whichdb
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Actian Zen vs SQLite

Actian Zen: The Btrieve/Pervasive lineage: zero-admin embedded database with key-level and SQL access, now edge-focused. SQLite: The in-process SQL engine that ships in every phone, browser and OS: one file, zero servers.

key differences

  • Licensing: Actian Zen is proprietary (Proprietary commercial license); SQLite is open source (permissive) (Public Domain).
  • Only Actian Zen has stored procedures, compression, encryption at rest, role-based access, offline sync.
  • Only SQLite has full-text search, in-memory, runs in webassembly.

choose actian-zen for

  • +Accounting and practice-management software back ends
  • +Point-of-sale and retail store systems
  • +Edge devices that sync data to a central server

best at · Embedded, Edge, IoT

choose sqlite for

  • +Mobile and desktop application storage
  • +Embedded devices and IoT
  • +Local-first apps and offline caches
  • +Test fixtures and data interchange files

best at · Embedded, Mobile/offline, Edge

Actian ZenThe Btrieve/Pervasive lineage: zero-admin embedded database with key-level and SQL access, now edge-focused.
SQLiteThe in-process SQL engine that ships in every phone, browser and OS: one file, zero servers.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Key-Value
Document
Type
Database engine
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Actian (HCLSoftware)
D. Richard Hipp / Hwaci (SQLite Consortium)
First release
1982
2000
Latest version
16.0 (Jun 17, 2024)
3.54.1 (Oct 16, 2026)
License
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
Open source (permissive)Public Domain
Free tier
—
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
11.7
75.5
Rank
#278
#5
GitHub stars
–
10.8K
Stack Overflow questions
290
94.9K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Flexible
Architecture
Embedded, Client server
Embedded, Single node
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
✓
✓
Edge
✓
✓
Clouds
–
–
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
—
✓
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
—
—
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
✓
✓
Stored procedures
✓
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
✓
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
—
Encryption at rest
✓
—
Role-based access
✓
—
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
✓
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
✓
interfaces
Query languages
SQL, Btrieve 2 API
SQL
Client languages
C, C++, C#, Java, Python, Delphi
C, Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C#, Swift
Best for
Embedded, Edge, IoT, OLTP
Embedded, Mobile/offline, Edge, Local-first
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Actian Zen vs SQLite: FAQ

What is the difference between Actian Zen and SQLite?

Actian Zen: The Btrieve/Pervasive lineage: zero-admin embedded database with key-level and SQL access, now edge-focused. SQLite: The in-process SQL engine that ships in every phone, browser and OS: one file, zero servers. Licensing: Actian Zen is proprietary (Proprietary commercial license); SQLite is open source (permissive) (Public Domain). Only Actian Zen has stored procedures, compression, encryption at rest, role-based access, offline sync. Only SQLite has full-text search, in-memory, runs in webassembly.

When should I choose Actian Zen over SQLite?

Choose Actian Zen for accounting and practice-management software back ends; point-of-sale and retail store systems; and edge devices that sync data to a central server. Choose SQLite for mobile and desktop application storage; embedded devices and IoT; and local-first apps and offline caches.

Is Actian Zen or SQLite more popular?

SQLite ranks #5 on the WhichDB Score (75.5/100) and Actian Zen ranks #278 (11.7/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Actian Zen and SQLite open source?

No. Actian Zen is proprietary, closed-source software. Yes. SQLite is open source. License: Public Domain.