whichdb
vs

HelixDB vs Neo4j

HelixDB: Rust graph-vector database on object storage, queried through typed SDKs for AI apps. Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.

key differences

  • Licensing: HelixDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in HelixDB and addon in Neo4j.
  • Only HelixDB has in-memory.
  • Only Neo4j has geospatial, change data capture, stored procedures, encryption at rest, role-based access.

choose helixdb for

  • +RAG with graph context
  • +Agent memory stores
  • +Semantic search over linked entities
  • +AI app prototypes

best at · RAG, Vector search, Traversal

choose neo4j for

  • +Fraud rings and entity resolution
  • +Real-time recommendations
  • +Knowledge graphs for GraphRAG
  • +Network and IT dependency mapping

best at · Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph

HelixDBRust graph-vector database on object storage, queried through typed SDKs for AI apps.
Neo4jThe default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Vector
Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
HelixDB
Neo4j, Inc.
First release
2025
2007
Latest version
3.5.1 (Oct 8, 2026)
2026.10.1 (Oct 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (copyleft)GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
13.2
61.2
Rank
#256
#15
GitHub stars
6.2K
17.4K
Stack Overflow questions
–
23K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Addon
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Causal
Schema
Strict
Flexible
Architecture
Client server, Shared storage, In memory
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS
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
SDK query builders, JSON query API
Cypher, GQL
Client languages
Rust, TypeScript, Python, Go
Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, .NET, Rust (community)
Best for
RAG, Vector search, Traversal, OLTP
Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph, RAG
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

HelixDB vs Neo4j: FAQ

What is the difference between HelixDB and Neo4j?

HelixDB: Rust graph-vector database on object storage, queried through typed SDKs for AI apps. Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. Licensing: HelixDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)). Horizontal scaling is none in HelixDB and addon in Neo4j. Only HelixDB has in-memory.

When should I choose HelixDB over Neo4j?

Choose HelixDB for RAG with graph context, agent memory stores and semantic search over linked entities. Choose Neo4j for fraud rings and entity resolution; real-time recommendations; and knowledge graphs for GraphRAG.

Is HelixDB or Neo4j more popular?

Neo4j ranks #15 on the WhichDB Score (61.2/100) and HelixDB ranks #256 (13.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are HelixDB and Neo4j open source?

Yes. HelixDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Neo4j is open source. License: GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise).