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Apache Cloudberry vs Citus

Apache Cloudberry: Open-source MPP warehouse forked from Greenplum and rebased on a newer PostgreSQL kernel. Citus: Postgres extension that shards tables across nodes for multi-tenant SaaS and real-time analytics.

key differences

  • Licensing: Apache Cloudberry is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Citus is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3).
  • Only Citus has vector search, change data capture, triggers, online schema changes.

choose apache-cloudberry for

  • +Migrating off closed-source Greenplum
  • +On-prem Postgres-compatible MPP warehouse
  • +Open-source alternative to commercial MPP appliances

best at · Warehouse, OLAP, Lakehouse

choose citus for

  • +Multi-tenant B2B SaaS sharded by customer
  • +Real-time analytics dashboards over event data
  • +Time-series and IoT ingestion with rollups
  • +Scaling an existing Postgres app without changing databases

best at · OLTP, Real-time analytics, HTAP

Apache CloudberryOpen-source MPP warehouse forked from Greenplum and rebased on a newer PostgreSQL kernel.
CitusPostgres extension that shards tables across nodes for multi-tenant SaaS and real-time analytics.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Columnar / OLAP, Spatial, Document
Document, Columnar / OLAP, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Extension
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation (Incubator)
Microsoft (Citus Data)
First release
2023
2016
Latest version
2.1.0-incubating (Apr 15, 2026)
14.3.0 (Oct 23, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (copyleft)GNU AGPL v3
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
6.8
21.1
Rank
#350
#144
GitHub stars
1.4K
12.8K
Stack Overflow questions
–
149
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Client server
Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
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, PL/pgSQL, PL/Python
SQL, PL/pgSQL
Client languages
C, Java, Python, Go, JavaScript
Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, C#, PHP, Rust
Best for
Warehouse, OLAP, Lakehouse
OLTP, Real-time analytics, HTAP, Time-series
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Cloudberry vs Citus: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Cloudberry and Citus?

Apache Cloudberry: Open-source MPP warehouse forked from Greenplum and rebased on a newer PostgreSQL kernel. Citus: Postgres extension that shards tables across nodes for multi-tenant SaaS and real-time analytics. Licensing: Apache Cloudberry is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Citus is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3). Only Citus has vector search, change data capture, triggers, online schema changes.

When should I choose Apache Cloudberry over Citus?

Choose Apache Cloudberry for migrating off closed-source Greenplum, on-prem Postgres-compatible MPP warehouse and open-source alternative to commercial MPP appliances. Choose Citus for multi-tenant B2B SaaS sharded by customer; real-time analytics dashboards over event data; and time-series and IoT ingestion with rollups.

Is Apache Cloudberry or Citus more popular?

Citus ranks #144 on the WhichDB Score (21.1/100) and Apache Cloudberry ranks #350 (6.8/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Cloudberry and Citus open source?

Yes. Apache Cloudberry is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Citus is open source. License: GNU AGPL v3.