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ElevateDB vs Firebird

ElevateDB: Royalty-free embedded and client/server SQL engine for Delphi, C++Builder, Lazarus, .NET, ODBC and PHP apps. Firebird: Lightweight, MVCC relational database from the InterBase lineage, embeddable or client-server.

key differences

  • Licensing: ElevateDB is proprietary (Proprietary (per-developer, royalty-free distribution)); Firebird is open source (copyleft) (InterBase Public License / Initial Developer's Public License (MPL-style)).
  • Only ElevateDB has full-text search.
  • Only Firebird has encryption at rest.

choose elevatedb for

  • +Packaged Delphi or C++Builder business applications (POS, practice management, pharmacy)
  • +Replacing BDE/Paradox or DBISAM back ends
  • +Desktop apps that need to grow from single-user to client/server without code changes

best at · OLTP, Embedded

choose firebird for

  • +Desktop and Delphi business applications
  • +Embedded databases in point-of-sale or ERP software
  • +Departmental client-server systems
  • +Migration target for InterBase deployments

best at · OLTP, Embedded

ElevateDBRoyalty-free embedded and client/server SQL engine for Delphi, C++Builder, Lazarus, .NET, ODBC and PHP apps.
FirebirdLightweight, MVCC relational database from the InterBase lineage, embeddable or client-server.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Elevate Software, Inc.
Firebird Project (Firebird Foundation)
First release
2007
2000
Latest version
2.40 Build 3 (Oct 27, 2025)
5.0.4 (Apr 17, 2026)
License
ProprietaryProprietary (per-developer, royalty-free distribution)
Open source (copyleft)InterBase Public License / Initial Developer's Public License (MPL-style)
Free tier
—
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
0.0
32.8
Rank
#725
#68
GitHub stars
–
1.5K
Stack Overflow questions
–
3.8K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Embedded, Client server
Client server, Embedded, Single node
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 (SQL:2003 subset), SQL/PSM
SQL, PSQL
Client languages
Delphi, C++Builder, Lazarus/Free Pascal, C#, PHP, ODBC
Java, C#, .NET, Python, Delphi, PHP, JavaScript, Go
Best for
OLTP, Embedded
OLTP, Embedded
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

ElevateDB vs Firebird: FAQ

What is the difference between ElevateDB and Firebird?

ElevateDB: Royalty-free embedded and client/server SQL engine for Delphi, C++Builder, Lazarus, .NET, ODBC and PHP apps. Firebird: Lightweight, MVCC relational database from the InterBase lineage, embeddable or client-server. Licensing: ElevateDB is proprietary (Proprietary (per-developer, royalty-free distribution)); Firebird is open source (copyleft) (InterBase Public License / Initial Developer's Public License (MPL-style)). Only ElevateDB has full-text search. Only Firebird has encryption at rest.

When should I choose ElevateDB over Firebird?

Choose ElevateDB for packaged Delphi or C++Builder business applications (POS, practice management, pharmacy); replacing BDE/Paradox or DBISAM back ends; and desktop apps that need to grow from single-user to client/server without code changes. Choose Firebird for desktop and Delphi business applications; embedded databases in point-of-sale or ERP software; and departmental client-server systems.

Is ElevateDB or Firebird more popular?

Firebird ranks #68 on the WhichDB Score (32.8/100) and ElevateDB ranks #725 (0.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are ElevateDB and Firebird open source?

No. ElevateDB is proprietary, closed-source software. Yes. Firebird is open source. License: InterBase Public License / Initial Developer's Public License (MPL-style).