vs

AgensGraph vs PostgreSQL

AgensGraph: PostgreSQL fork with a built-in property graph model, mixing SQL, openCypher and ISO GQL. PostgreSQL: The extensible, standards-first open-source relational database.

key differences

  • AgensGraph is primarily a graph database; PostgreSQL is relational.
  • Horizontal scaling is none in AgensGraph and addon in PostgreSQL.
  • Only PostgreSQL has vector search, geospatial, change data capture, pub/sub, compression.

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 postgresql for

  • +General-purpose application backend
  • +SaaS multi-tenant data
  • +Geospatial applications with PostGIS
  • +Semantic search alongside relational data with pgvector

best at · OLTP, Geo, Search

overview
Primary model
Graph
Relational
Also supports
Relational
Document, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
SKAI Worldwide (formerly Bitnine)
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
First release
2016
1996
Latest version
2.18.6.0 (Oct 21, 2026)
18.6 (Aug 13, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)PostgreSQL License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
8.2
93.2
Rank
#329
#1
GitHub stars
1.5K
22.6K
Stack Overflow questions
112
178.8K
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
Schema
Flexible
Strict
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, Oracle Cloud, IBM Cloud, Alibaba Cloud
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
SQL, PL/pgSQL
Client languages
Any PostgreSQL driver, Java, Python, Go
C, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C#, Ruby
Best for
OLTP, Traversal, Knowledge graph
OLTP, Geo, Search, Content

AgensGraph vs PostgreSQL: FAQ

What is the difference between AgensGraph and PostgreSQL?

AgensGraph: PostgreSQL fork with a built-in property graph model, mixing SQL, openCypher and ISO GQL. PostgreSQL: The extensible, standards-first open-source relational database. AgensGraph is primarily a graph database; PostgreSQL is relational. Horizontal scaling is none in AgensGraph and addon in PostgreSQL. Only PostgreSQL has vector search, geospatial, change data capture, pub/sub, compression.

When should I choose AgensGraph over PostgreSQL?

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 PostgreSQL for general-purpose application backend, SaaS multi-tenant data and geospatial applications with PostGIS.

Is AgensGraph or PostgreSQL more popular?

PostgreSQL ranks #1 on the WhichDB Score (93.2/100) and AgensGraph ranks #329 (8.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are AgensGraph and PostgreSQL open source?

Yes. AgensGraph is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. PostgreSQL is open source. License: PostgreSQL License.