whichdb
vs

Dolt vs Neon

Dolt: MySQL-compatible SQL database you can branch, diff, merge and clone like a Git repository. Neon: Serverless Postgres with copy-on-write branching and scale-to-zero, now part of Databricks.

key differences

  • Neon is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than Dolt (≤ 100 GB).
  • Only Neon has full-text search, vector search, materialized views, pub/sub, encryption at rest.
  • Neon has a serverless option; Dolt does not.

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 neon for

  • +Per-pull-request preview databases
  • +AI app builders and agents provisioning databases on demand
  • +SaaS with many small, mostly idle tenant databases
  • +Serverless and edge apps on Vercel or Cloudflare

best at · OLTP, Vector search, RAG

DoltMySQL-compatible SQL database you can branch, diff, merge and clone like a Git repository.
NeonServerless Postgres with copy-on-write branching and scale-to-zero, now part of Databricks.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Document
Document, Vector, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Managed service
Status
Active
Active
Developer
DoltHub
Databricks (Neon)
First release
2019
2022
Latest version
2.6.1 (Oct 26, 2026)
–
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 (storage engine)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
18.2
30.4
Rank
#181
#86
GitHub stars
24.7K
23.3K
Stack Overflow questions
3
5
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Single node, Primary replica, Client server, Embedded
Serverless, Shared storage, Primary replica
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
—
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
✓
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud
AWS, Azure, Vercel
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, PL/pgSQL
Client languages
Go, Python, Java, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, PHP
JavaScript, Python, Go, Java, Rust, Ruby, PHP, C#
Best for
OLTP, Metadata, Coordination, Feature store
OLTP, Vector search, RAG, Content
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Dolt vs Neon: FAQ

What is the difference between Dolt and Neon?

Dolt: MySQL-compatible SQL database you can branch, diff, merge and clone like a Git repository. Neon: Serverless Postgres with copy-on-write branching and scale-to-zero, now part of Databricks. Neon is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than Dolt (≤ 100 GB). Only Neon has full-text search, vector search, materialized views, pub/sub, encryption at rest. Neon has a serverless option; Dolt does not.

When should I choose Dolt over Neon?

Choose Dolt for versioned reference and configuration data; ML training data with reproducible snapshots; and collaborative datasets with review workflows. Choose Neon for per-pull-request preview databases; AI app builders and agents provisioning databases on demand; and SaaS with many small, mostly idle tenant databases.

Is Dolt or Neon more popular?

Neon ranks #86 on the WhichDB Score (30.4/100) and Dolt ranks #181 (18.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Dolt and Neon open source?

Yes. Dolt is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Neon is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 (storage engine).