whichdb
vs

Neo4j vs TypeDB

Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. TypeDB: Strongly typed entity-relation database with TypeQL, polymorphic queries and a Rust core.

key differences

  • Horizontal scaling is addon in Neo4j and none in TypeDB.
  • Only Neo4j has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, change data capture, stored procedures.
  • Only TypeDB has compression.

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 typedb for

  • +Cybersecurity threat intelligence models
  • +Biomedical and drug-discovery knowledge graphs
  • +Engineering and digital-twin data models
  • +Complex access-control and policy modeling

best at · Knowledge graph, OLTP, Traversal

Neo4jThe default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.
TypeDBStrongly typed entity-relation database with TypeQL, polymorphic queries and a Rust core.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Vector
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Neo4j, Inc.
TypeDB Ltd.
First release
2007
2016
Latest version
2026.10.1 (Oct 2026)
3.14.1 (Oct 22, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
Open source (copyleft)Mozilla Public License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
61.2
27.0
Rank
#15
#108
GitHub stars
17.4K
4.5K
Stack Overflow questions
23K
132
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong, Causal
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
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
TypeQL
Client languages
Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, .NET, Rust (community)
Python, Java, Rust, JavaScript, C#, C
Best for
Traversal, Graph analytics, Knowledge graph, RAG
Knowledge graph, OLTP, Traversal
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Neo4j vs TypeDB: FAQ

What is the difference between Neo4j and TypeDB?

Neo4j: The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud. TypeDB: Strongly typed entity-relation database with TypeQL, polymorphic queries and a Rust core. Horizontal scaling is addon in Neo4j and none in TypeDB. Only Neo4j has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, change data capture, stored procedures. Only TypeDB has compression.

When should I choose Neo4j over TypeDB?

Choose Neo4j for fraud rings and entity resolution; real-time recommendations; and knowledge graphs for GraphRAG. Choose TypeDB for cybersecurity threat intelligence models; biomedical and drug-discovery knowledge graphs; and engineering and digital-twin data models.

Is Neo4j or TypeDB more popular?

Neo4j ranks #15 on the WhichDB Score (61.2/100) and TypeDB ranks #108 (27.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Neo4j and TypeDB open source?

Yes. Neo4j is open source. License: GPL-3.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise). Yes. TypeDB is open source. License: Mozilla Public License 2.0.