Is Hasura or OpenEBS better?

Neither clearly leads. Hasura starts at Free and OpenEBS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Hasura or OpenEBS?

Hasura starts at Free and OpenEBS at Free.

Does Hasura or OpenEBS run on more platforms?

Hasura runs on Web. OpenEBS runs on Linux.

Can I use Hasura for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Hasura best used for?

Hasura is most often used for automatic graphql api generation from existing databases, real-time data subscriptions for modern applications, backend infrastructure for web and mobile applications, event-triggered webhooks for database changes. Of those, automatic graphql api generation from existing databases and real-time data subscriptions for modern applications are not what OpenEBS is typically brought in for.

What can Hasura do that OpenEBS cannot?

Hasura covers GraphQL API, Real-time subscriptions, Access control, PostgreSQL. OpenEBS covers Replicated engine, Local PV engines, Kubernetes-native management, Snapshots and clones.

APIs · head to head

Hasura vs OpenEBS

Hasura

APIs

GraphQL engine that instantly creates production-ready GraphQL API from databases

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

OpenEBS

Cloud

Open source container-attached storage for Kubernetes

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Hasura active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly; OpenEBS there is no vendor on the other end of an incident unless you separately contract DataCore, so an outage at three in the morning is resolved by your own team and a public Slack channel.
They diverge on capability: Hasura covers GraphQL API, OpenEBS covers Replicated engine.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hasura and OpenEBS actually diverge.

Attributes where Hasura and OpenEBS differ
Attribute	Hasura	OpenEBS
Pricing model	freemium	Open source, no licence fee
Platforms	Web	Linux
Category	APIs	Cloud
Founded	2017	Unknown

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

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 Hasura

GraphQL API
Real-time subscriptions
Access control
PostgreSQL
MySQL
Webhooks
REST APIs
Cloud support

Only in OpenEBS

Replicated engine
Local PV engines
Kubernetes-native management
Snapshots and clones
No licence fee
Hardware independence

What people use each for

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

Hasura

Automatic GraphQL API generation from existing databasesnot OpenEBS
Real-time data subscriptions for modern applicationsnot OpenEBS
Backend infrastructure for web and mobile applicationsnot OpenEBS
Event-triggered webhooks for database changesnot OpenEBS

OpenEBS

Running Cassandra or Kafka on Kubernetes where the application already replicates and node-local volumes are sufficientnot Hasura
A platform team that needs persistent volumes on bare metal Kubernetes without a per node subscriptionnot Hasura
An edge or lab deployment where a commercial storage licence cannot be justifiednot Hasura
Replacing hostpath volumes with something that has snapshots and a Container Storage Interface drivernot Hasura

Where each one falls short

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

Hasura

Active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly
Private DDN requires Base or Advanced plan

OpenEBS

There is no vendor on the other end of an incident unless you separately contract DataCore, so an outage at three in the morning is resolved by your own team and a public Slack channel.
The project has several storage engines with different maturity and different operational characteristics, and choosing the wrong one for your workload produces poor results that look like a product failure.
Documentation and upgrade guidance assume real Kubernetes storage knowledge, so teams without that expertise underestimate the operational load they are taking on.
Project governance shifted after DataCore acquired MayaData in 2021, which means the direction of a supposedly neutral project is influenced by one commercial sponsor.
Disaster recovery, cross-cluster replication and policy-driven data services are thinner than in the commercial alternatives, so organisations with those requirements end up building them or buying a product anyway.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hasura

Free

DDN FreeFree
- Unlimited models
- 1 supergraph developer
- 15-minute observability retention
DDN Base$5/month
- Per active model billing
- Unlimited developers
- 30-day observability retention
DDN Advanced$30/month
- Per active model billing
- Federated collaboration
- Multi-repo CI/CD

OpenEBS

Free

OpenEBSFree
- Apache 2.0 licensed
- All storage engines included
- No node or capacity limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Hasura if

You need graphql api.
You want to start without paying.
You also want real-time subscriptions.

Hasura review

Choose OpenEBS if

You need replicated engine.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux.
You also want local pv engines.

OpenEBS review

Questions people ask

Is Hasura or OpenEBS better?: Neither clearly leads. Hasura starts at Free and OpenEBS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hasura or OpenEBS?: Hasura starts at Free and OpenEBS at Free.
Does Hasura or OpenEBS run on more platforms?: Hasura runs on Web. OpenEBS runs on Linux.
Can I use Hasura for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Hasura best used for?: Hasura is most often used for automatic graphql api generation from existing databases, real-time data subscriptions for modern applications, backend infrastructure for web and mobile applications, event-triggered webhooks for database changes. Of those, automatic graphql api generation from existing databases and real-time data subscriptions for modern applications are not what OpenEBS is typically brought in for.
What can Hasura do that OpenEBS cannot?: Hasura covers GraphQL API, Real-time subscriptions, Access control, PostgreSQL. OpenEBS covers Replicated engine, Local PV engines, Kubernetes-native management, Snapshots and clones.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hasura: How much does Hasura cost?

Hasura DDN Free is free. DDN Base starts at $5/active model/month, and DDN Advanced starts at $30/active model/month.

Source

OpenEBS: Who supports it in production?

The project is community supported. Commercial support is available from DataCore, which acquired the original sponsor MayaData in 2021. Establish that relationship before production, not during an incident.

Hasura: What is an active model in Hasura pricing?

An active model is defined as any model or command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly.

Source

OpenEBS: Which engine should we use?

If your application replicates its own data, use a Local engine and avoid replicating twice. If it does not, such as with PostgreSQL, use the Replicated engine.

Hasura: Is there a free version of Hasura?

Yes, Hasura DDN Free is always free and includes unlimited models, 1 supergraph developer, and 15-minute observability retention.

Source

OpenEBS: Does it cost anything?

No licence fee. The cost is operational, and a support contract if you want someone accountable.

Hasura vs OpenEBS

Hasura

OpenEBS

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Hasura

Only in OpenEBS

What people use each for

Hasura

OpenEBS

Where each one falls short

Hasura

OpenEBS

Pricing, plan by plan

Hasura

OpenEBS

Which should you pick?

Choose Hasura if

Choose OpenEBS if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Hasura

More on OpenEBS

Keep looking

Other head to heads