SurrealDB
SurrealDB: A flexible open-source database for applications spanning documents, graphs, and vectors. Ranked #10 of 28 in Document Databases by our editors (8.2/10); pricing: Free plan; best for open-source multi-model application databases.
At a glance
- Editor score8.2 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forOpen-source multi-model application databases
- Free planYes
- Paid from$0.19/unit usage-based
- Managed cloudYes
- Founded2021 · London, England
- Facts checked22 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Combines document, graph, vector, and relational capabilities
- Supports embedded, self-hosted, distributed, and managed-cloud deployment
- Offers REST, GraphQL, RPC, WebSocket, and SDK access
Where it doesn't
- Scale billing is priced per node per hour
- Its broad feature set may add architectural choices
- Founded in 2021, it is newer than several alternatives
Our verdict on SurrealDB
SurrealDB is a Rust-based, open-source multi-model database for developers building modern applications. It brings document storage, graph relationships, vector search, full-text search, relational tables, time-series values, and geospatial values into one engine accessed through SurrealQL. Schemaless and schemafull modeling, nested objects and arrays, ACID transactions, and record- and field-level access controls make it suited to teams that want several data patterns without maintaining separate database systems.
Pricing follows a freemium structure. The Start plan provides one free instance, 1 GB of storage free forever, vertical scaling, automatic burst scaling, daily automated backups, and cloud RBAC and ABAC. The advertised paid entry price is $0.021 per hour. Scale costs $0.192 per node per hour and adds high availability, fault tolerance, multiple availability-zone deployment, horizontal scaling, multi-region disaster recovery, and object-storage-backed data. Enterprise adds self-hosted deployment, clustered fault-tolerant deployments, enterprise support, audit logging and compliance, FIPS-compliant cryptography, and distributed live queries.
Deployment flexibility is a central strength: SurrealDB can run embedded in applications, as a self-hosted server, across distributed clusters, or through SurrealDB Cloud. Interfaces include REST, GraphQL, RPC, and WebSocket, with JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Rust, Go, and .NET SDKs. Vector search supports brute force, HNSW, and DISKANN indexes, while full-text search includes configurable analyzers and BM25 scoring. Choose SurrealDB when open-source deployment and multiple data models matter together. Teams seeking a narrowly focused database or simpler pricing may prefer a more specialized option.
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SurrealDB pricing
All 3 SurrealDB plans and prices →
SurrealDB fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $0.19/unit usage-based |
| Deployment model | Both |
| Managed cloud | Yes |
| Document formats | JSON, JSON Lines, CSV |
| Transactions | Yes |
| Vector search | Yes |
| Maximum document size | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Compliance & security | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, SSO/SAML |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 10 integrations: AWS Bedrock, Google Gemini, Hugging Face, Mistral, Ollama, OpenAI … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | surrealdb.com |
| Facts checked | 22 Sep 2026 |
SurrealDB integrations
SurrealDB lists 10 integrations on its own site.
- AWS Bedrock
- Google Gemini
- Hugging Face
- Mistral
- Ollama
- OpenAI
- LangChain
- LlamaIndex
- Vercel
- Netlify
See all SurrealDB integrations →
Alternatives to SurrealDB
- MongoDB AtlasA managed MongoDB platform for production applications across cloud providers and regions.9.4
- Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQLA flexible Azure-native document database with global distribution and multiple throughput models.9.2
- Azure DocumentDBA feature-rich Azure document database with MongoDB compatibility and a free tier.9.0
See all SurrealDB alternatives →
Also Ranked In
SurrealDB is ranked in 7 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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