whichdb
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ArcticDB vs DuckDB

ArcticDB: Serverless DataFrame database from Man Group: Pandas in, versioned columnar data on S3 out. DuckDB: In-process columnar SQL database: the SQLite of analytics, running inside your app or notebook.

key differences

  • ArcticDB is primarily a time-series database; DuckDB is columnar / OLAP.
  • Licensing: ArcticDB is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache-2.0 after 2 years)); DuckDB is open source (permissive) (MIT License).
  • ArcticDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than DuckDB (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is native in ArcticDB and none in DuckDB.
  • Transactions: ArcticDB offers limited ACID; DuckDB offers full.
  • Only ArcticDB has time travel.
  • Only DuckDB has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search.
  • ArcticDB has a serverless option; DuckDB does not.

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 duckdb for

  • +Local data analysis in notebooks
  • +ETL and data-engineering pipelines on files
  • +Embedded analytics inside applications
  • +Querying data lakes on S3 without a cluster

best at · OLAP, Embedded, Lakehouse

ArcticDBServerless DataFrame database from Man Group: Pandas in, versioned columnar data on S3 out.
DuckDBIn-process columnar SQL database: the SQLite of analytics, running inside your app or notebook.
overview
Primary model
Time-Series
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Columnar / OLAP
Relational, Document, Spatial, Vector
Type
Embedded library
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Man Group
DuckDB Foundation / DuckDB Labs
First release
2023
2019
Latest version
6.28.2 (Oct 26, 2026)
2.0.0 (Oct 21, 2026)
License
Source-availableBusiness Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache-2.0 after 2 years)
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
14.4
63.7
Rank
#232
#13
GitHub stars
2.6K
42.6K
Stack Overflow questions
–
501
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Eventual
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Embedded, Serverless, Shared storage
Embedded, Single node, In memory
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 (PostgreSQL-like dialect)
Client languages
Python
Python, R, Java, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C, Swift
Best for
Tick data, Time-series, Scientific, OLAP
OLAP, Embedded, Lakehouse, Warehouse
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

ArcticDB vs DuckDB: FAQ

What is the difference between ArcticDB and DuckDB?

ArcticDB: Serverless DataFrame database from Man Group: Pandas in, versioned columnar data on S3 out. DuckDB: In-process columnar SQL database: the SQLite of analytics, running inside your app or notebook. ArcticDB is primarily a time-series database; DuckDB is columnar / OLAP. Licensing: ArcticDB is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache-2.0 after 2 years)); DuckDB is open source (permissive) (MIT License). ArcticDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than DuckDB (≤ 10 TB).

When should I choose ArcticDB over DuckDB?

Choose ArcticDB for quant research data stores; versioned financial time series; and feature and factor libraries for backtesting. Choose DuckDB for local data analysis in notebooks; ETL and data-engineering pipelines on files; and embedded analytics inside applications.

Is ArcticDB or DuckDB more popular?

DuckDB ranks #13 on the WhichDB Score (63.7/100) and ArcticDB ranks #232 (14.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are ArcticDB and DuckDB 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). Yes. DuckDB is open source. License: MIT License.