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Databases · head to head

ScyllaDB vs Timeplus

ScyllaDB logo

ScyllaDB

Databases

The real-time big data database compatible with Cassandra

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Timeplus logo

Timeplus

Databases

Streaming SQL engine built on ClickHouse internals, shipping as one small binary

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ScyllaDB enterprise tier requires custom quote from sales; Timeplus proton, the free version, is single-node by design, so any requirement for high availability or horizontal scale forces the commercial licence; the open source edition is a trial in practical terms.
  • They diverge on capability: ScyllaDB covers Cassandra Compatible, Timeplus covers Streaming SQL.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ScyllaDB and Timeplus actually diverge.

Attributes where ScyllaDB and Timeplus differ
AttributeScyllaDBTimeplus
Pricing modelusage-basedPer month for cloud, quoted for self-hosted
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, WebLinux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes, Web
Founded2015Unknown

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 ScyllaDB

  • Cassandra Compatible
  • DynamoDB Compatible
  • 10x Throughput
  • Low Latency
  • Auto-tuning
  • Lightweight Transactions
  • Change Data Capture
  • Cassandra Drivers

Only in Timeplus

  • Streaming SQL
  • Unified streaming and historical
  • ClickHouse-based engine
  • Single binary deployment
  • External streams
  • Materialised views

What people use each for

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

ScyllaDB

  • Real-time applicationsnot Timeplus
  • Content managementnot Timeplus
  • User profilesnot Timeplus
  • Mobile backendsnot Timeplus
  • Cachingnot Timeplus

Timeplus

  • Real-time alerting on Kafka topics where standing up a Flink cluster is more work than the use case justifiesnot ScyllaDB
  • Fraud or anomaly detection that must join a live event stream against recent history in one querynot ScyllaDB
  • Streaming ETL from Kafka or MySQL change data capture into ClickHouse without writing Javanot ScyllaDB
  • A small data team that needs continuous aggregation but has no platform engineers to operate JVM infrastructurenot ScyllaDB

Where each one falls short

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

ScyllaDB

  • Enterprise tier requires custom quote from sales
  • Pricing varies by cloud provider, storage, and instance configuration
  • Contracts available but commitment required for subscription discounts

Timeplus

  • Proton, the free version, is single-node by design, so any requirement for high availability or horizontal scale forces the commercial licence; the open source edition is a trial in practical terms.
  • It is a young project against Apache Flink’s decade of production history, so the hiring pool, the connector library and the body of known failure modes are all much smaller.
  • Inheriting ClickHouse internals also inherits ClickHouse constraints: memory-hungry queries, awkward updates and a SQL dialect that is not portable to other engines.
  • Exactly-once semantics and state recovery guarantees are less battle-tested than Flink checkpointing, which matters if the pipeline moves money.
  • Cloud pricing is by provisioned instance size rather than usage, so a bursty workload pays for peak capacity around the clock or has to be resized by hand.

Pricing, plan by plan

ScyllaDB

Free
  • ScyllaDB Cloud Standard$null/variable
    • Usage-based billing: vCPU, RAM, NVMe SSD storage
    • 2-hour P1 support response time
    • 99.9% uptime SLA
  • ScyllaDB Cloud Professional$null/variable
    • Enterprise-grade scalability
    • 1-hour P1 support response
    • Enhanced features included
  • ScyllaDB Cloud Premium$null/variable
    • Custom security and networking
    • 15-minute P1 support response
    • 99.99% uptime SLA
  • ScyllaDB Enterprise$null/quote
    • Self-managed deployment
    • On-premise or private cloud
    • Custom quote required

Timeplus

Free
  • Timeplus ProtonFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • Single node only
    • Full streaming SQL engine
  • Timeplus Cloud$199/month
    • One to thirty-two CPUs
    • 4 GB to 128 GB memory
    • From 250 GB SSD storage
  • Self-hosted or BYOC$undefined/year
    • Multi-node clustering
    • Kubernetes or bare metal
    • Customisable compute and storage

Which should you pick?

Choose ScyllaDB if

  • You need cassandra compatible.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
  • You also want dynamodb compatible.
ScyllaDB review

Choose Timeplus if

  • You need streaming sql.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
  • You also want unified streaming and historical.
Timeplus review

Questions people ask

Is ScyllaDB or Timeplus better?
Neither clearly leads. ScyllaDB starts at Free and Timeplus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ScyllaDB or Timeplus?
ScyllaDB starts at Free and Timeplus at Free.
Does ScyllaDB or Timeplus run on more platforms?
ScyllaDB runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web. Timeplus runs on Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
Can I use ScyllaDB for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is ScyllaDB best used for?
ScyllaDB is most often used for real-time applications, content management, user profiles, mobile backends. Of those, real-time applications and content management are not what Timeplus is typically brought in for.
What can ScyllaDB do that Timeplus cannot?
ScyllaDB covers Cassandra Compatible, DynamoDB Compatible, 10x Throughput, Low Latency. Timeplus covers Streaming SQL, Unified streaming and historical, ClickHouse-based engine, Single binary deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ScyllaDB: How is ScyllaDB Cloud pricing calculated?

ScyllaDB Cloud uses transparent, resource-based billing based on instance type (vCPU and RAM), NVMe SSD storage, service plan tier, deployment model, and cloud provider costs.

Source
Timeplus: Is Timeplus open source?

The core engine, Timeplus Proton, is Apache 2.0. Timeplus Enterprise and Cloud are commercial.

ScyllaDB: Does ScyllaDB offer a free trial?

ScyllaDB offers a 30-day developer trial on smaller instances and a 48-hour production evaluation trial with full-grade instances.

Source
Timeplus: What is the difference from Flink?

Timeplus is one binary with SQL as the only interface; Flink is a JVM cluster with a Java and SQL API and far more operational surface.

ScyllaDB: What cost savings are available for long-term ScyllaDB commitments?

ScyllaDB subscription contracts provide up to 70% or more in savings compared to on-demand hourly billing. 1-year and 3-year contract options are available.

Source
Timeplus: Can Proton run in production?

It can, but it is single-node only, so there is no high availability without the commercial edition.

ScyllaDB: How much cheaper is ScyllaDB than DynamoDB?

Unlike DynamoDB which charges per read/write unit, ScyllaDB charges based on resource usage only, potentially delivering 50% or greater cost reduction for high-throughput workloads.

Source
Timeplus: How much is the cloud?

From 199 US dollars a month, sized by CPU and memory, with a fourteen day trial.

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