whichdb
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MySQL HeatWave vs TiDB

MySQL HeatWave: Oracle's managed MySQL with an in-memory columnar engine for analytics, lakehouse, ML and vector search. TiDB: MySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics.

key differences

  • Licensing: MySQL HeatWave is proprietary (Proprietary managed service (MySQL core is GPLv2)); TiDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • TiDB is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than MySQL HeatWave (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only MySQL HeatWave has full-text search, geospatial, triggers, stored procedures, materialized views.
  • Only TiDB has ttl / expiry, time travel, branching, online schema changes.
  • TiDB has a serverless option; MySQL HeatWave does not.

choose mysql-heatwave for

  • +Real-time dashboards on MySQL application data
  • +Consolidating a MySQL OLTP database and a separate warehouse
  • +RAG and semantic search over MySQL-resident content
  • +Querying data-lake files with MySQL SQL

best at · HTAP, OLTP, OLAP

choose tidb for

  • +Replacing hand-sharded MySQL
  • +HTAP dashboards on live transactional data
  • +SaaS platforms with very large tenant counts
  • +Payment and order systems at internet scale

best at · OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics

MySQL HeatWaveOracle's managed MySQL with an in-memory columnar engine for analytics, lakehouse, ML and vector search.
TiDBMySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Columnar / OLAP, Document, Vector, Spatial
Document, Columnar / OLAP, Vector
Type
Managed service
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Oracle Corporation
PingCAP
First release
2020
2017
Latest version
26.10.0 (innovation) (Oct 20, 2026)
8.5.8 (Aug 27, 2026)
License
ProprietaryProprietary managed service (MySQL core is GPLv2)
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
0.5
35.9
Rank
#633
#56
GitHub stars
–
40.7K
Stack Overflow questions
–
102
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Primary replica, In memory
Distributed, Client server, Serverless
deployment
Self-hosted
—
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
✓
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
Oracle Cloud, AWS, Azure
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, 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, JavaScript (stored programs)
SQL
Client languages
Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, C#, C++
Java, Go, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, PHP, Rust
Best for
HTAP, OLTP, OLAP, Real-time analytics
OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics, Vector search
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

MySQL HeatWave vs TiDB: FAQ

What is the difference between MySQL HeatWave and TiDB?

MySQL HeatWave: Oracle's managed MySQL with an in-memory columnar engine for analytics, lakehouse, ML and vector search. TiDB: MySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics. Licensing: MySQL HeatWave is proprietary (Proprietary managed service (MySQL core is GPLv2)); TiDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). TiDB is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than MySQL HeatWave (≤ 1 PB). Only MySQL HeatWave has full-text search, geospatial, triggers, stored procedures, materialized views.

When should I choose MySQL HeatWave over TiDB?

Choose MySQL HeatWave for real-time dashboards on MySQL application data; consolidating a MySQL OLTP database and a separate warehouse; and RAG and semantic search over MySQL-resident content. Choose TiDB for replacing hand-sharded MySQL, HTAP dashboards on live transactional data and SaaS platforms with very large tenant counts.

Is MySQL HeatWave or TiDB more popular?

TiDB ranks #56 on the WhichDB Score (35.9/100) and MySQL HeatWave ranks #633 (0.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are MySQL HeatWave and TiDB open source?

No. MySQL HeatWave is proprietary, closed-source software. Yes. TiDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.