whichdb
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Hekaton vs Microsoft SQL Server

Hekaton: SQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL. Microsoft SQL Server: Microsoft's flagship RDBMS: T-SQL, columnstore, Always On, and now native vectors and JSON.

key differences

  • Microsoft SQL Server is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Hekaton (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in Hekaton and manual in Microsoft SQL Server.
  • Only Microsoft SQL Server has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, json, change data capture.

choose hekaton for

  • +High-throughput order, trading or betting transactions
  • +ASP.NET session state and mid-tier caching
  • +IoT and sensor ingestion
  • +Replacing tempdb table variables and temp tables

best at · OLTP, Sessions, Cache

choose sql-server for

  • +Line-of-business apps in .NET shops
  • +ERP and CRM back ends (Dynamics, many ISV products)
  • +Operational reporting with columnstore indexes
  • +Departmental data marts feeding Power BI

best at · OLTP, HTAP, Warehouse

HekatonSQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL.
Microsoft SQL ServerMicrosoft's flagship RDBMS: T-SQL, columnstore, Always On, and now native vectors and JSON.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Document, Spatial, Vector, Graph, XML
Type
Extension
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Microsoft
Microsoft
First release
2014
1989
Latest version
–
2025 CU10 (17.0.5035.5) (Oct 22, 2026)
License
ProprietaryIncluded with Microsoft SQL Server licensing
ProprietaryMicrosoft commercial license
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
3.5
71.0
Rank
#435
#8
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
336.2K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Manual
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
In memory, Client server
Client server, Primary replica, Shared storage
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
Azure
Azure, AWS, Google Cloud
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
T-SQL
T-SQL
Client languages
C#, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C, PHP
C#, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, Rust, C
Best for
OLTP, Sessions, Cache, IoT
OLTP, HTAP, Warehouse, Real-time analytics
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Hekaton vs Microsoft SQL Server: FAQ

What is the difference between Hekaton and Microsoft SQL Server?

Hekaton: SQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL. Microsoft SQL Server: Microsoft's flagship RDBMS: T-SQL, columnstore, Always On, and now native vectors and JSON. Microsoft SQL Server is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Hekaton (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is none in Hekaton and manual in Microsoft SQL Server. Only Microsoft SQL Server has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, json, change data capture.

When should I choose Hekaton over Microsoft SQL Server?

Choose Hekaton for high-throughput order, trading or betting transactions; ASP.NET session state and mid-tier caching; and IoT and sensor ingestion. Choose Microsoft SQL Server for line-of-business apps in .NET shops; ERP and CRM back ends (Dynamics, many ISV products); and operational reporting with columnstore indexes.

Is Hekaton or Microsoft SQL Server more popular?

Microsoft SQL Server ranks #8 on the WhichDB Score (71.0/100) and Hekaton ranks #435 (3.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Hekaton and Microsoft SQL Server open source?

No. Hekaton is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Included with Microsoft SQL Server licensing. No. Microsoft SQL Server is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Microsoft commercial license.