Databases · head to head
Dgraph vs Namespace
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
Namespace
Developer Tools
The dev platform for the next 100 billion commits
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Namespace is a developer infrastructure platform.
- Free plans on both; paid from $39/mo and $100/mo.
- Only Dgraph lists apache 2.0 licence; only Namespace lists GitHub Actions runners.
- Where Namespace falls short: developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear.
- Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Dgraph and Namespace actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).
Not yet recorded: pricing model for Namespace, founded for Namespace.
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 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
Only in Namespace
- Devboxes
- GitHub Actions runners
- Docker builds
- Cross-invocation caching
- NVMe storage
- High-speed networking
- Multiple OS support
- Bazel and Turborepo support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Dgraph
- An application whose core data is a graph, such as permissions, social connections or product relationships, where the frontend already consumes GraphQLnot Namespace
- A knowledge graph that outgrew a single machine and needs storage distributed across nodes without a per-core licence negotiationnot Namespace
- Recommendation or fraud-detection features that traverse several hops at request time, where a relational join chain has become the bottlenecknot Namespace
- Teams that want a graph database they can read, fork and self-host under a permissive licence rather than a source-available onenot Namespace
Namespace
- Providing AI coding agents with cloud-based development environmentsnot Dgraph
- Accelerating CI builds with faster GitHub Actions runnersnot Dgraph
- Distributing builds across teams with managed infrastructurenot Dgraph
- Scaling development velocity for monorepo organizationsnot Dgraph
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Namespace
- Developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear
- Team plan $100/mo is competitive but usage limits may be tight
- Devbox pricing separate at $0.004/minute could add up quickly
- Enterprise plan requires custom sales conversation
Pricing, plan by plan
Dgraph
Free- CommunityFree
- Native GraphQL
- Graph queries
- Full-text search
- Cloud$39/mo
- Managed service
- Auto-scaling
- Enterprise support
Namespace
Free- DeveloperFree
- Pay-as-you-go
- On-demand compute
- Docker builds
- Team$100/mo
- 100,000 unit minutes
- 1,000 Docker builds
- Everything in Developer
- Business$250/mo
- 250,000 unit minutes
- 2,500 Docker builds
- Everything in Team
- EnterpriseOn request
- Custom compute/Docker build limits
- Audit log export
- Enterprise SSO
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Namespace if
- You need devboxes.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- You also want github actions runners.
Questions people ask
- Is Dgraph or Namespace better?
- Neither clearly leads. Dgraph starts at Free and Namespace at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Dgraph or Namespace?
- Dgraph starts at Free and Namespace at Free.
- Does Dgraph or Namespace run on more platforms?
- Dgraph runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web. Namespace runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- Can I use Dgraph for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Dgraph best used for?
- Dgraph is most often used for an application whose core data is a graph, such as permissions, social connections or product relationships, where the frontend already consumes graphql, a knowledge graph that outgrew a single machine and needs storage distributed across nodes without a per-core licence negotiation, recommendation or fraud-detection features that traverse several hops at request time, where a relational join chain has become the bottleneck, teams that want a graph database they can read, fork and self-host under a permissive licence rather than a source-available one. Of those, an application whose core data is a graph, such as permissions, social connections or product relationships, where the frontend already consumes graphql and a knowledge graph that outgrew a single machine and needs storage distributed across nodes without a per-core licence negotiation are not what Namespace is typically brought in for.
- What can Dgraph do that Namespace cannot?
- Dgraph covers Apache 2.0 licence, Generated GraphQL API, DQL query language, Predicate sharding. Namespace covers Devboxes, GitHub Actions runners, Docker builds, Cross-invocation caching.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
Namespace: How is compute usage metered on the Developer plan?
Developer plan uses pay-as-you-go billing. Devboxes bill at $0.004 per minute. Storage and caching services have separate usage-based fees. A 30-day free trial is available to test usage patterns.
SourceDgraph: 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.
Namespace: What is the difference between Team and Business plans?
Team ($100/mo) includes 100,000 unit minutes and 1,000 Docker builds with email support. Business ($250/mo) includes 250,000 unit minutes, 2,500 Docker builds, and high concurrency with a dedicated Slack channel.
SourceDgraph: 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.
Namespace: Can Namespace support AI coding agents?
Yes, Namespace Devboxes are specifically designed as feature-rich development environments for AI coding agents, with full tooling and performance optimization.
SourceDgraph: 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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