Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Time-Series Databases

VictoriaMetrics vs TimescaleDB

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score VictoriaMetrics #8 in Time-Series Databases 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Try VictoriaMetrics
TimescaleDB #11 in Time-Series Databases 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit TimescaleDB

VictoriaMetrics leads on 0 checks, TimescaleDB on 1, 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 scoreVictoriaMetrics · 8.5/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresVictoriaMetrics · 2 of 3

VictoriaMetrics scores higher on our rubric for time-series databases: 8.5 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #8 and #11.

TimescaleDB offers sql support; VictoriaMetrics doesn't.

VictoriaMetrics is the better fit for prometheus-compatible metrics at scale. TimescaleDB is the better fit for postgreSQL teams needing time-series capabilities.

  • VictoriaMetrics fits best

    Prometheus-compatible metrics at scale

  • TimescaleDB fits best

    PostgreSQL teams needing time-series capabilities

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 VictoriaMetrics 8.5/10 Visit ↗ TimescaleDB 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.5 7.9
Ranking #8 in Time-Series Databases #11 in Time-Series Databases
Best for Prometheus-compatible metrics at scale PostgreSQL teams needing time-series capabilities
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan $30/GB/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Windows, Linux Web, Linux
Support Email, Community, Docs Email, Tickets, Community, Docs · 24/7
Compliance ISO 27001 SSO/SAML, HIPAA
Integrations 15 integrations 10 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features VictoriaMetrics 2/3 · TimescaleDB 1/3
SQL support — ✓ (best)
Retention policies ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Horizontal scaling ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment Both Not checked yet
Query languages MetricsQL, PromQL Not checked yet
Ingestion methods Prometheus scraping, Prometheus remote write, Prometheus exposition, InfluxDB line protocol, Graphite plaintext, OpenTSDB, JSON line, CSV, native binary, DataDog, NewRelic, OpenTelemetry, Zabbix Connector Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • 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
  • Hypertables add automatic time- or ID-based partitioning
  • Combines row, columnar, compression and continuous aggregates
  • Supports PostgreSQL tooling, pgvector and broad data integrations
Cons
  • Cloud pricing starts at $200 per month
  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
  • Metrics-focused design excludes SQL support
  • Tiger Cloud billing combines compute with separate storage charges
  • Enterprise pricing is custom rather than publicly listed
  • Advanced capabilities require PostgreSQL familiarity
Our verdict

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 →

TimescaleDB extends PostgreSQL for applications that ingest, store and analyze time-series and operational data alongside relational records. It is aimed at teams that want SQL compatibility, existing PostgreSQL clients and drivers, and…

Read the review →
  1. VictoriaMetricsTime-Series Databases 8.5Free plan
  2. TimescaleDBTime-Series Databases 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • 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

  • TimescaleDB — where it wins

    • Hypertables add automatic time- or ID-based partitioning
    • Combines row, columnar, compression and continuous aggregates
    • Supports PostgreSQL tooling, pgvector and broad data integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Tiger Cloud billing combines compute with separate storage charges
    • Enterprise pricing is custom rather than publicly listed
    • Advanced capabilities require PostgreSQL familiarity

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