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Databases · head to head

Firestore vs Memcached

Firestore logo

Firestore

Databases

Flexible, scalable NoSQL cloud database from Firebase

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
M

Memcached

Databases

Distributed memory object caching system

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Firestore the no-cost Spark plan caps Standard edition at 50,000 document reads, 20,000 writes and 20,000 deletes per day; Memcached no persistence at all: restart a node and its cache is gone, which every design must assume
  • They diverge on capability: Firestore covers Document Model, Memcached covers In-memory key-value cache.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Firestore and Memcached actually diverge.

Attributes where Firestore and Memcached differ
AttributeFirestoreMemcached
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee; managed cloud billed separately
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, FlutterLinux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Self-hosted
Founded2011Unknown

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

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 Firestore

  • Document Model
  • Real-time Updates
  • Offline Support
  • ACID Transactions
  • Expressive Queries
  • Multi-region
  • Security Rules
  • Firebase Auth

Only in Memcached

  • In-memory key-value cache
  • Multithreaded
  • Client-side sharding
  • Predictable memory use

What people use each for

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

Firestore

  • Storing structured application data with realtime listenersnot Memcached
  • Backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document databasenot Memcached
  • Building offline first apps that sync when connectivity returnsnot Memcached

Memcached

  • Caching expensive database query results to cut loadnot Firestore
  • Session storage where losing sessions on restart is acceptablenot Firestore
  • Fronting an API whose responses are costly and change slowlynot Firestore

Where each one falls short

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

Firestore

  • The no-cost Spark plan caps Standard edition at 50,000 document reads, 20,000 writes and 20,000 deletes per day
  • The Spark plan caps storage at 1 GiB and network egress at 10 GiB per month
  • Charging is per document read, so a query returning many documents bills for every one of them
  • Going beyond the free thresholds requires the pay as you go Blaze plan billed at Google Cloud rates with no fixed monthly ceiling

Memcached

  • No persistence at all: restart a node and its cache is gone, which every design must assume
  • No replication or failover, so losing a node loses that share of the cache
  • Only simple key-value, with none of the lists, sorted sets or streams Redis offers
  • Values are capped at 1MB by default, which surprises teams caching large documents

Pricing, plan by plan

Firestore

Free
  • SparkFree
    • 1GB storage
    • 50K reads/day
    • 20K writes/day
  • BlazeFree
    • Pay as you go
    • Unlimited operations
    • Multi-region

Memcached

Free
  • MemcachedFree
    • Full functionality
    • Self-hosted
    • No usage limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Firestore if

  • You need document model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Flutter.
  • You also want real-time updates.
Firestore review

Choose Memcached if

  • You need in-memory key-value cache.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Self-hosted.
  • You also want multithreaded.
Memcached review

Questions people ask

Is Firestore or Memcached better?
Neither clearly leads. Firestore starts at Free and Memcached at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Firestore or Memcached?
Firestore starts at Free and Memcached at Free.
Does Firestore or Memcached run on more platforms?
Firestore runs on Web, Ios, Android, Flutter. Memcached runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Self-hosted.
Can I use Firestore for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Firestore best used for?
Firestore is most often used for storing structured application data with realtime listeners, backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document database, building offline first apps that sync when connectivity returns. Of those, storing structured application data with realtime listeners and backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document database are not what Memcached is typically brought in for.
What can Firestore do that Memcached cannot?
Firestore covers Document Model, Real-time Updates, Offline Support, ACID Transactions. Memcached covers In-memory key-value cache, Multithreaded, Client-side sharding, Predictable memory use.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Firestore: What are the free limits on Cloud Firestore?

The Spark Plan includes 1 GiB of stored data, 50,000 reads per day, 20,000 writes per day, and 20,000 deletes per day at no cost.

Source
Memcached: Is Memcached free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

Firestore: What happens when I exceed the Spark Plan free tier?

Exceeding the free tier requires upgrading to the Blaze Plan, which bills based on actual usage through Google Cloud pricing. Charges apply for reads, writes, deletes, and data storage.

Source
Memcached: Memcached or Redis?

Memcached is a pure cache: simpler, multithreaded and very predictable. Redis adds persistence, replication and rich data structures, which is why it is the default choice unless you specifically want a cache and nothing more.

Firestore: Can I use Firestore without a credit card?

Yes, you can use the Spark Plan indefinitely without a credit card. To use the Blaze Plan (pay-as-you-go), a credit card is required.

Source
Memcached: Does Memcached persist data?

No. Everything is in memory and lost on restart, by design.

Firestore: Is there a trial period for Cloud Firestore?

No trial period is specified. The Spark Plan free tier serves as the trial, with no time limit.

Source
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