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ElectricSQL vs Zero (Rocicorp)

ElectricSQL: Read-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP. Zero (Rocicorp): Query-driven sync engine: clients run ZQL locally against a Postgres-backed cache for instant UIs.

key differences

  • Transactions: ElectricSQL offers limited ACID; Zero (Rocicorp) offers full.
  • Only ElectricSQL has change data capture, offline sync.
  • Only Zero (Rocicorp) has transactions, joins.

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 rocicorp-zero for

  • +Highly interactive SaaS web apps (issue trackers, editors, dashboards)
  • +Adding instant UI updates over an existing Postgres schema
  • +Replacing Replicache in existing apps

best at · Local-first, OLTP

ElectricSQLRead-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP.
Zero (Rocicorp)Query-driven sync engine: clients run ZQL locally against a Postgres-backed cache for instant UIs.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Electric DB (part of Databricks)
Rocicorp
First release
2023
2024
Latest version
sync-service 1.8.1 (Sep 7, 2026)
1.11.3 (Oct 23, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
30.4
20.8
Rank
#85
#149
GitHub stars
10.4K
3.4K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Manual
Manual
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Causal, Eventual
Causal
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Client server
Client server
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)
ZQL
Client languages
TypeScript, Elixir
TypeScript
Best for
Local-first, Mobile/offline, Real-time analytics
Local-first, OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

ElectricSQL vs Zero (Rocicorp): FAQ

What is the difference between ElectricSQL and Zero (Rocicorp)?

ElectricSQL: Read-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP. Zero (Rocicorp): Query-driven sync engine: clients run ZQL locally against a Postgres-backed cache for instant UIs. Transactions: ElectricSQL offers limited ACID; Zero (Rocicorp) offers full. Only ElectricSQL has change data capture, offline sync. Only Zero (Rocicorp) has transactions, joins.

When should I choose ElectricSQL over Zero (Rocicorp)?

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 Zero (Rocicorp) for highly interactive SaaS web apps (issue trackers, editors, dashboards); adding instant UI updates over an existing Postgres schema; and replacing Replicache in existing apps.

Is ElectricSQL or Zero (Rocicorp) more popular?

ElectricSQL ranks #85 on the WhichDB Score (30.4/100) and Zero (Rocicorp) ranks #149 (20.8/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are ElectricSQL and Zero (Rocicorp) open source?

Yes. ElectricSQL is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Zero (Rocicorp) is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.