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Software · head to head

DuckDB vs TiDB

DuckDB logo

DuckDB

Software

Fast in-process analytical database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TiDB logo

TiDB

Software

Open source distributed HTAP database for elastic scale and real-time analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: DuckDB client-server setup remains in beta and not recommended for production distributed scenarios; TiDB not 100% MySQL-compatible, requiring verification before migration
  • They diverge on capability: DuckDB covers In-process Execution, TiDB covers MySQL Compatible.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DuckDB and TiDB actually diverge.

Attributes where DuckDB and TiDB differ
AttributeDuckDBTiDB
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, WebAssemblyCloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed
Founded20192015

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 DuckDB

  • In-process Execution
  • Columnar Storage
  • Vectorized Execution
  • Rich SQL Support
  • Parquet Support
  • CSV/JSON Import
  • Zero Dependencies
  • Python

Only in TiDB

  • MySQL Compatible
  • HTAP Workloads
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Strong Consistency
  • High Availability
  • Real-time Analytics
  • Elastic Scaling
  • MySQL

Both cover

  • Linux support

What people use each for

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

DuckDB

  • Analytics and data warehousingnot TiDB
  • OLAP queries and data explorationnot TiDB
  • Data science and machine learning workflowsnot TiDB
  • Multi-format data ingestion and processingnot TiDB

TiDB

  • Transaction processingnot DuckDB
  • Data storagenot DuckDB
  • Application backendnot DuckDB
  • Reportingnot DuckDB
  • Data analyticsnot DuckDB

Where each one falls short

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

DuckDB

  • Client-server setup remains in beta and not recommended for production distributed scenarios

TiDB

  • Not 100% MySQL-compatible, requiring verification before migration

Pricing, plan by plan

DuckDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DuckDB review.

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 DuckDB if

  • You need in-process execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly.
  • You also want columnar storage.
DuckDB review

Choose TiDB if

  • You need mysql compatible.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed.
  • You also want htap workloads.
TiDB review

Questions people ask

Is DuckDB or TiDB better?
Neither clearly leads. DuckDB 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, DuckDB or TiDB?
DuckDB starts at Free and TiDB at Free.
Does DuckDB or TiDB run on more platforms?
DuckDB runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly. TiDB runs on Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed.
Can I use DuckDB for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is DuckDB best used for?
DuckDB is most often used for analytics and data warehousing, olap queries and data exploration, data science and machine learning workflows, multi-format data ingestion and processing. Of those, analytics and data warehousing and olap queries and data exploration are not what TiDB is typically brought in for.
What can DuckDB do that TiDB cannot?
DuckDB covers In-process Execution, Columnar Storage, Vectorized Execution, Rich SQL Support. TiDB covers MySQL Compatible, HTAP Workloads, Horizontal Scaling, Strong Consistency. Both handle Linux support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

TiDB: Is TiDB MySQL-compatible?

Yes, TiDB speaks the MySQL protocol, so existing MySQL clients, ORMs, and drivers work without modification. However, TiDB is not 100% MySQL-compatible.

Source
TiDB: How does TiDB scale?

TiDB provides automatic horizontal scaling with compute and storage scaling independently. It splits compute (TiDB servers) from storage (TiKV) to allow adding nodes without data replication.

Source
TiDB: Does TiDB support analytics workloads?

Yes, TiDB is an HTAP database with TiFlash columnar engine providing analytics capabilities alongside transactional processing on the same data without separate pipelines.

Source
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Related pages

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