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OpenQM vs Rocket UniData / UniVerse

OpenQM: Compact MultiValue (Pick) database from Ladybridge, once GPL-licensed, now Rocket's entry-level MV product. Rocket UniData / UniVerse: Rocket's Pick-style MultiValue databases, powering thousands of vertical business applications.

key differences

  • Rocket UniData / UniVerse is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than OpenQM (≤ 100 GB).
  • Only Rocket UniData / UniVerse has joins, encryption at rest.

choose openqm for

  • +Hosting small Pick-based business applications
  • +Migrating off ageing Pick systems to commodity servers
  • +Learning the MultiValue model

best at · OLTP

choose rocket-unidata-universe for

  • +Running vertical ERP, distribution and healthcare packages built on U2
  • +Higher-education student information systems
  • +Modernising Pick applications behind REST and .NET

best at · OLTP

OpenQMCompact MultiValue (Pick) database from Ladybridge, once GPL-licensed, now Rocket's entry-level MV product.
Rocket UniData / UniVerseRocket's Pick-style MultiValue databases, powering thousands of vertical business applications.
overview
Primary model
Multivalue (Pick)
Multivalue (Pick)
Also supports
–
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Rocket Software (originally Ladybridge Systems)
Rocket Software
First release
1993
1985
Latest version
–
UniVerse 14.2.1 (Nov 5, 2025)
License
ProprietaryProprietary (historic GPLv2 community edition)
ProprietaryProprietary commercial license
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
0.2
11.0
Rank
#670
#289
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
121
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Client server, Single node
Client server, Primary replica
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
–
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
QMBasic, QM query language
UniVerse BASIC / UniBasic, RetrieVe / UniQuery, SQL
Client languages
C, Python, C#, Java
C#, Java, Python, C
Best for
OLTP
OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

OpenQM vs Rocket UniData / UniVerse: FAQ

What is the difference between OpenQM and Rocket UniData / UniVerse?

OpenQM: Compact MultiValue (Pick) database from Ladybridge, once GPL-licensed, now Rocket's entry-level MV product. Rocket UniData / UniVerse: Rocket's Pick-style MultiValue databases, powering thousands of vertical business applications. Rocket UniData / UniVerse is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than OpenQM (≤ 100 GB). Only Rocket UniData / UniVerse has joins, encryption at rest.

When should I choose OpenQM over Rocket UniData / UniVerse?

Choose OpenQM for hosting small Pick-based business applications, migrating off ageing Pick systems to commodity servers and learning the MultiValue model. Choose Rocket UniData / UniVerse for running vertical ERP, distribution and healthcare packages built on U2; higher-education student information systems; and modernising Pick applications behind REST and .NET.

Is OpenQM or Rocket UniData / UniVerse more popular?

Rocket UniData / UniVerse ranks #289 on the WhichDB Score (11.0/100) and OpenQM ranks #670 (0.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are OpenQM and Rocket UniData / UniVerse open source?

No. OpenQM is proprietary, closed-source software. No. Rocket UniData / UniVerse is proprietary, closed-source software.