whichdb
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CockroachDB vs TiDB

CockroachDB: Postgres-wire distributed SQL built to survive node, zone and region failures with serializable transactions. TiDB: MySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics.

key differences

  • Licensing: CockroachDB is source-available (CockroachDB Software License); TiDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • TiDB is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than CockroachDB (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only CockroachDB has full-text search, geospatial, triggers, stored procedures, materialized views.
  • Only TiDB has columnar storage, branching.

choose cockroachdb for

  • +Global payments and ledger systems of record
  • +Identity, account and session metadata across regions
  • +Inventory and order management with strict consistency
  • +Data-residency workloads that must pin rows to a country

best at · OLTP, Geo, Metadata

choose tidb for

  • +Replacing hand-sharded MySQL
  • +HTAP dashboards on live transactional data
  • +SaaS platforms with very large tenant counts
  • +Payment and order systems at internet scale

best at · OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics

CockroachDBPostgres-wire distributed SQL built to survive node, zone and region failures with serializable transactions.
TiDBMySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Document, Spatial, Vector
Document, Columnar / OLAP, Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Cockroach Labs
PingCAP
First release
2015
2017
Latest version
26.3 (Aug 19, 2026)
8.5.8 (Aug 27, 2026)
License
Source-availableCockroachDB Software License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
47.1
35.9
Rank
#33
#56
GitHub stars
32.6K
40.7K
Stack Overflow questions
467
102
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Multi primary, Client server, Serverless
Distributed, Client server, Serverless
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
✓
✓
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, 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, PL/pgSQL
SQL
Client languages
Java, Go, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, Rust, PHP
Java, Go, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, PHP, Rust
Best for
OLTP, Geo, Metadata, Ledger
OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics, Vector search
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

CockroachDB vs TiDB: FAQ

What is the difference between CockroachDB and TiDB?

CockroachDB: Postgres-wire distributed SQL built to survive node, zone and region failures with serializable transactions. TiDB: MySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics. Licensing: CockroachDB is source-available (CockroachDB Software License); TiDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). TiDB is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than CockroachDB (≤ 1 PB). Only CockroachDB has full-text search, geospatial, triggers, stored procedures, materialized views.

When should I choose CockroachDB over TiDB?

Choose CockroachDB for global payments and ledger systems of record; identity, account and session metadata across regions; and inventory and order management with strict consistency. Choose TiDB for replacing hand-sharded MySQL, HTAP dashboards on live transactional data and SaaS platforms with very large tenant counts.

Is CockroachDB or TiDB more popular?

CockroachDB ranks #33 on the WhichDB Score (47.1/100) and TiDB ranks #56 (35.9/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are CockroachDB and TiDB open source?

Not in the OSI sense. CockroachDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: CockroachDB Software License. Yes. TiDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.