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Business Intelligence · head to head

ChartMogul vs TiDB

ChartMogul logo

ChartMogul

Business Intelligence

Subscription analytics platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TiDB logo

TiDB

Databases

Apache 2.0 distributed SQL database with MySQL wire compatibility and a separate columnar replica for analytical queries.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ChartMogul the free tier stops at $10K MRR, so it lapses precisely as a company starts to matter; TiDB a production cluster needs several placement driver, storage and SQL nodes before it is fault tolerant, so the minimum viable footprint is far larger than a MySQL server and TiDB is never the economical choice for a small database.
  • They diverge on capability: ChartMogul covers MRR Analytics, TiDB covers MySQL wire compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ChartMogul and TiDB actually diverge.

Attributes where ChartMogul and TiDB differ
AttributeChartMogulTiDB
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, ApiCloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDatabases
Founded20142015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 ChartMogul

  • MRR Analytics
  • Churn Analysis
  • Cohort Analysis
  • Customer Segmentation
  • Revenue Recognition
  • Stripe
  • Chargebee
  • Recurly

Only in TiDB

  • MySQL wire compatibility
  • Horizontal write scaling
  • Distributed ACID transactions
  • TiFlash columnar replica
  • Automatic rebalancing
  • Raft replication
  • Apache 2.0 licence
  • Online schema change

What people use each for

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

ChartMogul

  • MRR trackingnot TiDB
  • Churn analysisnot TiDB
  • Revenue analyticsnot TiDB
  • Subscription metricsnot TiDB
  • Financial forecastingnot TiDB

TiDB

  • A MySQL workload that has hit the write ceiling of a single primary and would otherwise need an application-level sharding layernot ChartMogul
  • Reporting that must run against current transactional data, where the columnar replica removes the delay and the cost of an ETL pipelinenot ChartMogul
  • Multi-region deployments needing a single logical database with automatic failover rather than manual primary promotionnot ChartMogul
  • Migrating off a sharded MySQL estate where the sharding logic in the application has become the main source of bugs and operational toilnot ChartMogul

Where each one falls short

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

ChartMogul

  • The free tier stops at $10K MRR, so it lapses precisely as a company starts to matter
  • Starter is capped at 3 team members and a single billing system connection
  • Two-way CRM sync and warehouse integration require the Pro tier
  • Pricing scales with your ARR rather than with usage, so the bill rises as the business grows
  • Enterprise starts at $19,900 a year and is required above $10M ARR

TiDB

  • A production cluster needs several placement driver, storage and SQL nodes before it is fault tolerant, so the minimum viable footprint is far larger than a MySQL server and TiDB is never the economical choice for a small database.
  • Every transaction takes a timestamp from the placement driver and crosses the network to storage nodes, so simple point queries are slower than on single-node MySQL and latency-sensitive paths need to be measured, not assumed.
  • MySQL compatibility is at the wire and dialect level but not complete; stored procedures, triggers and events are not supported, so an application that pushed logic into the database cannot simply be repointed.
  • The columnar replica is an extra full copy of the data on its own nodes, so hybrid analytics roughly doubles storage and adds hardware that must be sized and paid for separately.
  • Operating it well requires cluster-specific expertise in TiUP or the Kubernetes operator, region hot spots, and rebalancing behaviour, so the licence is free but the running cost includes an engineer who understands distributed storage.

Pricing, plan by plan

ChartMogul

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to $120K ARR tracked
    • 1 billing source
    • Unlimited team members
  • Starter$59/month
    • $59-$707/month based on ARR
    • Up to $10M ARR tracked
    • 1 billing source
  • Pro$99/month
    • $99-$1,199/month based on ARR
    • Up to $10M ARR tracked
    • 5 billing sources
  • Enterprise$19900/year
    • Custom pricing available
    • Unlimited ARR tracked
    • 15 billing sources

TiDB

Free
  • ServerlessFree
    • 5GB storage
    • 50M request units
    • Free forever tier
  • Dedicated$250/month
    • Dedicated resources
    • SLA guarantees
    • Enterprise support

Which should you pick?

Choose ChartMogul if

  • You need mrr analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want churn analysis.
ChartMogul review

Choose TiDB if

  • You need mysql wire compatibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed.
  • You also want horizontal write scaling.
TiDB review

Questions people ask

Is ChartMogul or TiDB better?
Neither clearly leads. ChartMogul starts at Free and TiDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ChartMogul or TiDB?
ChartMogul starts at Free and TiDB at Free.
Does ChartMogul or TiDB run on more platforms?
ChartMogul runs on Web, Api. TiDB runs on Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed.
Can I use ChartMogul for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is ChartMogul best used for?
ChartMogul is most often used for mrr tracking, churn analysis, revenue analytics, subscription metrics. Of those, mrr tracking and churn analysis are not what TiDB is typically brought in for.
What can ChartMogul do that TiDB cannot?
ChartMogul covers MRR Analytics, Churn Analysis, Cohort Analysis, Customer Segmentation. TiDB covers MySQL wire compatibility, Horizontal write scaling, Distributed ACID transactions, TiFlash columnar replica.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ChartMogul: How much does ChartMogul cost for a small SaaS startup?

ChartMogul offers a free plan for companies with up to $120K ARR. Starter plans begin at $59 per month for smaller ARR amounts and scale up to $707 per month, with a 17% discount available for annual commitments. Source: https://chartmogul.com/pricing

Source
TiDB: Is TiDB a drop-in replacement for MySQL?

At the protocol and dialect level it is close, and most applications connect unchanged. Stored procedures, triggers and events are not supported, and latency characteristics differ, so it needs testing rather than assumption.

ChartMogul: What are the team member limits on ChartMogul plans?

The Free and Pro plans include unlimited team members, while the Starter plan is limited to 3 team members. Enterprise plans offer unlimited users with custom pricing. Source: https://chartmogul.com/pricing

Source
TiDB: What licence is it under?

Apache 2.0, for both TiDB and the underlying TiKV storage engine. TiKV is a graduated CNCF project, which is a meaningful governance signal in a market where several competitors moved to source-available licences.

ChartMogul: How many billing sources can each ChartMogul plan integrate?

Free and Starter plans support 1 billing source each. Pro plans increase to 5 billing sources. Enterprise plans support 15 billing sources with custom pricing and unlimited integration capabilities. Source: https://chartmogul.com/pricing

Source
TiDB: Do I need TiFlash?

Only for analytical queries. It is an optional columnar replica; without it TiDB is a distributed transactional database. With it you get analytics on live data at the cost of an additional full copy.

ChartMogul: Does ChartMogul offer an annual payment discount?

Yes, ChartMogul provides a 17% discount when paying annually instead of monthly on Starter and Pro plans. Enterprise customers can discuss custom annual pricing with the sales team. Source: https://chartmogul.com/pricing

Source
TiDB: Is the managed cloud the same software?

TiDB Cloud runs the same engine, with the control plane, scaling and operational tooling provided as a service. The entry tier is metered differently from a dedicated cluster, so the cost model rather than the engine is what changes.

TiDB: When is TiDB the wrong choice?

When the database is small enough for one server, when latency on single-row lookups is the primary constraint, or when the application depends on MySQL stored procedures and triggers.

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