Software · head to head
SingleStore vs ClickHouse
SingleStore
Software
The real-time distributed SQL database for data-intensive applications
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
ClickHouse
Software
Fast open-source column-oriented database for real-time analytics
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: SingleStore high licensing costs that increase with data scale and cluster size; ClickHouse limited multi-row atomic transactions and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations unsuitable for transactional systems
- They diverge on capability: SingleStore covers Fast Data Ingest, ClickHouse covers Column-oriented Storage.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which SingleStore and ClickHouse actually diverge.
| Attribute | SingleStore | ClickHouse |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Cloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed | Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker) |
| Founded | 2011 | 2021 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), 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 SingleStore
- Fast Data Ingest
- In-memory Processing
- Distributed Architecture
- MySQL Compatible
- Columnar Storage
- Vector Search
- Spark
- Tableau
Only in ClickHouse
- Column-oriented Storage
- SQL Support
- Linear Scalability
- Data Compression
- Vectorized Query Execution
- Approximate Calculations
- S3
- MySQL
Both cover
- Real-time Analytics
- Kafka
- Linux support
- Docker support
- Kubernetes support
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
SingleStore
- Transaction processingnot ClickHouse
- Data storagenot ClickHouse
- Application backendnot ClickHouse
- Reporting
- Data analyticsnot ClickHouse
ClickHouse
- Business intelligencenot SingleStore
- Data warehousingnot SingleStore
- Real-time analyticsnot SingleStore
- Reporting
- Machine learningnot SingleStore
Both are used for reporting, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
SingleStore
- High licensing costs that increase with data scale and cluster size
- Eventual consistency in replication: secondary replicas may lag during high write loads
- Complex operational setup requiring specialized knowledge for optimization
- Vendor lock-in due to proprietary technology without open-source alternatives
- Disorganized documentation and lack of online training resources
ClickHouse
- Limited multi-row atomic transactions and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations unsuitable for transactional systems
- Requires upfront schema design discipline with MergeTree engine choices and sort/partition keys
- Experimental vector search support, not production-ready for vector operations
- Different query syntax from standard SQL requiring migration planning
- Limited JOIN capabilities compared to traditional relational databases
- Migration complexity with 2-4 weeks estimated for data type mapping and query translation
Pricing, plan by plan
SingleStore
Free- Free Tier$0.99/month
- Usage-based pricing
- Limited resources
ClickHouse
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the ClickHouse review.
Which should you pick?
Choose SingleStore if
- You need fast data ingest.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed.
- You also want in-memory processing.
Choose ClickHouse if
- You need column-oriented storage.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker).
- You also want sql support.
Questions people ask
- Is SingleStore or ClickHouse better?
- Neither clearly leads. SingleStore starts at Free and ClickHouse at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, SingleStore or ClickHouse?
- SingleStore starts at Free and ClickHouse at Free.
- Does SingleStore or ClickHouse run on more platforms?
- SingleStore runs on Cloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed. ClickHouse runs on Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker).
- Can I use SingleStore for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is SingleStore best used for?
- SingleStore is most often used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting. Of those, transaction processing and data storage are not what ClickHouse is typically brought in for.
- What can SingleStore do that ClickHouse cannot?
- SingleStore covers Fast Data Ingest, In-memory Processing, Distributed Architecture, MySQL Compatible. ClickHouse covers Column-oriented Storage, SQL Support, Linear Scalability, Data Compression. Both handle Real-time Analytics, Kafka, Linux support, Docker support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
SingleStore: Does SingleStore offer a free tier?
Yes, SingleStore offers a free tier starting from $0.99/month with usage-based pricing. The free tier allows developers to evaluate the platform with limited resources before scaling to production workloads.
SourceClickHouse: What is ClickHouse best used for?
ClickHouse is optimized for analytical workloads on large datasets. It excels at fast aggregations and queries, being 10-100x faster than PostgreSQL on large aggregations.
SourceSingleStore: Can SingleStore handle both transactional and analytical workloads?
Yes, SingleStore is a hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP) database that combines operational (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) workloads in a single unified engine, eliminating the need for separate systems.
SourceClickHouse: Does ClickHouse support transactions?
ClickHouse has limited transaction support and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations. It is not suitable for transactional workloads requiring strict ACID guarantees.
SourceSingleStore: Does SingleStore integrate with Apache Spark?
Yes, SingleStore provides the Spark Connector 3.0 for bidirectional data integration with Apache Spark. The connector supports SQL, Python, Scala, Java, and R for data loading and extraction.
SourceClickHouse: How does ClickHouse compare to PostgreSQL?
ClickHouse is 10-100x faster for analytics but PostgreSQL is better for transactional workloads. Many teams use both: PostgreSQL for writes via MaterializedPostgreSQL replication to ClickHouse for analytics.
SourceSingleStore: Can SingleStore ingest data from Kafka?
Yes, SingleStore supports high-throughput streaming ingestion from Apache Kafka and other sources, enabling millions of events per second without requiring ETL pipelines or data movement.
SourceSingleStore: Is SingleStore available as cloud or self-managed?
SingleStore offers both deployment options: SingleStoreDB Cloud (managed service) and SingleStore Self-Managed for on-premises or private cloud deployments. The managed service handles infrastructure, scaling, and maintenance automatically.
Source