whichdb
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MongoDB vs Tile38

MongoDB: The default document database: flexible BSON documents, rich queries and built-in sharding. Tile38: In-memory geospatial database and geofencing server that speaks the Redis protocol and HTTP.

key differences

  • MongoDB is primarily a document database; Tile38 is spatial.
  • Licensing: MongoDB is source-available (Server Side Public License v1 (Community); commercial (Enterprise)); Tile38 is open source (permissive) (MIT License).
  • MongoDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Tile38 (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is native in MongoDB and manual in Tile38.
  • Transactions: MongoDB offers full ACID; Tile38 offers none.
  • Only MongoDB has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search.
  • Only Tile38 has pub/sub.

choose mongodb for

  • +Product catalogs with highly variable attributes
  • +Content management and user-generated content
  • +Mobile and web backends that evolve their schema weekly
  • +IoT and event data with time-series collections

best at · OLTP, Content, Metadata

choose tile38 for

  • +Fleet, courier and ride-hailing vehicle tracking
  • +Geofence alerts for IoT devices
  • +Location-based notifications in mobile apps
  • +Real-time nearby search for moving objects

best at · Geo, Real-time analytics, IoT

MongoDBThe default document database: flexible BSON documents, rich queries and built-in sharding.
Tile38In-memory geospatial database and geofencing server that speaks the Redis protocol and HTTP.
overview
Primary model
Document
Spatial
Also supports
Search Engine, Vector, Time-Series, Spatial
Key-Value
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
MongoDB, Inc.
Josh Baker (tidwall)
First release
2009
2016
Latest version
9.0.4 (Oct 14, 2026)
1.38.0 (Jun 9, 2026)
License
Source-availableServer Side Public License v1 (Community); commercial (Enterprise)
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
80.5
10.0
Rank
#4
#305
GitHub stars
28.7K
9.8K
Stack Overflow questions
175.2K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Manual
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Full
None
Consistency
Tunable, Causal
Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Schemaless
Architecture
Primary replica, Distributed, Client server
In memory, Primary replica, Client server
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
MongoDB Query API (MQL), Aggregation pipeline
Tile38 commands
Client languages
C, C++, C#, Go, Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, PHP
–
Best for
OLTP, Content, Metadata, IoT
Geo, Real-time analytics, IoT, Pub/Sub
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

MongoDB vs Tile38: FAQ

What is the difference between MongoDB and Tile38?

MongoDB: The default document database: flexible BSON documents, rich queries and built-in sharding. Tile38: In-memory geospatial database and geofencing server that speaks the Redis protocol and HTTP. MongoDB is primarily a document database; Tile38 is spatial. Licensing: MongoDB is source-available (Server Side Public License v1 (Community); commercial (Enterprise)); Tile38 is open source (permissive) (MIT License). MongoDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Tile38 (≤ 10 TB).

When should I choose MongoDB over Tile38?

Choose MongoDB for product catalogs with highly variable attributes; content management and user-generated content; and mobile and web backends that evolve their schema weekly. Choose Tile38 for fleet, courier and ride-hailing vehicle tracking; geofence alerts for IoT devices; and location-based notifications in mobile apps.

Is MongoDB or Tile38 more popular?

MongoDB ranks #4 on the WhichDB Score (80.5/100) and Tile38 ranks #305 (10.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are MongoDB and Tile38 open source?

Not in the OSI sense. MongoDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: Server Side Public License v1 (Community); commercial (Enterprise). Yes. Tile38 is open source. License: MIT License.