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Neo4j vs TerminusDB

Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. TerminusDB: Git-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel.

key differences

  • Licensing: Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)); TerminusDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • Neo4j is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than TerminusDB (≤ 100 GB).
  • Horizontal scaling is addon in Neo4j and none in TerminusDB.
  • Only Neo4j has secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search, geospatial, change data capture.
  • Only TerminusDB has joins, json, compression, time travel, branching.

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 terminusdb for

  • +Collaborative curation of reference or master data
  • +Auditable knowledge graphs with review workflows
  • +Versioned configuration and product data
  • +Data products that need reproducible snapshots

best at · Knowledge graph, Content, Metadata

Neo4jThe default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.
TerminusDBGit-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Vector
Document, RDF / Triple Store
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Neo4j, Inc.
Gettier (DFRNT AB) and TerminusDB community
First release
2007
2019
Latest version
2026.10.1 (Oct 2026)
12.0.8 (Oct 12, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
61.2
21.0
Rank
#15
#146
GitHub stars
17.4K
3.5K
Stack Overflow questions
23K
2
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong, Causal
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
Single node, 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
Cypher, GQL
WOQL (Datalog), GraphQL
Client languages
Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, .NET, Rust (community)
Python, JavaScript, Rust, Elixir
Best for
Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph, RAG
Knowledge graph, Content, Metadata
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Neo4j vs TerminusDB: FAQ

What is the difference between Neo4j and TerminusDB?

Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. TerminusDB: Git-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel. Licensing: Neo4j is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)); TerminusDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). Neo4j is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than TerminusDB (≤ 100 GB). Horizontal scaling is addon in Neo4j and none in TerminusDB.

When should I choose Neo4j over TerminusDB?

Choose Neo4j for fraud rings and entity resolution; real-time recommendations; and knowledge graphs for GraphRAG. Choose TerminusDB for collaborative curation of reference or master data; auditable knowledge graphs with review workflows; and versioned configuration and product data.

Is Neo4j or TerminusDB more popular?

Neo4j ranks #15 on the WhichDB Score (61.2/100) and TerminusDB ranks #146 (21.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Neo4j and TerminusDB open source?

Yes. Neo4j is open source. License: GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise). Yes. TerminusDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.