whichdb
vs

ElectricSQL vs PGlite

ElectricSQL: Read-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP. PGlite: Real PostgreSQL compiled to WebAssembly: an embeddable Postgres for browsers, Node, Bun and Deno.

key differences

  • ElectricSQL is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than PGlite (≤ 100 GB).
  • Horizontal scaling is manual in ElectricSQL and none in PGlite.
  • Transactions: ElectricSQL offers limited ACID; PGlite offers full.
  • Only ElectricSQL has change data capture.
  • Only PGlite has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search.
  • PGlite can run embedded in your application process.

choose electricsql for

  • +Real-time dashboards fed from Postgres
  • +Local-first web apps with a Postgres backend
  • +Streaming per-user data subsets to many clients

best at · Local-first, Mobile/offline, Real-time analytics

choose pglite for

  • +Local-first web apps with Electric sync
  • +In-browser SQL playgrounds and tutorials
  • +Ephemeral Postgres for unit tests in Node/Bun
  • +Client-side vector search with pgvector

best at · Embedded, Local-first, Mobile/offline

ElectricSQLRead-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP.
PGliteReal PostgreSQL compiled to WebAssembly: an embeddable Postgres for browsers, Node, Bun and Deno.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Document, Vector, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Electric DB (part of Databricks)
ElectricSQL
First release
2023
2024
Latest version
sync-service 1.8.1 (Sep 7, 2026)
0.5.12 (Oct 26, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 / PostgreSQL License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
30.4
35.1
Rank
#85
#57
GitHub stars
10.4K
16.2K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
Manual
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Causal, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Client server
Embedded, In memory
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
Shape definitions (table + SQL WHERE clause)
SQL, PL/pgSQL
Client languages
TypeScript, Elixir
JavaScript, TypeScript
Best for
Local-first, Mobile/offline, Real-time analytics
Embedded, Local-first, Mobile/offline, Edge
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

ElectricSQL vs PGlite: FAQ

What is the difference between ElectricSQL and PGlite?

ElectricSQL: Read-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP. PGlite: Real PostgreSQL compiled to WebAssembly: an embeddable Postgres for browsers, Node, Bun and Deno. ElectricSQL is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than PGlite (≤ 100 GB). Horizontal scaling is manual in ElectricSQL and none in PGlite. Transactions: ElectricSQL offers limited ACID; PGlite offers full.

When should I choose ElectricSQL over PGlite?

Choose ElectricSQL for real-time dashboards fed from Postgres, local-first web apps with a Postgres backend and streaming per-user data subsets to many clients. Choose PGlite for local-first web apps with Electric sync; in-browser SQL playgrounds and tutorials; and ephemeral Postgres for unit tests in Node/Bun.

Is ElectricSQL or PGlite more popular?

PGlite ranks #57 on the WhichDB Score (35.1/100) and ElectricSQL ranks #85 (30.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are ElectricSQL and PGlite open source?

Yes. ElectricSQL is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. PGlite is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 / PostgreSQL License.