vs

FlureeDB vs TerminusDB

FlureeDB: Immutable RDF graph database with time travel, git-style branching, SPARQL, JSON-LD and Cypher. TerminusDB: Git-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel.

key differences

  • FlureeDB is primarily a RDF / triple store database; TerminusDB is graph.
  • Licensing: FlureeDB is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache 2.0 after 4 years)); TerminusDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • FlureeDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than TerminusDB (≤ 100 GB).
  • Only FlureeDB has secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search, geospatial.
  • Only TerminusDB has online schema changes.
  • FlureeDB has a serverless option; TerminusDB does not.
  • FlureeDB can run embedded in your application process.

choose flureedb for

  • +Auditable knowledge graphs with full history
  • +Data provenance and compliance records
  • +Long-term memory for AI coding agents and assistants
  • +Semantic data integration with RDF and JSON-LD

best at · Knowledge graph, Traversal, RAG

choose terminusdb for

  • +Collaborative curation of reference or master data
  • +Auditable knowledge graphs with review workflows
  • +Versioned configuration and product data
  • +Data products that need reproducible snapshots

best at · Knowledge graph, Content, Metadata

overview
Primary model
RDF / Triple Store
Graph
Also supports
Graph, Ledger
Document, RDF / Triple Store
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Fluree, PBC
Gettier (DFRNT AB) and TerminusDB community
First release
2017
2019
Latest version
4.2.4 (Oct 14, 2026)
12.0.8 (Oct 12, 2026)
License
Source-availableBusiness Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache 2.0 after 4 years)
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
5.3
21.0
Rank
#388
#146
GitHub stars
474
3.5K
Stack Overflow questions
–
2
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Client server, Embedded, Serverless
Single node, 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
SPARQL, JSON-LD Query, openCypher
WOQL (Datalog), GraphQL
Client languages
Rust, JavaScript
Python, JavaScript, Rust, Elixir
Best for
Knowledge graph, Traversal, RAG, Vector search
Knowledge graph, Content, Metadata

FlureeDB vs TerminusDB: FAQ

What is the difference between FlureeDB and TerminusDB?

FlureeDB: Immutable RDF graph database with time travel, git-style branching, SPARQL, JSON-LD and Cypher. TerminusDB: Git-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel. FlureeDB is primarily a RDF / triple store database; TerminusDB is graph. Licensing: FlureeDB is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache 2.0 after 4 years)); TerminusDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). FlureeDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than TerminusDB (≤ 100 GB).

When should I choose FlureeDB over TerminusDB?

Choose FlureeDB for auditable knowledge graphs with full history; data provenance and compliance records; and long-term memory for AI coding agents and assistants. Choose TerminusDB for collaborative curation of reference or master data; auditable knowledge graphs with review workflows; and versioned configuration and product data.

Is FlureeDB or TerminusDB more popular?

TerminusDB ranks #146 on the WhichDB Score (21.0/100) and FlureeDB ranks #388 (5.3/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are FlureeDB and TerminusDB open source?

Not in the OSI sense. FlureeDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache 2.0 after 4 years). Yes. TerminusDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.