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Databases · head to head

RisingWave vs Sublime Text

RisingWave logo

RisingWave

Databases

Streaming database that maintains incremental materialised views in SQL instead of Flink jobs

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit RisingWaveFull review
Sublime Text logo

Sublime Text

Developer Tools

A sophisticated text editor for code, markup and prose

From
$99/license
Free plan
No
Visit Sublime TextFull review

The short version

  • RisingWave has a free plan, then $0.227/mo; Sublime Text starts at $99/mo.
  • Only RisingWave lists SQL materialised views; only Sublime Text lists lightning fast performance.
  • Where Sublime Text falls short: personal license requires payment after evaluation period.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which RisingWave and Sublime Text actually diverge.

Attributes where RisingWave and Sublime Text differ
AttributeRisingWaveSublime Text
Starting priceFree$99/license
Pricing modelPer RisingWave Unit hourOne-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Self-hosted, WebWindows, macOS, Linux
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools

Not yet recorded: founded for RisingWave.

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 RisingWave

  • SQL materialised views
  • Postgres wire compatibility
  • Object storage state
  • Source connectors
  • Sink connectors
  • Iceberg tables
  • Watermarks and windowing
  • User defined functions

Only in Sublime Text

  • Lightning fast performance
  • Multiple selections
  • Command palette
  • Instant project switch
  • Plugin ecosystem
  • Customizable UI
  • Advanced search and replace
  • Split editing

What people use each for

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

RisingWave

  • A team with Kafka topics that needs continuously fresh aggregates for a dashboard without standing up a Flink clusternot Sublime Text
  • A fraud or risk team maintaining rolling counters and joins across event streams expressed as SQL viewsnot Sublime Text
  • A company doing Postgres CDC into a real-time denormalised view for search or servingnot Sublime Text
  • An analytics group that wants streaming results landed directly into Apache Iceberg without a separate writer jobnot Sublime Text

Sublime Text

  • Editing code and text files in a fast native desktop editornot RisingWave
  • Working across large files and projects with multi cursor editingnot RisingWave

Where each one falls short

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

RisingWave

  • Anything that does not fit SQL, such as custom windowing, complex event processing or heavy stateful logic, still needs Flink, so RisingWave often adds a system rather than removing one
  • The Apache 2.0 community edition excludes premium features behind a licence key, and which capabilities sit on which side of that line moves between releases, so a self-hosted plan can be invalidated by an upgrade
  • Long-running materialised views accumulate state in object storage, and cost and recovery time grow with retention in ways that are hard to forecast before you are in production
  • The Postgres compatibility is protocol level; it is not a transactional Postgres and using it as a general purpose database, with point updates or high write concurrency, goes badly
  • It is a comparatively young venture-funded project competing with Flink, Materialize and warehouse-native streaming, and the ecosystem of connectors, operators and third-party expertise is much thinner

Sublime Text

  • Personal license requires payment after evaluation period
  • Business licenses use annual subscription model requiring renewal
  • After 3 years of updates on personal license, upgrade required for continued updates

Pricing, plan by plan

RisingWave

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence, self-hosted
    • Core streaming engine and connectors
    • Premium features excluded and require a licence key
  • Cloud Basic$0.227/hour
    • Billed per RisingWave Unit hour
    • Hosted on AWS, GCP or Azure
    • Capped at 64 cores
  • Cloud ProOn request
    • No core limit
    • Bring your own cloud option
    • Premium features included
  • Self-managed EnterpriseOn request
    • On premises or Kubernetes
    • Premium features unlocked by licence
    • Annual contract with SLA

Sublime Text

$99/license
  • Personal License$99 one-off
    • One license for all computers and operating systems
    • 3 years of updates
    • Free evaluation available
  • Business License - 1-10 seats$65/yr
    • Per seat annual subscription
    • Volume discount for 11-25 seats at $60
    • Further discount for 26+ seats

Which should you pick?

Choose RisingWave if

  • You need sql materialised views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Self-hosted, Web.
  • You also want postgres wire compatibility.
RisingWave review

Choose Sublime Text if

  • You need lightning fast performance.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want multiple selections.
Sublime Text review

Questions people ask

Is RisingWave or Sublime Text better?
Neither clearly leads. RisingWave starts at Free and Sublime Text at $99/license, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, RisingWave or Sublime Text?
RisingWave has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for RisingWave and $99/license for Sublime Text.
Does RisingWave or Sublime Text run on more platforms?
RisingWave runs on Linux, Self-hosted, Web. Sublime Text runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use RisingWave for free?
Yes. RisingWave has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sublime Text starts at $99/license.
What is RisingWave best used for?
RisingWave is most often used for a team with kafka topics that needs continuously fresh aggregates for a dashboard without standing up a flink cluster, a fraud or risk team maintaining rolling counters and joins across event streams expressed as sql views, a company doing postgres cdc into a real-time denormalised view for search or serving, an analytics group that wants streaming results landed directly into apache iceberg without a separate writer job. Of those, a team with kafka topics that needs continuously fresh aggregates for a dashboard without standing up a flink cluster and a fraud or risk team maintaining rolling counters and joins across event streams expressed as sql views are not what Sublime Text is typically brought in for.
What can RisingWave do that Sublime Text cannot?
RisingWave covers SQL materialised views, Postgres wire compatibility, Object storage state, Source connectors. Sublime Text covers Lightning fast performance, Multiple selections, Command palette, Instant project switch.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

RisingWave: Is RisingWave open source?

The community edition is Apache 2.0 and self-hostable, but a set of premium features requires a paid licence key.

Sublime Text: How much does Sublime Text cost?

Sublime Text costs $99 USD as a one-time personal license covering all your computers and operating systems, with 3 years of updates included.

Source
RisingWave: What does the cloud cost?

It starts at 0.227 US dollars per RisingWave Unit hour on the Basic tier, which is capped at 64 cores.

Sublime Text: What are the business license pricing tiers?

Business licenses use annual subscription pricing: $65 per seat per year for 1-10 seats, $60 per seat for 11-25 seats, $55 per seat for 26-50 seats, and $50 per seat for 51+ seats.

Source
RisingWave: Does it replace Flink?

For SQL-expressible transformations, often yes. For custom stateful processing and complex event handling, no.

Sublime Text: Can I evaluate Sublime Text for free?

Yes, Sublime Text may be downloaded and evaluated for free, though payment is required to continue using it after evaluation.

Source
RisingWave: Can I query it like Postgres?

Yes over the Postgres wire protocol, but it is an analytical streaming engine, not a transactional database.

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