whichdb
vs

Couchbase Server vs SequoiaDB

Couchbase Server: Memory-first distributed JSON database with SQL++, search, vector indexes and mobile sync. SequoiaDB: Chinese distributed document database with native ACID storage, SQL instances and S3 API, used in many banks.

key differences

  • Licensing: Couchbase Server is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (source); commercial Enterprise Edition); SequoiaDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 (relicensed from AGPL-3.0 in 2025)).
  • Only Couchbase Server has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, change data capture, triggers.

choose couchbase for

  • +User profiles and session stores at high concurrency
  • +Travel, retail and gaming backends with strict latency SLAs
  • +Offline-first mobile and edge apps with Couchbase Lite
  • +Caching layer that also persists and can be queried

best at · OLTP, Cache, Sessions

choose sequoiadb for

  • +Historical and full-volume data platforms in banking
  • +Real-time data hubs combining JSON and SQL access
  • +Content and image management with an S3-compatible API
  • +Mainframe offload of read-heavy financial data

best at · OLTP, Content, OLAP

Couchbase ServerMemory-first distributed JSON database with SQL++, search, vector indexes and mobile sync.
SequoiaDBChinese distributed document database with native ACID storage, SQL instances and S3 API, used in many banks.
overview
Primary model
Document
Document
Also supports
Key-Value, Search Engine, Vector, Spatial
Relational, Key-Value
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Couchbase, Inc.
SequoiaDB Corporation
First release
2010
2013
Latest version
8.0.3 (Sep 2026)
–
License
Source-availableBusiness Source License 1.1 (source); commercial Enterprise Edition
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 (relicensed from AGPL-3.0 in 2025)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
27.5
3.2
Rank
#101
#444
GitHub stars
–
10
Stack Overflow questions
4.1K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Distributed, Multi primary, In memory
Distributed, Primary replica
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
–
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++ (N1QL), Full Text Search query DSL
SequoiaDB shell (JavaScript), SQL via MySQL/PostgreSQL instances
Client languages
C, C#, Go, Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, PHP, Python
C, C++, Java, Python, PHP, C#
Best for
OLTP, Cache, Sessions, Search
OLTP, Content, OLAP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Couchbase Server vs SequoiaDB: FAQ

What is the difference between Couchbase Server and SequoiaDB?

Couchbase Server: Memory-first distributed JSON database with SQL++, search, vector indexes and mobile sync. SequoiaDB: Chinese distributed document database with native ACID storage, SQL instances and S3 API, used in many banks. Licensing: Couchbase Server is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (source); commercial Enterprise Edition); SequoiaDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 (relicensed from AGPL-3.0 in 2025)). Only Couchbase Server has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, change data capture, triggers.

When should I choose Couchbase Server over SequoiaDB?

Choose Couchbase Server for user profiles and session stores at high concurrency; travel, retail and gaming backends with strict latency SLAs; and offline-first mobile and edge apps with Couchbase Lite. Choose SequoiaDB for historical and full-volume data platforms in banking; real-time data hubs combining JSON and SQL access; and content and image management with an S3-compatible API.

Is Couchbase Server or SequoiaDB more popular?

Couchbase Server ranks #101 on the WhichDB Score (27.5/100) and SequoiaDB ranks #444 (3.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Couchbase Server and SequoiaDB open source?

Not in the OSI sense. Couchbase Server 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 (source); commercial Enterprise Edition. Yes. SequoiaDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 (relicensed from AGPL-3.0 in 2025).