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Automation Integration · head to head

Stitch vs TiDB

Stitch logo

Stitch

Automation Integration

Simple, powerful ETL built for data teams

From
$100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TiDB logo

TiDB

Databases

Apache 2.0 distributed SQL database with MySQL wire compatibility and a separate columnar replica for analytical queries.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only TiDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Stitch the Standard plan allows a single destination, so loading the same data into two warehouses requires the $1,500 a month Advanced plan; TiDB a production cluster needs several placement driver, storage and SQL nodes before it is fault tolerant, so the minimum viable footprint is far larger than a MySQL server and TiDB is never the economical choice for a small database.
  • They diverge on capability: Stitch covers Data replication, TiDB covers MySQL wire compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Stitch and TiDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Stitch and TiDB differ
AttributeStitchTiDB
Starting price$100/monthFree
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, CloudCloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed
CategoryAutomation IntegrationDatabases
Founded20142015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Stitch

  • Data replication
  • Schema detection
  • Data transformation
  • Real-time sync
  • Monitoring
  • Error handling
  • Incremental updates
  • 200+ connectors

Only in TiDB

  • MySQL wire compatibility
  • Horizontal write scaling
  • Distributed ACID transactions
  • TiFlash columnar replica
  • Automatic rebalancing
  • Raft replication
  • Apache 2.0 licence
  • Online schema change

What people use each for

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

Stitch

  • Data integration and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)not TiDB
  • Data pipeline managementnot TiDB
  • Cloud data warehouse loadingnot TiDB
  • Real-time data synchronizationnot TiDB

TiDB

  • A MySQL workload that has hit the write ceiling of a single primary and would otherwise need an application-level sharding layernot Stitch
  • Reporting that must run against current transactional data, where the columnar replica removes the delay and the cost of an ETL pipelinenot Stitch
  • Multi-region deployments needing a single logical database with automatic failover rather than manual primary promotionnot Stitch
  • Migrating off a sharded MySQL estate where the sharding logic in the application has become the main source of bugs and operational toilnot Stitch

Where each one falls short

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

Stitch

  • The Standard plan allows a single destination, so loading the same data into two warehouses requires the $1,500 a month Advanced plan
  • The Advanced and Premium plans are billed annually only
  • The jump from Standard to Advanced is from $100 a month to $1,500
  • Standard is limited to 10 sources and 5 users
  • HIPAA support and private connectivity options such as VPN, AWS PrivateLink and VPC peering are excluded from Standard
  • Published prices are US only, with international pricing available on request

TiDB

  • A production cluster needs several placement driver, storage and SQL nodes before it is fault tolerant, so the minimum viable footprint is far larger than a MySQL server and TiDB is never the economical choice for a small database.
  • Every transaction takes a timestamp from the placement driver and crosses the network to storage nodes, so simple point queries are slower than on single-node MySQL and latency-sensitive paths need to be measured, not assumed.
  • MySQL compatibility is at the wire and dialect level but not complete; stored procedures, triggers and events are not supported, so an application that pushed logic into the database cannot simply be repointed.
  • The columnar replica is an extra full copy of the data on its own nodes, so hybrid analytics roughly doubles storage and adds hardware that must be sized and paid for separately.
  • Operating it well requires cluster-specific expertise in TiUP or the Kubernetes operator, region hot spots, and rebalancing behaviour, so the licence is free but the running cost includes an engineer who understands distributed storage.

Pricing, plan by plan

Stitch

$100/month
  • Standard$100/month
    • 5-300 million rows per month (configurable)
    • 1 destination
    • 10 standard sources
  • Advanced$1500/month
    • 100 million rows per month
    • 3 destinations
    • Unlimited enterprise sources
  • Premium$3000/month
    • 1 billion rows per month
    • 5 destinations
    • Unlimited enterprise sources

TiDB

Free
  • ServerlessFree
    • 5GB storage
    • 50M request units
    • Free forever tier
  • Dedicated$250/month
    • Dedicated resources
    • SLA guarantees
    • Enterprise support

Which should you pick?

Choose Stitch if

  • You need data replication.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want schema detection.
Stitch review

Choose TiDB if

  • You need mysql wire compatibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed.
  • You also want horizontal write scaling.
TiDB review

Questions people ask

Is Stitch or TiDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Stitch starts at $100/month and TiDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Stitch or TiDB?
TiDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $100/month for Stitch and Free for TiDB.
Does Stitch or TiDB run on more platforms?
Stitch runs on Web, Cloud. TiDB runs on Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Self-managed.
Can I use TiDB for free?
Yes. TiDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Stitch starts at $100/month.
What is Stitch best used for?
Stitch is most often used for data integration and etl (extract, transform, load), data pipeline management, cloud data warehouse loading, real-time data synchronization. Of those, data integration and etl (extract, transform, load) and data pipeline management are not what TiDB is typically brought in for.
What can Stitch do that TiDB cannot?
Stitch covers Data replication, Schema detection, Data transformation, Real-time sync. TiDB covers MySQL wire compatibility, Horizontal write scaling, Distributed ACID transactions, TiFlash columnar replica.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Stitch: How much does Stitch cost?

Stitch's usage-based pricing starts at $100/month for the Standard plan. Advanced tier is $1,500/month (annual billing), and Premium is $3,000/month (annual billing). Pricing is based on rows per month and data destinations.

Source
TiDB: Is TiDB a drop-in replacement for MySQL?

At the protocol and dialect level it is close, and most applications connect unchanged. Stored procedures, triggers and events are not supported, and latency characteristics differ, so it needs testing rather than assumption.

Stitch: Does Stitch offer a free trial?

Yes, Stitch provides a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
TiDB: What licence is it under?

Apache 2.0, for both TiDB and the underlying TiKV storage engine. TiKV is a graduated CNCF project, which is a meaningful governance signal in a market where several competitors moved to source-available licences.

Stitch: How many rows can I process with each Stitch plan?

Standard plan is configurable from 5 to 300 million rows per month. Advanced includes 100 million rows per month. Premium includes 1 billion rows per month. Additional rows are available for customization.

Source
TiDB: Do I need TiFlash?

Only for analytical queries. It is an optional columnar replica; without it TiDB is a distributed transactional database. With it you get analytics on live data at the cost of an additional full copy.

Stitch: Is Stitch pricing available outside the US?

Stitch publishes pricing for US customers only. International pricing requires contacting Stitch sales directly.

Source
TiDB: Is the managed cloud the same software?

TiDB Cloud runs the same engine, with the control plane, scaling and operational tooling provided as a service. The entry tier is metered differently from a dedicated cluster, so the cost model rather than the engine is what changes.

TiDB: When is TiDB the wrong choice?

When the database is small enough for one server, when latency on single-row lookups is the primary constraint, or when the application depends on MySQL stored procedures and triggers.

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