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Head-to-head · Time-Series Databases

QuestDB vs DolphinDB

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score QuestDB #9 in Time-Series Databases 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit QuestDB
DolphinDB #14 in Time-Series Databases 7.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit DolphinDB

QuestDB leads on 0 checks, DolphinDB on 0, and 4 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 scoreQuestDB · 8.4/10
  • Free planboth

QuestDB scores higher on our rubric for time-series databases: 8.4 against 7.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #9 and #14.

QuestDB is the better fit for open-source SQL time-series deployments. DolphinDB is the better fit for complex streaming and time-series analytics.

  • QuestDB fits best

    Open-source SQL time-series deployments

  • DolphinDB fits best

    Complex streaming and time-series analytics

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature QuestDB 8.4/10 Visit ↗ DolphinDB 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.4 7.6
Ranking #9 in Time-Series Databases #14 in Time-Series Databases
Best for Open-source SQL time-series deployments Complex streaming and time-series analytics
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Web, Windows, Linux
Support Email, Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 11 integrations 20 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features QuestDB 3/3 · DolphinDB 3/3
SQL support ✓ ✓
Retention policies ✓ ✓
Horizontal scaling ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment Both Both
Query languages QuestDB SQL, PostgreSQL wire protocol, REST API, Apache Parquet DolphinDB SQL; ANSI SQL/SQL-92; DolphinDB scripting language
Ingestion methods QuestDB Wire Protocol, InfluxDB Line Protocol, REST API, native client libraries, SQL INSERT, Kafka connector, CSV import Text, binary, JSON, HDF5, Parquet, Arrow, ODBC, APIs, Kafka, MQTT, ZeroMQ, MySQL, MongoDB, HBase, kdb+
Our review
Pros
  • Apache 2.0 core with self-managed deployment
  • SQL extensions, retention policies, and materialized views
  • Integrates with Kafka, Grafana, Spark, and Parquet
  • Distributed storage with horizontal scaling and data rebalancing
  • Streaming engines, retention policies, and tiered storage
  • Broad APIs, languages, and messaging integrations
Cons
  • High availability and replication are Enterprise features
  • Enterprise pricing is contact-based
  • Self-managed deployment requires infrastructure ownership
  • 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

QuestDB is an open-source time-series database for financial market data, telemetry, and real-time analytics. It is aimed at teams that want SQL alongside time-series capabilities, with a column-oriented, time-partitioned storage engine…

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 →
  1. QuestDBTime-Series Databases 8.4Free plan
  2. DolphinDBTime-Series Databases 7.6Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • QuestDB — where it wins

    • Apache 2.0 core with self-managed deployment
    • SQL extensions, retention policies, and materialized views
    • Integrates with Kafka, Grafana, Spark, and Parquet

    Where it doesn't

    • High availability and replication are Enterprise features
    • Enterprise pricing is contact-based
    • Self-managed deployment requires infrastructure ownership

  • 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
  • QuestDB8.4/10 · Free plan

    A strong fit for teams wanting SQL, flexible ingestion, and self-managed time-series infrastructure.

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

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

    Visit DolphinDBFull verdict →

All Time-Series databases comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update