DolphinDB
DolphinDB: A distributed time-series platform for complex streaming, scaling, and analytics workloads. Ranked #14 of 36 in Time-Series Databases by our editors (7.6/10); pricing: Free plan; best for complex streaming and time-series analytics.
At a glance
- Editor score7.6 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forComplex streaming and time-series analytics
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- DeploymentBoth
- Facts checked22 Sep 2026
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
Our verdict on DolphinDB
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, manufacturing, transportation, and utilities. The platform combines SQL-compatible queries, DolphinDB scripting, batch processing, streaming tables, streaming engines, distributed computing, high availability, and horizontal scaling. It supports cloud and self-hosted deployments, along with API and web access.
Pricing is structured around a free Community Edition and paid plans handled through contact sales. The Community Edition includes a perpetual license, up to 2 nodes, and up to 2 CPU cores and 8 GB RAM per node. That makes the free tier relevant for smaller deployments, development, or evaluation within its stated capacity. Larger implementations can be matched to paid offerings through the vendor, while an Enterprise Trial is also documented as part of the product’s commercial path. Organizations should assess their expected node, compute, memory, retention, and availability requirements before choosing an edition.
DolphinDB’s ecosystem is a strong fit for teams that need several ingestion and access options. Python support covers data transfer, script execution, batch processing, and stream subscription, while MQTT supports publishing, subscribing, and CSV/JSON parsing. Additional integrations include C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, R, JDBC, REST, ODBC, Grafana, and Kafka. High-availability solutions cover controllers, data nodes, streaming, and API clients. Choose DolphinDB when distributed streaming analytics and operational controls matter; simpler projects with modest capacity needs may find the Community Edition’s limits restrictive.
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DolphinDB pricing
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DolphinDB fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Deployment | Both |
| SQL support | Yes |
| Retention policies | Yes |
| Horizontal scaling | Yes |
| Query languages | DolphinDB SQL; ANSI SQL/SQL-92; DolphinDB scripting language |
| Ingestion methods | Text, binary, JSON, HDF5, Parquet, Arrow, ODBC, APIs, Kafka, MQTT, ZeroMQ, MySQL, MongoDB, HBase, kdb+ |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, Linux |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 20 integrations: Python, C++, Java, C#, R, JavaScript … |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | dolphindb.com |
| Facts checked | 22 Sep 2026 |
DolphinDB integrations
DolphinDB lists 20 integrations on its own site.
- Python
- C++
- Java
- C#
- R
- JavaScript
- JDBC
- Web API
- REST API
- ODBC
- Grafana
- Kafka
- MQTT
- ZeroMQ
- MySQL
- MongoDB
- HBase
- kdb+
- AWS S3
- Parquet
Alternatives to DolphinDB
- Apache IoTDBA focused open-source choice for high-volume IoT ingestion, SQL, retention, and scaling.9.3
- Amazon TimestreamA managed AWS option with flexible ingestion, retention, SQL, and InfluxDB support.9.1
- LindormTSDBA broad compatibility layer for teams managing scalable telemetry and metrics workloads.9.0
See all DolphinDB alternatives →
Also Ranked In
DolphinDB is ranked in 3 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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