vs

CortexDB vs Rocket UniData / UniVerse

CortexDB: Schema-less multi-model engine from Germany's Cortex AG, now sold as CortexEngine within Cortex-IP. Rocket UniData / UniVerse: Rocket's Pick-style MultiValue databases, powering thousands of vertical business applications.

key differences

  • Only CortexDB has full-text search, json, role-based access, time travel, streaming ingest.
  • Only Rocket UniData / UniVerse has transactions, joins, triggers, encryption at rest.

choose cortexdb for

  • +Integrating heterogeneous enterprise data without upfront schema design
  • +Master-data and process-dependency analysis
  • +Low-code business applications on top of the Uniplex layer

best at · OLTP, OLAP, Metadata

choose rocket-unidata-universe for

  • +Running vertical ERP, distribution and healthcare packages built on U2
  • +Higher-education student information systems
  • +Modernising Pick applications behind REST and .NET

best at · OLTP

overview
Primary model
Multivalue (Pick)
Multivalue (Pick)
Also supports
Document, Key-Value
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Cortex AG
Rocket Software
First release
2014
1985
Latest version
–
UniVerse 14.2.1 (Nov 5, 2025)
License
ProprietaryCommercial license
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
1.5
11.0
Rank
#535
#289
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
121
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Schemaless
Flexible
Architecture
Client server
Client server, Primary replica
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
Cortex API, JavaScript
UniVerse BASIC / UniBasic, RetrieVe / UniQuery, SQL
Client languages
JavaScript, Java
C#, Java, Python, C
Best for
OLTP, OLAP, Metadata
OLTP

CortexDB vs Rocket UniData / UniVerse: FAQ

What is the difference between CortexDB and Rocket UniData / UniVerse?

CortexDB: Schema-less multi-model engine from Germany's Cortex AG, now sold as CortexEngine within Cortex-IP. Rocket UniData / UniVerse: Rocket's Pick-style MultiValue databases, powering thousands of vertical business applications. Only CortexDB has full-text search, json, role-based access, time travel, streaming ingest. Only Rocket UniData / UniVerse has transactions, joins, triggers, encryption at rest.

When should I choose CortexDB over Rocket UniData / UniVerse?

Choose CortexDB for integrating heterogeneous enterprise data without upfront schema design; master-data and process-dependency analysis; and low-code business applications on top of the Uniplex layer. Choose Rocket UniData / UniVerse for running vertical ERP, distribution and healthcare packages built on U2; higher-education student information systems; and modernising Pick applications behind REST and .NET.

Is CortexDB or Rocket UniData / UniVerse more popular?

Rocket UniData / UniVerse ranks #289 on the WhichDB Score (11.0/100) and CortexDB ranks #535 (1.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are CortexDB and Rocket UniData / UniVerse open source?

No. CortexDB is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Commercial license. No. Rocket UniData / UniVerse is proprietary, closed-source software.