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InterBase vs PostgreSQL

InterBase: Embarcadero's small-footprint SQL database for servers and embedded apps, with built-in AES encryption. PostgreSQL: The extensible, standards-first open-source relational database.

key differences

  • Licensing: InterBase is proprietary (Proprietary (Embarcadero commercial license)); PostgreSQL is open source (permissive) (PostgreSQL License).
  • PostgreSQL is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than InterBase (≤ 100 GB).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in InterBase and addon in PostgreSQL.
  • Only InterBase has encryption at rest.
  • Only PostgreSQL has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, json, materialized views.
  • InterBase can run embedded in your application process.

choose interbase for

  • +Embedded database for Delphi/C++Builder desktop and mobile apps
  • +Encrypted local storage on devices that sync with a central server
  • +Long-lived line-of-business systems already built on InterBase

best at · OLTP, Embedded, Mobile/offline

choose postgresql for

  • +General-purpose application backend
  • +SaaS multi-tenant data
  • +Geospatial applications with PostGIS
  • +Semantic search alongside relational data with pgvector

best at · OLTP, Geo, Search

InterBaseEmbarcadero's small-footprint SQL database for servers and embedded apps, with built-in AES encryption.
PostgreSQLThe extensible, standards-first open-source relational database.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Document, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Embarcadero Technologies (Idera)
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
First release
1984
1996
Latest version
15.1 (May 20, 2026)
18.6 (Aug 13, 2026)
License
ProprietaryProprietary (Embarcadero commercial license)
Open source (permissive)PostgreSQL License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
18.3
93.2
Rank
#180
#1
GitHub stars
–
22.6K
Stack Overflow questions
367
178.8K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Addon
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Client server, Embedded, Single node
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
✓
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Oracle Cloud, IBM Cloud, Alibaba 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
SQL
SQL, PL/pgSQL
Client languages
Delphi, C++, C#, Java, Python, PHP
C, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C#, Ruby
Best for
OLTP, Embedded, Mobile/offline
OLTP, Geo, Search, Content
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

InterBase vs PostgreSQL: FAQ

What is the difference between InterBase and PostgreSQL?

InterBase: Embarcadero's small-footprint SQL database for servers and embedded apps, with built-in AES encryption. PostgreSQL: The extensible, standards-first open-source relational database. Licensing: InterBase is proprietary (Proprietary (Embarcadero commercial license)); PostgreSQL is open source (permissive) (PostgreSQL License). PostgreSQL is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than InterBase (≤ 100 GB). Horizontal scaling is none in InterBase and addon in PostgreSQL.

When should I choose InterBase over PostgreSQL?

Choose InterBase for embedded database for Delphi/C++Builder desktop and mobile apps; encrypted local storage on devices that sync with a central server; and long-lived line-of-business systems already built on InterBase. Choose PostgreSQL for general-purpose application backend, SaaS multi-tenant data and geospatial applications with PostGIS.

Is InterBase or PostgreSQL more popular?

PostgreSQL ranks #1 on the WhichDB Score (93.2/100) and InterBase ranks #180 (18.3/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are InterBase and PostgreSQL open source?

No. InterBase is proprietary, closed-source software. Yes. PostgreSQL is open source. License: PostgreSQL License.