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Head-to-head · Time-Series Databases

kdb+ vs VictoriaMetrics

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score kdb+ #4 in Time-Series Databases 8.9/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit kdb+
VictoriaMetrics #8 in Time-Series Databases 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Try VictoriaMetrics

kdb+ leads on 1 check, VictoriaMetrics on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scorekdb+ · 8.9/10
  • Free planonly VictoriaMetrics
  • Most featureskdb+ · 3 of 3

kdb+ scores higher on our rubric for time-series databases: 8.9 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #8.

kdb+ offers sql support; VictoriaMetrics doesn't.

kdb+ is the better fit for high-performance financial time-series processing. VictoriaMetrics is the better fit for prometheus-compatible metrics at scale.

  • kdb+ fits best

    High-performance financial time-series processing

  • VictoriaMetrics fits best

    Prometheus-compatible metrics at scale

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Side by side

Feature kdb+ 8.9/10 Visit ↗ VictoriaMetrics 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.9 8.5
Ranking #4 in Time-Series Databases #8 in Time-Series Databases
Best for High-performance financial time-series processing Prometheus-compatible metrics at scale
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price Pricing on request Free plan
Free plan Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Web, Windows, Linux
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Integrations 17 integrations 15 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features kdb+ 3/3 · VictoriaMetrics 2/3
SQL support ✓ (best) —
Retention policies ✓ ✓
Horizontal scaling ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment Both Both
Query languages q, q-SQL MetricsQL, PromQL
Ingestion methods tickerplant, feed handlers, batch mode, TCP/IP, Apache Kafka, Python, Java, C Prometheus scraping, Prometheus remote write, Prometheus exposition, InfluxDB line protocol, Graphite plaintext, OpenTSDB, JSON line, CSV, native binary, DataDog, NewRelic, OpenTelemetry, Zabbix Connector
Our review
Pros
  • Columnar storage with in-memory real-time processing
  • Tickerplant, feedhandler, and partitioned historical database architecture
  • Integrations across ODBC, Kafka, Java, Python, C, and R
  • Free Apache 2.0 open-source edition with single-node and cluster versions
  • PromQL-compatible querying, MetricsQL, and long-term Prometheus storage
  • Horizontal scaling, replication, multi-tenancy, and configurable retention
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure ownership
  • Closed-source licensing limits source-level customization
  • Pricing requires contacting sales
  • Cloud pricing starts at $200 per month
  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
  • Metrics-focused design excludes SQL support
Our verdict

kdb+ is a time-series database and analytics engine for organizations processing real-time and historical data. Its design combines columnar storage, in-memory execution, persistent databases, temporal data types, and the q programming and…

Read the review →

VictoriaMetrics is an open-source time-series database and monitoring solution for teams collecting, storing, and querying high-cardinality metrics. It supports self-hosted single-node deployments, horizontally scalable clusters, and a…

Read the review →
  1. kdb+Time-Series Databases 8.9Pricing on request
  2. VictoriaMetricsTime-Series Databases 8.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • kdb+ — where it wins

    • Columnar storage with in-memory real-time processing
    • Tickerplant, feedhandler, and partitioned historical database architecture
    • Integrations across ODBC, Kafka, Java, Python, C, and R

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure ownership
    • Closed-source licensing limits source-level customization
    • Pricing requires contacting sales

  • VictoriaMetrics — where it wins

    • Free Apache 2.0 open-source edition with single-node and cluster versions
    • PromQL-compatible querying, MetricsQL, and long-term Prometheus storage
    • Horizontal scaling, replication, multi-tenancy, and configurable retention

    Where it doesn't

    • Cloud pricing starts at $200 per month
    • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
    • Metrics-focused design excludes SQL support

More comparisons

All Time-Series databases comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update