vs

AgensGraph vs Neo4j

AgensGraph: PostgreSQL fork with a built-in property graph model, mixing SQL, openCypher and ISO GQL. Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.

key differences

  • Licensing: AgensGraph is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in AgensGraph and addon in Neo4j.
  • Only AgensGraph has joins, json, triggers, materialized views.
  • Only Neo4j has vector search, geospatial, change data capture, encryption at rest, streaming ingest.

choose agensgraph for

  • +Adding graph queries to Postgres-centric systems
  • +Knowledge graphs alongside relational data
  • +Teams experimenting with ISO GQL on familiar infrastructure

best at · OLTP, Traversal, Knowledge graph

choose neo4j for

  • +Fraud rings and entity resolution
  • +Real-time recommendations
  • +Knowledge graphs for GraphRAG
  • +Network and IT dependency mapping

best at · Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph

overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Relational
Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
SKAI Worldwide (formerly Bitnine)
Neo4j, Inc.
First release
2016
2007
Latest version
2.18.6.0 (Oct 21, 2026)
2026.10.1 (Oct 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (copyleft)GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
8.2
61.2
Rank
#329
#15
GitHub stars
1.5K
17.4K
Stack Overflow questions
112
23K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Addon
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Causal
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
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, openCypher, GQL
Cypher, GQL
Client languages
Any PostgreSQL driver, Java, Python, Go
Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, .NET, Rust (community)
Best for
OLTP, Traversal, Knowledge graph
Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph, RAG

AgensGraph vs Neo4j: FAQ

What is the difference between AgensGraph and Neo4j?

AgensGraph: PostgreSQL fork with a built-in property graph model, mixing SQL, openCypher and ISO GQL. Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. Licensing: AgensGraph is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)). Horizontal scaling is none in AgensGraph and addon in Neo4j. Only AgensGraph has joins, json, triggers, materialized views.

When should I choose AgensGraph over Neo4j?

Choose AgensGraph for adding graph queries to Postgres-centric systems, knowledge graphs alongside relational data and teams experimenting with ISO GQL on familiar infrastructure. Choose Neo4j for fraud rings and entity resolution; real-time recommendations; and knowledge graphs for GraphRAG.

Is AgensGraph or Neo4j more popular?

Neo4j ranks #15 on the WhichDB Score (61.2/100) and AgensGraph ranks #329 (8.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are AgensGraph and Neo4j open source?

Yes. AgensGraph is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Neo4j is open source. License: GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise).