whichdb
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DuckDB vs TileDB

DuckDB: In-process columnar SQL database: the SQLite of analytics, running inside your app or notebook. TileDB: Embeddable multidimensional array storage engine for dense and sparse data on object storage.

key differences

  • DuckDB is primarily a columnar / OLAP database; TileDB is array / scientific.
  • TileDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than DuckDB (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in DuckDB and manual in TileDB.
  • Transactions: DuckDB offers full ACID; TileDB offers limited.
  • Only DuckDB has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, full-text search, geospatial.
  • Only TileDB has time travel.

choose duckdb for

  • +Local data analysis in notebooks
  • +ETL and data-engineering pipelines on files
  • +Embedded analytics inside applications
  • +Querying data lakes on S3 without a cluster

best at · OLAP, Embedded, Lakehouse

choose tiledb for

  • +Population genomics and single-cell datasets
  • +Satellite imagery and raster archives
  • +Large sparse matrices for ML
  • +Vector search over embeddings stored on object storage

best at · Scientific, Geo, Vector search

DuckDBIn-process columnar SQL database: the SQLite of analytics, running inside your app or notebook.
TileDBEmbeddable multidimensional array storage engine for dense and sparse data on object storage.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Array / Scientific
Also supports
Relational, Document, Spatial, Vector
Vector, Columnar / OLAP
Type
Database engine
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
DuckDB Foundation / DuckDB Labs
Tile.ai (formerly TileDB, Inc.)
First release
2019
2017
Latest version
2.0.0 (Oct 21, 2026)
2.30.1 (Feb 25, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
63.7
10.5
Rank
#13
#298
GitHub stars
42.6K
2.1K
Stack Overflow questions
501
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Manual
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Eventual
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Embedded, Single node, In memory
Embedded, Serverless
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
✓
✓
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
–
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 (PostgreSQL-like dialect)
TileDB API (subarray queries), SQL via integrations
Client languages
Python, R, Java, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C, Swift
C, C++, Python, R, Java, Go, C#
Best for
OLAP, Embedded, Lakehouse, Warehouse
Scientific, Geo, Vector search, OLAP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

DuckDB vs TileDB: FAQ

What is the difference between DuckDB and TileDB?

DuckDB: In-process columnar SQL database: the SQLite of analytics, running inside your app or notebook. TileDB: Embeddable multidimensional array storage engine for dense and sparse data on object storage. DuckDB is primarily a columnar / OLAP database; TileDB is array / scientific. TileDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than DuckDB (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is none in DuckDB and manual in TileDB.

When should I choose DuckDB over TileDB?

Choose DuckDB for local data analysis in notebooks; ETL and data-engineering pipelines on files; and embedded analytics inside applications. Choose TileDB for population genomics and single-cell datasets; satellite imagery and raster archives; and large sparse matrices for ML.

Is DuckDB or TileDB more popular?

DuckDB ranks #13 on the WhichDB Score (63.7/100) and TileDB ranks #298 (10.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are DuckDB and TileDB open source?

Yes. DuckDB is open source. License: MIT License. Yes. TileDB is open source. License: MIT License.