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Neo4j vs PuppyGraph

Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. PuppyGraph: Zero-ETL graph query engine that runs Cypher and Gremlin directly on your lakehouse and SQL tables.

key differences

  • Licensing: Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)); PuppyGraph is proprietary (Proprietary (free Developer Edition)).
  • PuppyGraph is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Neo4j (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is addon in Neo4j and native in PuppyGraph.
  • Transactions: Neo4j offers full ACID; PuppyGraph offers none.
  • Only Neo4j has transactions, secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search, geospatial.
  • Only PuppyGraph has columnar storage.

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

choose puppygraph for

  • +Graph analytics over a lakehouse
  • +Cybersecurity and log relationship analysis
  • +Fraud detection on warehouse data
  • +Supply-chain lineage across existing tables

best at · Graph analytics, Traversal, Lakehouse

Neo4jThe default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.
PuppyGraphZero-ETL graph query engine that runs Cypher and Gremlin directly on your lakehouse and SQL tables.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Vector
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Neo4j, Inc.
PuppyGraph, Inc.
First release
2007
2023
Latest version
2026.10.1 (Oct 2026)
1.16.0 (Oct 21, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
ProprietaryProprietary (free Developer Edition)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
61.2
5.6
Rank
#15
#380
GitHub stars
17.4K
–
Stack Overflow questions
23K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Full
None
Consistency
Strong, Causal
Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
AWS
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
Cypher, GQL
openCypher, Gremlin
Client languages
Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, .NET, Rust (community)
Any Neo4j driver, Any Gremlin driver
Best for
Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph, RAG
Graph analytics, Traversal, Lakehouse, OLAP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Neo4j vs PuppyGraph: FAQ

What is the difference between Neo4j and PuppyGraph?

Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. PuppyGraph: Zero-ETL graph query engine that runs Cypher and Gremlin directly on your lakehouse and SQL tables. Licensing: Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)); PuppyGraph is proprietary (Proprietary (free Developer Edition)). PuppyGraph is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Neo4j (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is addon in Neo4j and native in PuppyGraph.

When should I choose Neo4j over PuppyGraph?

Choose Neo4j for fraud rings and entity resolution; real-time recommendations; and knowledge graphs for GraphRAG. Choose PuppyGraph for graph analytics over a lakehouse; cybersecurity and log relationship analysis; and fraud detection on warehouse data.

Is Neo4j or PuppyGraph more popular?

Neo4j ranks #15 on the WhichDB Score (61.2/100) and PuppyGraph ranks #380 (5.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Neo4j and PuppyGraph open source?

Yes. Neo4j is open source. License: GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise). No. PuppyGraph is proprietary, closed-source software.