Software · head to head
RavenDB vs Dgraph
The short version
- Each has a real cost: RavenDB the free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal; Dgraph the GitHub repository (dgraph-io/dgraph) is licensed Apache 2.0 with no paid tier, cloud offering, or enterprise edition mentioned anywhere in the README
- They diverge on capability: RavenDB covers Auto-indexing, Dgraph covers Native GraphQL.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which RavenDB and Dgraph actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 RavenDB
- Auto-indexing
- Graph Queries
- Distributed Counters
- Time Series
- Document Compression
- .NET
- Node.js
- Java
Only in Dgraph
- Native GraphQL
- Distributed Architecture
- GraphQL Subscriptions
- Geolocation Queries
- Horizontal Scaling
- GraphQL
- Ratel UI
- Slash GraphQL
Both cover
- ACID Transactions
- Full-text Search
- Linux support
- Mac support
- Docker support
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
RavenDB
- Running a distributed document database with ACID transactionsnot Dgraph
- Self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardwarenot Dgraph
- Replicating operational data out to analytics systems through ETLnot Dgraph
Dgraph
- Knowledge graphsnot RavenDB
- Fraud detectionnot RavenDB
- Recommendation enginesnot RavenDB
- Network analysisnot RavenDB
- Master data managementnot RavenDB
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
RavenDB
- The free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
- The free Community licence caps a customer at 60 cores and forces you to stay on the latest major version
- The Professional licence is limited to a single database, a 5 node cluster, 40 cores and 240 GB RAM
- Sharding across nodes, ETL to OLAP, Elasticsearch and Kafka, and data archival are Enterprise only
- Enterprise and AI licence pricing is contact us only with no published rate
Dgraph
- The GitHub repository (dgraph-io/dgraph) is licensed Apache 2.0 with no paid tier, cloud offering, or enterprise edition mentioned anywhere in the README
Pricing, plan by plan
RavenDB
Free- CommunityFree
- 3 cores
- 6GB RAM
- Community support
- Professional$499/year
- Production use
- Professional support
- Advanced features
Dgraph
Free- CommunityFree
- Native GraphQL
- Graph queries
- Full-text search
- Cloud$39/month
- Managed service
- Auto-scaling
- Enterprise support
Which should you pick?
Choose RavenDB if
- You need auto-indexing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
- You also want graph queries.
Choose Dgraph if
- You need native graphql.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Mac, Docker, Web.
- You also want distributed architecture.
Questions people ask
- Is RavenDB or Dgraph better?
- Neither clearly leads. RavenDB starts at Free and Dgraph at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, RavenDB or Dgraph?
- RavenDB starts at Free and Dgraph at Free.
- Does RavenDB or Dgraph run on more platforms?
- RavenDB runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web. Dgraph runs on Linux, Mac, Docker, Web.
- Can I use RavenDB for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is RavenDB best used for?
- RavenDB is most often used for running a distributed document database with acid transactions, self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardware, replicating operational data out to analytics systems through etl. Of those, running a distributed document database with acid transactions and self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardware are not what Dgraph is typically brought in for.
- What can RavenDB do that Dgraph cannot?
- RavenDB covers Auto-indexing, Graph Queries, Distributed Counters, Time Series. Dgraph covers Native GraphQL, Distributed Architecture, GraphQL Subscriptions, Geolocation Queries. Both handle ACID Transactions, Full-text Search, Linux support, Mac support.