Side by side

Apache IoTDB vs DolphinDB

Both stand on time-series databases. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Apache IoTDB

Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3

Apache IoTDB provides a range of ingestion paths, query features and deployment options for IoT time-series data. For Java applications where write performance matters, its documentation recommends the Java Native API rather than JDBC inserts.

Visit Apache IoTDB

DolphinDB

Free plan APIExtensionLinux+3

DolphinDB combines database engines, analytical functions, and streaming tools in one platform. Its free Community Edition has explicit node and per-node resource limits.

Visit DolphinDB

The facts

	Apache IoTDB	DolphinDB
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	Not published
Runs on	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows	API, Extension, Linux, Self-hosted, Web, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	2	2
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	iotdb.apache.org	dolphindb.com
On time-series databases	#1 of 36	#4 of 36

Apache IoTDB: what it does well

Open-source database with downloadable binaries and source.
Supports SQL and multiple ingestion methods.
Offers time alignment and time-series computation.
Documents data and cluster access permissions.

What to know first

REST service is disabled by default.
JDBC inserts may not provide high-performance writing.
Version 1.0 changed SQL syntax conventions.
UDFs need changes for the separated API module.

DolphinDB: what it does well

More than 1,500 built-in analytical functions
More than 10 streaming engines
Supports horizontal scaling and fault tolerance
Cloud, on-premise, and hybrid deployment options

What to know first

Community Edition is limited to two nodes
Each Community Edition node is limited to two CPU cores and 8 GB RAM
Kafka plugin has specified ARM Linux limitations

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