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Developer Tools · head to head

Deno vs Dgraph

Deno logo

Deno

Developer Tools

A fast, open-source, fully Node-compatible JS runtime with TypeScript baked right in

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit DenoFull 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

  • Free plans on both; paid from $20/mo and $39/mo.
  • Where Deno falls short: egress bandwidth overage costs $0.20/GB which can become expensive for high-traffic applications.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Deno and Dgraph actually diverge.

Attributes where Deno and Dgraph differ
AttributeDenoDgraph
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web
CategoryDeveloper ToolsDatabases

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

Not yet recorded: founded for Deno.

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 Deno

Nothing recorded that Dgraph does not also cover.

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.

Deno

  • Running TypeScript natively without transpilation overheadnot Dgraph
  • Migrating Node.js applications to secure-by-default runtimenot Dgraph
  • Deploying edge functions and serverless containers seamlesslynot Dgraph
  • Consolidating developer tools into single binarynot Dgraph

Dgraph

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

Where each one falls short

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

Deno

  • Egress bandwidth overage costs $0.20/GB which can become expensive for high-traffic applications
  • CPU time overage is $0.10/hour on Pro and Builder tiers, adding to costs for compute-intensive workloads
  • Enterprise pricing is not disclosed; requires sales contact

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

Deno

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 million requests/month
    • 20GB egress bandwidth
    • 10 apps
  • Pro$20/mo
    • 5 million requests/month
    • 200GB egress
    • 50 apps
  • Builder$200/mo
    • 25 million requests/month
    • 2,000GB egress
    • 10,000 apps
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Custom limits on all metrics
    • 99.95% reliability SLA
    • Email support with SLA

Dgraph

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Deno if

  • You want to start without paying.
Deno 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 Deno or Dgraph better?
Neither clearly leads. Deno 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, Deno or Dgraph?
Deno starts at Free and Dgraph at Free.
Does Deno or Dgraph run on more platforms?
Deno runs on Web. Dgraph runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web.
Can I use Deno for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Deno best used for?
Deno is most often used for running typescript natively without transpilation overhead, migrating node.js applications to secure-by-default runtime, deploying edge functions and serverless containers seamlessly, consolidating developer tools into single binary. Of those, running typescript natively without transpilation overhead and migrating node.js applications to secure-by-default runtime are not what Dgraph is typically brought in for.
What can Deno do that Dgraph cannot?
Dgraph covers Apache 2.0 licence, Generated GraphQL API, DQL query language, Predicate sharding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Deno: How much does Deno Deploy cost?

Deno Deploy offers a free tier at $0/month, Pro at $20/month, and Builder at $200/month. Enterprise has custom pricing. All plans include base request and bandwidth limits, with overage charges for additional usage.

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.

Deno: What are Deno Deploy's overage charges?

Egress bandwidth overages cost $0.20 per GB. CPU time overages are $0.10 per hour on Pro and Builder tiers. Memory time and KV database operations also incur charges beyond included limits.

Source
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.

Deno: How many apps can I deploy on Deno's free plan?

The free tier includes 10 apps with up to 1 concurrent build. Pro tier supports 50 apps with 3 concurrent builds, and Builder supports 10,000 apps with 20 concurrent builds.

Source
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.

Deno: How many team members can access Deno Deploy?

The free tier supports up to 3 team members. Pro supports 10 team members. Builder supports 25 team members. Enterprise has custom seat limits.

Source
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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