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Dgraph vs Neo4j

Dgraph: Distributed, horizontally scalable graph database in Go with native GraphQL and DQL. Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.

key differences

  • Licensing: Dgraph is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)).
  • Dgraph is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Neo4j (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is native in Dgraph and addon in Neo4j.
  • Only Dgraph has json, compression.
  • Only Neo4j has stored procedures, streaming ingest.

choose dgraph for

  • +GraphQL application backends
  • +Knowledge graphs and content relationships
  • +Real-time recommendations
  • +Metadata and lineage graphs

best at · OLTP, Traversal, Knowledge graph

choose neo4j for

  • +Fraud rings and entity resolution
  • +Real-time recommendations
  • +Knowledge graphs for GraphRAG
  • +Network and IT dependency mapping

best at · Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph

DgraphDistributed, horizontally scalable graph database in Go with native GraphQL and DQL.
Neo4jThe default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Vector
Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Istari Digital
Neo4j, Inc.
First release
2016
2007
Latest version
25.5.1 (Oct 22, 2026)
2026.10.1 (Oct 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (copyleft)GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
22.4
61.2
Rank
#137
#15
GitHub stars
21.8K
17.4K
Stack Overflow questions
108
23K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Addon
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Causal
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Distributed, Client server
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
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
DQL, GraphQL
Cypher, GQL
Client languages
Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, C#
Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, .NET, Rust (community)
Best for
OLTP, Traversal, Knowledge graph, Vector search
Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph, RAG
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Dgraph vs Neo4j: FAQ

What is the difference between Dgraph and Neo4j?

Dgraph: Distributed, horizontally scalable graph database in Go with native GraphQL and DQL. Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. Licensing: Dgraph is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)). Dgraph is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Neo4j (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is native in Dgraph and addon in Neo4j.

When should I choose Dgraph over Neo4j?

Choose Dgraph for GraphQL application backends; knowledge graphs and content relationships; and real-time recommendations. Choose Neo4j for fraud rings and entity resolution; real-time recommendations; and knowledge graphs for GraphRAG.

Is Dgraph or Neo4j more popular?

Neo4j ranks #15 on the WhichDB Score (61.2/100) and Dgraph ranks #137 (22.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Dgraph and Neo4j open source?

Yes. Dgraph is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Neo4j is open source. License: GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise).