

Databases

Apache 2.0 distributed graph database written in Go, maintained by Hypermode, queried through GraphQL or its own DQL language.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit DgraphFull review

The short version

  • Bubble is free; Dgraph starts at $39/mo.
  • Only Bubble lists visual app editor; only Dgraph lists apache 2.0 licence.
  • Where Bubble falls short: apps are tied to Bubble's proprietary runtime, making migration to another stack difficult if the platform is later outgrown.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bubble and Dgraph actually diverge.

Attributes where Bubble and Dgraph differ
AttributeBubbleDgraph
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web
CategoryNo-CodeDatabases

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Freemium), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: founded for Bubble.

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bubble

  • Visual app editor
  • Built-in database
  • Visual workflow logic
  • Plugin marketplace
  • Responsive design engine
  • Custom domains

Only in Dgraph

  • Apache 2.0 licence
  • Generated GraphQL API
  • DQL query language
  • Predicate sharding
  • Raft replication
  • Distributed ACID transactions
  • Written in Go
  • Full-text and geo indexing

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bubble

  • Building MVPs and startup web apps without a dev teamnot Dgraph
  • Internal business apps with custom database logicnot Dgraph
  • Marketplace and SaaS prototypesnot Dgraph
  • Mobile app wrappers around a Bubble web appnot Dgraph

Dgraph

  • An application whose core data is a graph, such as permissions, social connections or product relationships, where the frontend already consumes GraphQLnot Bubble
  • A knowledge graph that outgrew a single machine and needs storage distributed across nodes without a per-core licence negotiationnot Bubble
  • Recommendation or fraud-detection features that traverse several hops at request time, where a relational join chain has become the bottlenecknot Bubble
  • Teams that want a graph database they can read, fork and self-host under a permissive licence rather than a source-available onenot Bubble

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bubble

  • Apps are tied to Bubble's proprietary runtime, making migration to another stack difficult if the platform is later outgrown
  • Complex apps can hit performance limits compared to hand-coded applications as data and workflow complexity grows
  • The visual workflow editor has a steep learning curve for genuinely complex business logic
  • Free tier cannot host apps on a custom domain, limiting it to prototyping rather than production launches

Dgraph

  • Sharding is by predicate, so a single very hot predicate lives entirely in one Raft group and cannot be split further; adding nodes does not relieve it and the fix is a data model change
  • Stewardship passed from Dgraph Labs to Hypermode after the original company stopped operating independently, so anyone building on it is betting on a second custodian rather than on the original team's roadmap
  • The GraphQL layer is generated and opinionated, so anything it does not express drops you into DQL, which is a second language your team must learn and which no other database speaks
  • The community is a fraction of Neo4j's, so operational answers, tuning experience, hiring and third-party tooling are all thinner, and unusual failure modes in a Zero and Alpha cluster leave you reading source rather than a forum
  • There is no portable graph standard to migrate to; Cypher, Gremlin and SPARQL are all different query models, so the schema and every query is a rewrite if you later leave, and that cost grows with the application

Pricing, plan by plan

Bubble

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Bubble review.

Dgraph

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Native GraphQL
    • Graph queries
    • Full-text search
  • Cloud$39/mo
    • Managed service
    • Auto-scaling
    • Enterprise support

Which should you pick?

Choose Bubble if

  • You need visual app editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want built-in database.
Bubble review

Choose Dgraph if

  • You need apache 2.0 licence.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web.
  • You also want generated graphql api.
Dgraph review

Questions people ask

Is Bubble or Dgraph better?
Neither clearly leads. Bubble starts at Free and Dgraph at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bubble or Dgraph?
Bubble starts at Free and Dgraph at Free.
Does Bubble or Dgraph run on more platforms?
Bubble runs on Web, iOS, Android. Dgraph runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web.
Can I use Bubble for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bubble best used for?
Bubble is most often used for building mvps and startup web apps without a dev team, internal business apps with custom database logic, marketplace and saas prototypes, mobile app wrappers around a bubble web app. Of those, building mvps and startup web apps without a dev team and internal business apps with custom database logic are not what Dgraph is typically brought in for.
What can Bubble do that Dgraph cannot?
Bubble covers Visual app editor, Built-in database, Visual workflow logic, Plugin marketplace. Dgraph covers Apache 2.0 licence, Generated GraphQL API, DQL query language, Predicate sharding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bubble: Does Bubble publish pricing information on their main website?

Bubble's pricing details are not available on the main homepage. Detailed pricing information would need to be found on their dedicated pricing page or terms of service.

Source
Dgraph: Is Dgraph open source?

Yes. The current repository is Apache 2.0, which is a permissive OSI licence, and the project is at v25 under Hypermode's maintenance.

Dgraph: Is it really GraphQL?

It serves a generated GraphQL API, which is real GraphQL for clients. Its native language, DQL, resembles GraphQL syntactically but is Dgraph's own language and is not the GraphQL specification.

Dgraph: How does it compare to Neo4j?

Neo4j has the larger ecosystem, Cypher, and far more operational precedent. Dgraph distributes storage across nodes by default and gives you a GraphQL endpoint without writing resolvers. The choice usually turns on whether you need horizontal scale and a GraphQL surface more than you need ecosystem depth.

Dgraph: What does a production cluster look like?

At minimum a set of Zero nodes for coordination and a replicated set of Alpha nodes for data, typically three of each for fault tolerance, which is a meaningfully larger operational footprint than a single graph server.

Dgraph: Who maintains it now?

Hypermode. Dgraph Labs, the original company, no longer operates it, and that change of custodian is the main non-technical risk to weigh.

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