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GreptimeDB vs OpenObserve

GreptimeDB: Rust observability database that keeps metrics, logs and traces in one columnar engine on object storage. OpenObserve: Single-binary Rust observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces as Parquet on object storage.

key differences

  • GreptimeDB is primarily a time-series database; OpenObserve is search engine.
  • Licensing: GreptimeDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); OpenObserve is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0 (open source); Enterprise is commercial).
  • Only GreptimeDB has secondary indexes, materialized views.
  • Only OpenObserve has role-based access.
  • GreptimeDB has a serverless option; OpenObserve does not.

choose greptimedb for

  • +Unified observability backend for metrics, logs and traces
  • +Prometheus long-term storage on S3
  • +IoT and connected-vehicle telemetry
  • +Edge data collection synced to the cloud

best at · Observability, Time-series, IoT

choose openobserve for

  • +Self-hosted Datadog or Elastic replacement
  • +Kubernetes logs and traces on S3
  • +Small teams needing one observability tool
  • +Front-end RUM and session replay with backend logs

best at · Observability, Search, Time-series

GreptimeDBRust observability database that keeps metrics, logs and traces in one columnar engine on object storage.
OpenObserveSingle-binary Rust observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces as Parquet on object storage.
overview
Primary model
Time-Series
Search Engine
Also supports
Columnar / OLAP, Search Engine
Time-Series, Columnar / OLAP
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Greptime
OpenObserve Inc.
First release
2022
2023
Latest version
1.2.1 (Sep 16, 2026)
1.1.2 (Oct 20, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (copyleft)GNU AGPL v3.0 (open source); Enterprise is commercial
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
15.1
20.4
Rank
#221
#156
GitHub stars
6.8K
22.5K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
None
Consistency
Strong
Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Schemaless
Architecture
Single node, Distributed, Shared storage
Single node, Distributed, Shared storage
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
✓
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
✓
—
Clouds
AWS
AWS
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, PromQL
SQL, PromQL
Client languages
Go, Java, Rust, JavaScript
–
Best for
Observability, Time-series, IoT, Real-time analytics
Observability, Search, Time-series
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

GreptimeDB vs OpenObserve: FAQ

What is the difference between GreptimeDB and OpenObserve?

GreptimeDB: Rust observability database that keeps metrics, logs and traces in one columnar engine on object storage. OpenObserve: Single-binary Rust observability platform storing logs, metrics and traces as Parquet on object storage. GreptimeDB is primarily a time-series database; OpenObserve is search engine. Licensing: GreptimeDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); OpenObserve is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0 (open source); Enterprise is commercial). Only GreptimeDB has secondary indexes, materialized views.

When should I choose GreptimeDB over OpenObserve?

Choose GreptimeDB for unified observability backend for metrics, logs and traces; prometheus long-term storage on S3; and IoT and connected-vehicle telemetry. Choose OpenObserve for self-hosted Datadog or Elastic replacement; kubernetes logs and traces on S3; and small teams needing one observability tool.

Is GreptimeDB or OpenObserve more popular?

OpenObserve ranks #156 on the WhichDB Score (20.4/100) and GreptimeDB ranks #221 (15.1/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are GreptimeDB and OpenObserve open source?

Yes. GreptimeDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. OpenObserve is open source. License: GNU AGPL v3.0 (open source); Enterprise is commercial.