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Hekaton vs Volt Active Data (VoltDB)

Hekaton: SQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL. Volt Active Data (VoltDB): In-memory, partitioned SQL engine running Java stored procedures serially for millisecond decisioning.

key differences

  • Horizontal scaling is none in Hekaton and native in Volt Active Data (VoltDB).
  • Only Hekaton has triggers, columnar storage, time travel.
  • Only Volt Active Data (VoltDB) has geospatial, json, change data capture, materialized views, ttl / expiry.

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 volt-active-data for

  • +Telecom online charging and policy control
  • +Real-time fraud and risk decisions
  • +Ad bidding and personalization at high TPS
  • +Gaming leaderboards and in-game economies

best at · OLTP, Real-time analytics, Streaming

HekatonSQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL.
Volt Active Data (VoltDB)In-memory, partitioned SQL engine running Java stored procedures serially for millisecond decisioning.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Document, Spatial
Type
Extension
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Microsoft
Volt Active Data, Inc.
First release
2014
2010
Latest version
–
16.0.0 (Sep 30, 2026)
License
ProprietaryIncluded with Microsoft SQL Server licensing
ProprietaryProprietary (commercial)
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
3.5
20.7
Rank
#435
#154
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
153
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
Active active
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
In memory, Client server
Distributed, In memory, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
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
SQL, Java (stored procedures)
Client languages
C#, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C, PHP
Java, Python, C++, Go, C#, JavaScript
Best for
OLTP, Sessions, Cache, IoT
OLTP, Real-time analytics, Streaming, Tick data
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Hekaton vs Volt Active Data (VoltDB): FAQ

What is the difference between Hekaton and Volt Active Data (VoltDB)?

Hekaton: SQL Server's built-in lock-free, memory-optimized OLTP engine with natively compiled T-SQL. Volt Active Data (VoltDB): In-memory, partitioned SQL engine running Java stored procedures serially for millisecond decisioning. Horizontal scaling is none in Hekaton and native in Volt Active Data (VoltDB). Only Hekaton has triggers, columnar storage, time travel. Only Volt Active Data (VoltDB) has geospatial, json, change data capture, materialized views, ttl / expiry.

When should I choose Hekaton over Volt Active Data (VoltDB)?

Choose Hekaton for high-throughput order, trading or betting transactions; ASP.NET session state and mid-tier caching; and IoT and sensor ingestion. Choose Volt Active Data (VoltDB) for telecom online charging and policy control; real-time fraud and risk decisions; and ad bidding and personalization at high TPS.

Is Hekaton or Volt Active Data (VoltDB) more popular?

Volt Active Data (VoltDB) ranks #154 on the WhichDB Score (20.7/100) and Hekaton ranks #435 (3.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Hekaton and Volt Active Data (VoltDB) open source?

No. Hekaton is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Included with Microsoft SQL Server licensing. No. Volt Active Data (VoltDB) is proprietary, closed-source software.