Softwr

Software · head to head

CouchDB vs RavenDB

CouchDB logo

CouchDB

Software

Seamless multi-master sync with Apache CouchDB

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RavenDB logo

RavenDB

Software

The fully transactional NoSQL document database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CouchDB append-only storage model may have performance implications for certain workloads with high update rates; RavenDB the free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • They diverge on capability: CouchDB covers Multi-master Replication, RavenDB covers ACID Transactions.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CouchDB and RavenDB actually diverge.

Attributes where CouchDB and RavenDB differ
AttributeCouchDBRavenDB
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsDocker, Windows (x64), macOS, Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS), Raspberry PiLinux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web
Founded19992010

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

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 CouchDB

  • Multi-master Replication
  • HTTP/JSON API
  • MapReduce Views
  • ACID Semantics
  • Offline-first
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Fauxton UI
  • PouchDB

Only in RavenDB

  • ACID Transactions
  • Auto-indexing
  • Full-text Search
  • Graph Queries
  • Distributed Counters
  • Time Series
  • Document Compression
  • .NET

Both cover

  • Linux support
  • Windows support
  • Mac support
  • Docker support

What people use each for

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

CouchDB

  • Offline-first applications requiring seamless replication across mobile and server environmentsnot RavenDB
  • Multi-master deployments where data consistency eventually resolves across regionsnot RavenDB
  • IoT and edge computing scenarios with intermittent connectivitynot RavenDB

RavenDB

  • Running a distributed document database with ACID transactionsnot CouchDB
  • Self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardwarenot CouchDB
  • Replicating operational data out to analytics systems through ETLnot CouchDB

Where each one falls short

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

CouchDB

  • Append-only storage model may have performance implications for certain workloads with high update rates
  • Requires network synchronisation for cluster data consistency; can introduce latency in multi-master scenarios
  • No explicit support for complex joins; MapReduce queries may be inefficient compared to relational databases

RavenDB

  • The free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • The free Community licence caps a customer at 60 cores and forces you to stay on the latest major version
  • The Professional licence is limited to a single database, a 5 node cluster, 40 cores and 240 GB RAM
  • Sharding across nodes, ETL to OLAP, Elasticsearch and Kafka, and data archival are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise and AI licence pricing is contact us only with no published rate

Pricing, plan by plan

CouchDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the CouchDB review.

RavenDB

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • 3 cores
    • 6GB RAM
    • Community support
  • Professional$499/year
    • Production use
    • Professional support
    • Advanced features

Which should you pick?

Choose CouchDB if

  • You need multi-master replication.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Docker, Windows (x64), macOS, Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS), Raspberry Pi.
  • You also want http/json api.
CouchDB review

Choose RavenDB if

  • You need acid transactions.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
  • You also want auto-indexing.
RavenDB review

Questions people ask

Is CouchDB or RavenDB better?
Neither clearly leads. CouchDB starts at Free and RavenDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CouchDB or RavenDB?
CouchDB starts at Free and RavenDB at Free.
Does CouchDB or RavenDB run on more platforms?
CouchDB runs on Docker, Windows (x64), macOS, Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS), Raspberry Pi. RavenDB runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
Can I use CouchDB for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CouchDB best used for?
CouchDB is most often used for offline-first applications requiring seamless replication across mobile and server environments, multi-master deployments where data consistency eventually resolves across regions, iot and edge computing scenarios with intermittent connectivity. Of those, offline-first applications requiring seamless replication across mobile and server environments and multi-master deployments where data consistency eventually resolves across regions are not what RavenDB is typically brought in for.
What can CouchDB do that RavenDB cannot?
CouchDB covers Multi-master Replication, HTTP/JSON API, MapReduce Views, ACID Semantics. RavenDB covers ACID Transactions, Auto-indexing, Full-text Search, Graph Queries. Both handle Linux support, Windows support, Mac support, Docker support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on CouchDB

More on RavenDB

Keep looking

Other head to heads