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ArcticDB vs DolphinDB

ArcticDB: Serverless DataFrame database from Man Group: Pandas in, versioned columnar data on S3 out. DolphinDB: Distributed time-series database and scripting platform for quant finance and industrial analytics.

key differences

  • Licensing: ArcticDB is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache-2.0 after 2 years)); DolphinDB is proprietary (Commercial (free community edition with limits)).
  • Only ArcticDB has time travel.
  • Only DolphinDB has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, stored procedures, pub/sub.
  • ArcticDB has a serverless option; DolphinDB does not.
  • ArcticDB can run embedded in your application process.

choose arcticdb for

  • +Quant research data stores
  • +Versioned financial time series
  • +Feature and factor libraries for backtesting
  • +Scientific DataFrame storage on object storage

best at · Tick data, Time-series, Scientific

choose dolphindb for

  • +Quant research and factor computation
  • +Real-time market data processing
  • +Trading risk and surveillance
  • +Industrial IoT analytics with streaming rules

best at · Tick data, Time-series, Streaming

ArcticDBServerless DataFrame database from Man Group: Pandas in, versioned columnar data on S3 out.
DolphinDBDistributed time-series database and scripting platform for quant finance and industrial analytics.
overview
Primary model
Time-Series
Time-Series
Also supports
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP, Relational
Type
Embedded library
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Man Group
DolphinDB Inc.
First release
2023
2018
Latest version
6.28.2 (Oct 26, 2026)
3.00.6.1 (Sep 2026)
License
Source-availableBusiness Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache-2.0 after 2 years)
ProprietaryCommercial (free community edition with limits)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
14.4
11.6
Rank
#232
#281
GitHub stars
2.6K
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Eventual
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Embedded, Serverless, Shared storage
Distributed, Single node, Client server
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
Python API, QueryBuilder
SQL, DolphinDB script
Client languages
Python
Python, C++, Java, C#, Go, JavaScript
Best for
Tick data, Time-series, Scientific, OLAP
Tick data, Time-series, Streaming, Real-time analytics
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

ArcticDB vs DolphinDB: FAQ

What is the difference between ArcticDB and DolphinDB?

ArcticDB: Serverless DataFrame database from Man Group: Pandas in, versioned columnar data on S3 out. DolphinDB: Distributed time-series database and scripting platform for quant finance and industrial analytics. Licensing: ArcticDB is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache-2.0 after 2 years)); DolphinDB is proprietary (Commercial (free community edition with limits)). Only ArcticDB has time travel. Only DolphinDB has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, stored procedures, pub/sub.

When should I choose ArcticDB over DolphinDB?

Choose ArcticDB for quant research data stores; versioned financial time series; and feature and factor libraries for backtesting. Choose DolphinDB for quant research and factor computation; real-time market data processing; and trading risk and surveillance.

Is ArcticDB or DolphinDB more popular?

ArcticDB ranks #232 on the WhichDB Score (14.4/100) and DolphinDB ranks #281 (11.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are ArcticDB and DolphinDB open source?

Not in the OSI sense. ArcticDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache-2.0 after 2 years). No. DolphinDB is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Commercial (free community edition with limits).