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Sourcegraph vs SurrealDB

Sourcegraph logo

Sourcegraph

Developer Tools

Code search and intelligence platform for large codebases with Cody AI assistant

From
$16000/year
Free plan
No
Visit SourcegraphFull review
SurrealDB logo

SurrealDB

Databases

Multi-model database combining documents, graphs, vectors and time-series

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit SurrealDBFull review

The short version

  • Sourcegraph is an enterprise code intelligence platform.
  • SurrealDB has a free plan, then $0.192/mo; Sourcegraph starts at $16000/yr.
  • Where Sourcegraph falls short: enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams.
  • Where SurrealDB falls short: the listed $0.192/node/hr Scale pricing lacks transparent higher-tier rates, requiring a sales conversation for full production sizing.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sourcegraph and SurrealDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Sourcegraph and SurrealDB differ
AttributeSourcegraphSurrealDB
Starting price$16000/yearFree
Pricing modelSubscriptionUsage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb, API, Windows, macOS, Linux
CategoryDeveloper ToolsDatabases

Not yet recorded: founded for Sourcegraph.

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 Sourcegraph

Nothing recorded that SurrealDB does not also cover.

Only in SurrealDB

  • Multi-model engine
  • ACID transactions
  • Hybrid retrieval
  • Horizontal scaling
  • Multi-region disaster recovery
  • FIPS-compliant cryptography

What people use each for

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

Sourcegraph

  • Large-scale code migrations across hundreds of repositoriesnot SurrealDB
  • Enterprise governance and code ownership trackingnot SurrealDB
  • AI-assisted bug hunting and security pattern detectionnot SurrealDB
  • Onboarding engineers into large unfamiliar codebasesnot SurrealDB
  • Regulatory compliance and code audit trailsnot SurrealDB

SurrealDB

  • AI agent memory and retrieval-augmented generationnot Sourcegraph
  • Applications needing documents, graphs and vectors in one databasenot Sourcegraph
  • Knowledge graph construction from unstructured datanot Sourcegraph
  • Regulated workloads requiring SOC2/ISO27001/HIPAA-eligible hostingnot Sourcegraph

Where each one falls short

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

Sourcegraph

  • Enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams
  • No free tier or standard plan published; all options require custom sales engagement
  • Complex enterprise-only positioning limits adoption compared to GitHub Copilot's pervasiveness
  • Requires indexing entire codebase; not suitable for small or ephemeral projects

SurrealDB

  • The listed $0.192/node/hr Scale pricing lacks transparent higher-tier rates, requiring a sales conversation for full production sizing
  • As a newer multi-model database, it has a smaller ecosystem of drivers, ORMs and community tooling than established single-model databases
  • HIPAA compliance is only available as an Enterprise add-on rather than included in standard paid tiers
  • Combining multiple data models in one engine can add query-planning complexity compared to purpose-built single-model databases

Pricing, plan by plan

Sourcegraph

$16000/year
  • Enterprise$16,000/yr
    • Scales with team size
    • Credits for AI features per user
    • Deep Search

SurrealDB

Free
  • StartFree
    • 1 free instance, then from $0.021/hr
    • 1GB storage free forever
    • Vertical scaling to terabytes
  • Scale$0.192/mo
    • $0.192/node/hr
    • Production-grade fault tolerance
    • Horizontal scaling to petabytes
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Self-hosted, custom pricing
    • Clustered fault-tolerant deployments
    • FIPS-compliant cryptography

Which should you pick?

Choose Sourcegraph if

  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
Sourcegraph review

Choose SurrealDB if

  • You need multi-model engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want acid transactions.
SurrealDB review

Questions people ask

Is Sourcegraph or SurrealDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Sourcegraph starts at $16000/year and SurrealDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sourcegraph or SurrealDB?
SurrealDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $16000/year for Sourcegraph and Free for SurrealDB.
Does Sourcegraph or SurrealDB run on more platforms?
Sourcegraph runs on Web, Self-hosted. SurrealDB runs on Web, API, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use SurrealDB for free?
Yes. SurrealDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sourcegraph starts at $16000/year.
What is Sourcegraph best used for?
Sourcegraph is most often used for large-scale code migrations across hundreds of repositories, enterprise governance and code ownership tracking, ai-assisted bug hunting and security pattern detection, onboarding engineers into large unfamiliar codebases. Of those, large-scale code migrations across hundreds of repositories and enterprise governance and code ownership tracking are not what SurrealDB is typically brought in for.
What can Sourcegraph do that SurrealDB cannot?
SurrealDB covers Multi-model engine, ACID transactions, Hybrid retrieval, Horizontal scaling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SurrealDB: What does SurrealDB cost?

SurrealDB Cloud's Start plan is free with one free instance (then from $0.021/hr), the Scale plan runs $0.192/node/hr for production workloads, and Enterprise self-hosted deployments use custom pricing.

Source
SurrealDB: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?

Yes, the Start plan includes one free instance with 1GB of storage free forever and 1GB of outbound data transfer per month, aimed at prototypes and development.

Source
SurrealDB: How is billing handled?

Customers are invoiced monthly based on actual usage in a pay-as-you-go model with no long-term commitments, though commitment-based discounts are available.

Source
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