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Databases · head to head

FaunaDB vs RubyMine

FaunaDB logo

FaunaDB

Databases

Document-relational database whose hosted service closed in 2025 and whose core is now unmaintained Apache 2.0 code.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit FaunaDBFull review
RubyMine logo

RubyMine

Developer Tools

JetBrains IDE for Ruby and Ruby on Rails development

From
$24/month
Free plan
No
Visit RubyMineFull review

The short version

  • FaunaDB has a free plan, then $25/mo; RubyMine starts at $24/mo.
  • Only FaunaDB lists document-relational model; only RubyMine lists rails-aware coding assistance.
  • Where RubyMine falls short: no permanently free tier for commercial use; requires an ongoing subscription.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FaunaDB and RubyMine actually diverge.

Attributes where FaunaDB and RubyMine differ
AttributeFaunaDBRubyMine
Starting priceFree$24/month
Pricing modelFreemiumSubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWindows, macOS, Linux
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools
Founded20122000

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 FaunaDB

  • Document-relational model
  • FQL v10
  • Distributed ACID transactions
  • HTTPS access
  • User-defined functions
  • Attribute-based access control
  • Document history
  • Event streaming

Only in RubyMine

  • Rails-aware coding assistance
  • Integrated debugger
  • Test runner integration
  • Database tools
  • Version control integration
  • Docker support

What people use each for

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

FaunaDB

  • Keeping an existing Fauna-backed application alive on self-hosted infrastructure while a migration is planned and fundednot RubyMine
  • Extracting historical data from a Fauna dataset that can no longer be reached through the hosted APInot RubyMine
  • Studying a production implementation of deterministic distributed transactions, since the full server source is now readable under Apache 2.0not RubyMine
  • Forking the engine deliberately, where an organisation has JVM and distributed-systems staff and wants a document-relational store it fully controlsnot RubyMine

RubyMine

  • Building and maintaining Ruby on Rails applicationsnot FaunaDB
  • Debugging Ruby web applicationsnot FaunaDB
  • Running and managing RSpec or Minitest suitesnot FaunaDB
  • Working across Ruby, JavaScript, and SQL in one projectnot FaunaDB

Where each one falls short

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

FaunaDB

  • The hosted service was wound down in 2025, so there is no managed Fauna to buy; every remaining user either operates a JVM cluster themselves or migrates, and both are projects rather than tasks
  • The open-sourced repository has had no substantive activity since May 2025 and the drivers were frozen alongside it, so you inherit responsibility for security patches in a Scala distributed database that almost nobody else is running
  • FQL has no wire or dialect compatibility with anything else, so migrating off is a rewrite of every query, index and access rule in the application rather than a data export
  • No BI tool, ORM or CDC connector speaks FQL, so reporting and analytics always required exporting the data first, and that export tooling is now also unmaintained
  • The community was small before the shutdown and has dispersed since, so operational answers, tuning advice and people who have run a Fauna cluster in anger are all scarce when something breaks

RubyMine

  • No permanently free tier for commercial use; requires an ongoing subscription
  • More resource-intensive than lightweight editors such as Sublime Text
  • Focused primarily on Ruby, so polyglot teams may prefer IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate with plugins instead
  • Startup time can be slower than simpler text editors on older hardware

Pricing, plan by plan

FaunaDB

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100K read ops
    • 50K write ops
    • 1GB storage
  • Pro$25/mo
    • Pay per use
    • Priority support
    • Advanced features

RubyMine

$24/month
  • Individual$24/mo
    • Personal use license
    • Access to RubyMine
    • Free for students and open-source maintainers
  • Organization$34/mo
    • Business use license
    • Access to RubyMine
    • Volume and renewal discounts

Which should you pick?

Choose FaunaDB if

  • You need document-relational model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want fql v10.
FaunaDB review

Choose RubyMine if

  • You need rails-aware coding assistance.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want integrated debugger.
RubyMine review

Questions people ask

Is FaunaDB or RubyMine better?
Neither clearly leads. FaunaDB starts at Free and RubyMine at $24/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FaunaDB or RubyMine?
FaunaDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FaunaDB and $24/month for RubyMine.
Does FaunaDB or RubyMine run on more platforms?
FaunaDB runs on Web. RubyMine runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use FaunaDB for free?
Yes. FaunaDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RubyMine starts at $24/month.
What is FaunaDB best used for?
FaunaDB is most often used for keeping an existing fauna-backed application alive on self-hosted infrastructure while a migration is planned and funded, extracting historical data from a fauna dataset that can no longer be reached through the hosted api, studying a production implementation of deterministic distributed transactions, since the full server source is now readable under apache 2.0, forking the engine deliberately, where an organisation has jvm and distributed-systems staff and wants a document-relational store it fully controls. Of those, keeping an existing fauna-backed application alive on self-hosted infrastructure while a migration is planned and funded and extracting historical data from a fauna dataset that can no longer be reached through the hosted api are not what RubyMine is typically brought in for.
What can FaunaDB do that RubyMine cannot?
FaunaDB covers Document-relational model, FQL v10, Distributed ACID transactions, HTTPS access. RubyMine covers Rails-aware coding assistance, Integrated debugger, Test runner integration, Database tools.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

FaunaDB: Can I still sign up for Fauna as a service?

No. Fauna Inc. wound down the hosted service in 2025 and the company website is no longer serving. The only way to run Fauna now is to build and operate the open-sourced server yourself.

RubyMine: How much does RubyMine cost?

RubyMine is sold as a JetBrains Toolbox subscription starting around $24/month for individuals and $34/month for organizations, with free licenses available for students and open-source maintainers.

Source
FaunaDB: What licence is the open-sourced code under?

Apache 2.0, with the copyright held by a FaunaDB Foundation. That is a permissive OSI licence with no competing-use clause, so you may run it, modify it and even offer it as a service.

RubyMine: Is there a free trial?

JetBrains provides a free trial period for RubyMine so developers can evaluate it before purchasing a subscription.

Source
FaunaDB: Is the open source version the same software that ran the cloud?

It is the core database engine. The control plane, billing, dashboard and multi-tenant operational tooling that made it a service are not part of the release, so you are running the engine, not the product.

RubyMine: What platforms does RubyMine support?

RubyMine runs as a desktop application on Windows, macOS, and Linux via JetBrains Toolbox.

Source
FaunaDB: What should I migrate to?

There is no drop-in target. Teams that valued the document model with relationships usually land on Postgres with JSONB, and teams that valued the serverless HTTP access pattern usually land on DynamoDB or a managed Postgres with an HTTP driver. Either way the query layer is rewritten.

FaunaDB: How hard is it to self-host?

It builds as a fat JAR and runs as a multi-node JVM cluster. There is an OPERATING.md, but no supported packaging, no operator, no upstream releases and no support contract, so budget for a distributed-systems engineer, not a container.

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