whichdb
vs

Databend vs StarRocks

Databend: Rust-built cloud data warehouse on object storage, open source with a managed Databend Cloud. StarRocks: MPP OLAP database with a fast vectorized engine, real-time upserts and native lakehouse queries.

key differences

  • Transactions: Databend offers full ACID; StarRocks offers limited.
  • Only Databend has transactions, geospatial, change data capture, time travel, branching.
  • Only StarRocks has materialized views, ttl / expiry, streaming ingest.
  • Databend has a serverless option; StarRocks does not.

choose databend for

  • +Self-hosted cloud data warehouse
  • +Lakehouse analytics on object storage
  • +Log and event analytics
  • +Cost-sensitive Snowflake alternative

best at · Warehouse, OLAP, Lakehouse

choose starrocks for

  • +Real-time dashboards with joins
  • +Lakehouse query acceleration over Iceberg
  • +Customer-facing analytics
  • +Replacing pre-aggregated cubes

best at · Real-time analytics, OLAP, Lakehouse

DatabendRust-built cloud data warehouse on object storage, open source with a managed Databend Cloud.
StarRocksMPP OLAP database with a fast vectorized engine, real-time upserts and native lakehouse queries.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Relational, Document, Vector, Spatial
Relational, Document, Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Databend Labs
StarRocks (Linux Foundation; CelerData)
First release
2021
2020
Latest version
1.2.925-patch-15 (Oct 15, 2026)
4.1.3 (Sep 17, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 (enterprise features under ELv2)
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
15.4
15.6
Rank
#214
#210
GitHub stars
9.5K
12.2K
Stack Overflow questions
–
11
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage, Serverless
Distributed, Shared storage
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
✓
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS
–
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
SQL (MySQL dialect)
Client languages
Python, Go, Java, JavaScript, Rust
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript, C++
Best for
Warehouse, OLAP, Lakehouse
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Lakehouse, Warehouse
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Databend vs StarRocks: FAQ

What is the difference between Databend and StarRocks?

Databend: Rust-built cloud data warehouse on object storage, open source with a managed Databend Cloud. StarRocks: MPP OLAP database with a fast vectorized engine, real-time upserts and native lakehouse queries. Transactions: Databend offers full ACID; StarRocks offers limited. Only Databend has transactions, geospatial, change data capture, time travel, branching. Only StarRocks has materialized views, ttl / expiry, streaming ingest.

When should I choose Databend over StarRocks?

Choose Databend for self-hosted cloud data warehouse; lakehouse analytics on object storage; and log and event analytics. Choose StarRocks for real-time dashboards with joins, lakehouse query acceleration over Iceberg and customer-facing analytics.

Is Databend or StarRocks more popular?

StarRocks ranks #210 on the WhichDB Score (15.6/100) and Databend ranks #214 (15.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Databend and StarRocks open source?

Yes. Databend is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 (enterprise features under ELv2). Yes. StarRocks is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.