Apache IoTDB vs DolphinDB

Apache IoTDB9.3Visit DolphinDB7.6Visit

Higher score Apache IoTDB #1 in Time-Series Databases 9.3/10 Open source ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Apache IoTDB

vs

DolphinDB #14 in Time-Series Databases 7.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit DolphinDB

• Apache IoTDB fits best

  IoT data with SQL and many ingestion options

• DolphinDB fits best

  Complex streaming and time-series analytics

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Side by side

Feature	Apache IoTDB 9.3/10 Visit ↗	DolphinDB 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	7.6
Ranking	#1 in Time-Series Databases	#14 in Time-Series Databases
Best for	IoT data with SQL and many ingestion options	Complex streaming and time-series analytics
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Free
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux	Web, Windows, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	4 integrations	20 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache IoTDB 3/3 · DolphinDB 3/3
SQL support	✓	✓
Retention policies	✓	✓
Horizontal scaling	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment	Both	Both
Query languages	IoTDB-SQL; Tree Mode SQL; Table Mode SQL	DolphinDB SQL; ANSI SQL/SQL-92; DolphinDB scripting language
Ingestion methods	INSERT SQL; Java JDBC; Java, C++, Python, and Go native APIs; REST API; MQTT; CSV; TsFile	Text, binary, JSON, HDF5, Parquet, Arrow, ODBC, APIs, Kafka, MQTT, ZeroMQ, MySQL, MongoDB, HBase, kdb+
Our review
Pros	High-throughput real-time and batch ingestion across multiple interfaces SQL with tree and table models, filtering, aggregation, and grouping TTL retention, cluster scaling, and broad analytics integrations	Distributed storage with horizontal scaling and data rebalancing Streaming engines, retention policies, and tiered storage Broad APIs, languages, and messaging integrations
Cons	Self-managed deployment places operations and maintenance on the organization Uses IoTDB SQL dialects rather than a single conventional SQL model Its broad ingestion and integration surface may exceed smaller IoT projects	Community Edition is limited to 2 nodes Each Community Edition node allows up to 2 CPU cores and 8 GB RAM Paid pricing requires contacting sales
Our verdict	Apache IoTDB is an open-source, IoT-native time-series database for organizations managing large volumes of device and sensor data. It suits industrial use cases across energy, transportation, aerospace, manufacturing, and general IoT… Read the review →	DolphinDB is a distributed time-series database and real-time analytics platform for organizations handling large volumes of structured or streaming data. Its feature set is aimed at financial institutions and operational teams in energy,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Apache IoTDB — where it wins

  • High-throughput real-time and batch ingestion across multiple interfaces
  • SQL with tree and table models, filtering, aggregation, and grouping
  • TTL retention, cluster scaling, and broad analytics integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-managed deployment places operations and maintenance on the organization
  • Uses IoTDB SQL dialects rather than a single conventional SQL model
  • Its broad ingestion and integration surface may exceed smaller IoT projects

• DolphinDB — where it wins

  • Distributed storage with horizontal scaling and data rebalancing
  • Streaming engines, retention policies, and tiered storage
  • Broad APIs, languages, and messaging integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Community Edition is limited to 2 nodes
  • Each Community Edition node allows up to 2 CPU cores and 8 GB RAM
  • Paid pricing requires contacting sales

• Apache IoTDB9.3/10 · Open source

  A focused open-source choice for high-volume IoT ingestion, SQL, retention, and scaling.

  Visit Apache IoTDBFull verdict →
• DolphinDB7.6/10 · Free plan

  A distributed time-series platform for complex streaming, scaling, and analytics workloads.

  Visit DolphinDBFull verdict →