vs

GridGain vs GigaSpaces XAP

GridGain: The commercial, enterprise-hardened distribution of Apache Ignite for low-latency SQL and compute. GigaSpaces XAP: GigaSpaces' Java in-memory data grid with space-based processing, SQL queries and tiered storage.

key differences

  • GridGain is primarily a relational database; GigaSpaces XAP is object.
  • Only GridGain has joins, change data capture, stored procedures, columnar storage, compression.
  • Only GigaSpaces XAP has pub/sub.

choose gridgain for

  • +Low-latency trading and risk systems
  • +Digital integration hubs in front of mainframes and legacy RDBMS
  • +Real-time feature computation for ML

best at · Cache, OLTP, HTAP

choose xap for

  • +Low-latency trading and risk calculations
  • +Digital integration hub in front of mainframe or legacy systems
  • +Large-scale caching with co-located processing

best at · Cache, OLTP, Real-time analytics

overview
Primary model
Relational
Object
Also supports
Key-Value
Document, Key-Value
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
GridGain Systems
GigaSpaces Technologies
First release
2007
2007
Latest version
9.1.28 (Oct 20, 2026)
–
License
ProprietaryGridGain commercial license
ProprietaryCommercial
Free tier
—
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
7.8
4.4
Rank
#335
#405
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
589
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Flexible
Architecture
In memory, Distributed, Client server
Distributed, In memory
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
–
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, Key-value API
SQL (space queries), Java API
Client languages
Java, C#, C++, Python
Java
Best for
Cache, OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics
Cache, OLTP, Real-time analytics

GridGain vs GigaSpaces XAP: FAQ

What is the difference between GridGain and GigaSpaces XAP?

GridGain: The commercial, enterprise-hardened distribution of Apache Ignite for low-latency SQL and compute. GigaSpaces XAP: GigaSpaces' Java in-memory data grid with space-based processing, SQL queries and tiered storage. GridGain is primarily a relational database; GigaSpaces XAP is object. Only GridGain has joins, change data capture, stored procedures, columnar storage, compression. Only GigaSpaces XAP has pub/sub.

When should I choose GridGain over GigaSpaces XAP?

Choose GridGain for low-latency trading and risk systems; digital integration hubs in front of mainframes and legacy RDBMS; and real-time feature computation for ML. Choose GigaSpaces XAP for low-latency trading and risk calculations; digital integration hub in front of mainframe or legacy systems; and large-scale caching with co-located processing.

Is GridGain or GigaSpaces XAP more popular?

GridGain ranks #335 on the WhichDB Score (7.8/100) and GigaSpaces XAP ranks #405 (4.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are GridGain and GigaSpaces XAP open source?

No. GridGain is proprietary, closed-source software. License: GridGain commercial license. No. GigaSpaces XAP is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Commercial.