vs

Orama vs sqlite-vec

Orama: Tiny TypeScript full-text, vector and hybrid search engine for browsers, servers and the edge. sqlite-vec: Dependency-free SQLite extension for vector search that runs anywhere SQLite does, including WASM.

key differences

  • Orama is primarily a search engine database; sqlite-vec is vector.
  • Transactions: Orama offers none ACID; sqlite-vec offers full.
  • Only Orama has geospatial.
  • Only sqlite-vec has transactions, joins, triggers, runs in webassembly.

choose orama for

  • +Static site and documentation search
  • +Offline search in web and mobile apps
  • +Edge-function search over small corpora
  • +Client-side RAG prototypes

best at · Search, Vector search, RAG

choose sqlite-vec for

  • +On-device RAG in desktop and mobile apps
  • +Local-first semantic search
  • +Browser-based vector search via WASM
  • +Small server apps already on SQLite or libSQL

best at · Vector search, RAG, Embedded

overview
Primary model
Search Engine
Vector
Also supports
Vector, Document
Relational
Type
Embedded library
Extension
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Orama (OramaSearch Inc.)
Alex Garcia (sponsored by Mozilla Builders)
First release
2022
2024
Latest version
3.1.18 (Dec 19, 2025)
0.1.9 (Mar 31, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)MIT or Apache-2.0 (dual)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
19.6
31.1
Rank
#165
#81
GitHub stars
10.6K
8.2K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Embedded, In memory
Embedded
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
Orama search API (TypeScript)
SQL
Client languages
JavaScript, TypeScript
Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, Ruby, C
Best for
Search, Vector search, RAG, Embedded
Vector search, RAG, Embedded, Edge

Orama vs sqlite-vec: FAQ

What is the difference between Orama and sqlite-vec?

Orama: Tiny TypeScript full-text, vector and hybrid search engine for browsers, servers and the edge. sqlite-vec: Dependency-free SQLite extension for vector search that runs anywhere SQLite does, including WASM. Orama is primarily a search engine database; sqlite-vec is vector. Transactions: Orama offers none ACID; sqlite-vec offers full. Only Orama has geospatial.

When should I choose Orama over sqlite-vec?

Choose Orama for static site and documentation search; offline search in web and mobile apps; and edge-function search over small corpora. Choose sqlite-vec for on-device RAG in desktop and mobile apps; local-first semantic search; and browser-based vector search via WASM.

Is Orama or sqlite-vec more popular?

sqlite-vec ranks #81 on the WhichDB Score (31.1/100) and Orama ranks #165 (19.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Orama and sqlite-vec open source?

Yes. Orama is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. sqlite-vec is open source. License: MIT or Apache-2.0 (dual).