vs

NebulaGraph vs TigerGraph

NebulaGraph: Shared-nothing distributed graph database for trillion-edge graphs, with GQL in Enterprise v5. TigerGraph: Distributed MPP graph database built for deep-link analytics on very large graphs.

key differences

  • Licensing: NebulaGraph is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 (open-source edition); Enterprise is commercial); TigerGraph is proprietary (Proprietary (free Community Edition)).
  • Transactions: NebulaGraph offers limited ACID; TigerGraph offers full.
  • Only NebulaGraph has full-text search, ttl / expiry, online schema changes.
  • Only TigerGraph has transactions, vector search, stored procedures, encryption at rest, streaming ingest.

choose nebulagraph for

  • +Social and relationship graphs at internet scale
  • +Risk control and anti-fraud in finance
  • +Knowledge graphs for search and recommendation
  • +Device and account linkage graphs

best at · Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph

choose tigergraph for

  • +Real-time fraud and AML detection
  • +Supply chain and network analysis
  • +Customer 360 and entity resolution
  • +Recommendation engines over large catalogs

best at · Graph analytics, Traversal, Real-time analytics

overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
–
Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Vesoft Inc.
TigerGraph, Inc.
First release
2019
2017
Latest version
3.8.0 (May 17, 2024)
4.2.5 (Sep 2, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 (open-source edition); Enterprise is commercial
ProprietaryProprietary (free Community Edition)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
18.1
16.6
Rank
#183
#198
GitHub stars
12.5K
–
Stack Overflow questions
119
38
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Client server
Distributed, 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
nGQL, openCypher (subset), GQL (Enterprise v5)
GSQL, openCypher, GQL
Client languages
Java, Python, Go, C++, JavaScript (community)
Python (pyTigerGraph), Java, JavaScript, Go
Best for
Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph, OLTP
Graph analytics, Traversal, Real-time analytics, Knowledge graph

NebulaGraph vs TigerGraph: FAQ

What is the difference between NebulaGraph and TigerGraph?

NebulaGraph: Shared-nothing distributed graph database for trillion-edge graphs, with GQL in Enterprise v5. TigerGraph: Distributed MPP graph database built for deep-link analytics on very large graphs. Licensing: NebulaGraph is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 (open-source edition); Enterprise is commercial); TigerGraph is proprietary (Proprietary (free Community Edition)). Transactions: NebulaGraph offers limited ACID; TigerGraph offers full. Only NebulaGraph has full-text search, ttl / expiry, online schema changes.

When should I choose NebulaGraph over TigerGraph?

Choose NebulaGraph for social and relationship graphs at internet scale; risk control and anti-fraud in finance; and knowledge graphs for search and recommendation. Choose TigerGraph for real-time fraud and AML detection; supply chain and network analysis; and customer 360 and entity resolution.

Is NebulaGraph or TigerGraph more popular?

NebulaGraph ranks #183 on the WhichDB Score (18.1/100) and TigerGraph ranks #198 (16.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are NebulaGraph and TigerGraph open source?

Yes. NebulaGraph is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 (open-source edition); Enterprise is commercial. No. TigerGraph is proprietary, closed-source software.