Citus vs pg_duckdb
Citus: Postgres extension that shards tables across nodes for multi-tenant SaaS and real-time analytics. pg_duckdb: PostgreSQL extension that embeds DuckDB's vectorized engine for fast analytics and data-lake queries.
key differences
- Licensing: Citus is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3); pg_duckdb is open source (permissive) (MIT License).
- Citus is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than pg_duckdb (≤ 10 TB).
- Horizontal scaling is native in Citus and none in pg_duckdb.
- Only Citus has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, change data capture, triggers.
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
choose pg-duckdb for
- +Dashboards and reports directly on Postgres data
- +Joining Postgres tables with Parquet/Iceberg data in S3
- +Exporting query results to Parquet for data lakes
- +Ad-hoc analytics without standing up a warehouse
best at · OLAP, Real-time analytics, Lakehouse
Citus vs pg_duckdb: FAQ
What is the difference between Citus and pg_duckdb?
Citus: Postgres extension that shards tables across nodes for multi-tenant SaaS and real-time analytics. pg_duckdb: PostgreSQL extension that embeds DuckDB's vectorized engine for fast analytics and data-lake queries. Licensing: Citus is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3); pg_duckdb is open source (permissive) (MIT License). Citus is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than pg_duckdb (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is native in Citus and none in pg_duckdb.
When should I choose Citus over pg_duckdb?
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. Choose pg_duckdb for dashboards and reports directly on Postgres data; joining Postgres tables with Parquet/Iceberg data in S3; and exporting query results to Parquet for data lakes.
Is Citus or pg_duckdb more popular?
Citus ranks #144 on the WhichDB Score (21.1/100) and pg_duckdb ranks #226 (14.9/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.
Are Citus and pg_duckdb open source?
Yes. Citus is open source. License: GNU AGPL v3. Yes. pg_duckdb is open source. License: MIT License.