whichdb
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Dolt vs MySQL

Dolt: MySQL-compatible SQL database you can branch, diff, merge and clone like a Git repository. MySQL: The web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line.

key differences

  • Licensing: Dolt is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); MySQL is open source (copyleft) (GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)).
  • MySQL is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than Dolt (≤ 100 GB).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in Dolt and addon in MySQL.
  • Only Dolt has time travel, branching.
  • Only MySQL has full-text search, encryption at rest, online schema changes.

choose dolt for

  • +Versioned reference and configuration data
  • +ML training data with reproducible snapshots
  • +Collaborative datasets with review workflows
  • +Testing schema/data migrations on branches

best at · OLTP, Metadata, Coordination

choose mysql for

  • +Web applications and CMS backends (WordPress, Drupal, Magento)
  • +Read-heavy SaaS OLTP with replicas
  • +Sharded high-traffic systems via Vitess
  • +E-commerce catalogs and order systems

best at · OLTP, Content, Metadata

DoltMySQL-compatible SQL database you can branch, diff, merge and clone like a Git repository.
MySQLThe web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Document
Document, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
DoltHub
Oracle Corporation
First release
2019
1995
Latest version
2.6.1 (Oct 26, 2026)
26.10.0 (Oct 20, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (copyleft)GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
18.2
82.3
Rank
#181
#3
GitHub stars
24.7K
12.5K
Stack Overflow questions
3
657K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Addon
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Single node, Primary replica, Client server, Embedded
Single node, Primary replica, Multi primary, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, DigitalOcean
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
Client languages
Go, Python, Java, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, PHP
C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, C#
Best for
OLTP, Metadata, Coordination, Feature store
OLTP, Content, Metadata, Geo
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Dolt vs MySQL: FAQ

What is the difference between Dolt and MySQL?

Dolt: MySQL-compatible SQL database you can branch, diff, merge and clone like a Git repository. MySQL: The web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line. Licensing: Dolt is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); MySQL is open source (copyleft) (GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)). MySQL is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than Dolt (≤ 100 GB). Horizontal scaling is none in Dolt and addon in MySQL.

When should I choose Dolt over MySQL?

Choose Dolt for versioned reference and configuration data; ML training data with reproducible snapshots; and collaborative datasets with review workflows. Choose MySQL for web applications and CMS backends (WordPress, Drupal, Magento); read-heavy SaaS OLTP with replicas; and sharded high-traffic systems via Vitess.

Is Dolt or MySQL more popular?

MySQL ranks #3 on the WhichDB Score (82.3/100) and Dolt ranks #181 (18.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Dolt and MySQL open source?

Yes. Dolt is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. MySQL is open source. License: GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise).