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Pika vs Redis

Pika: Qihoo 360's Redis-compatible, RocksDB-backed store for datasets too big for memory. Redis: The in-memory data structure server that became the default cache, now with search, JSON and vectors built in.

key differences

  • Licensing: Pika is open source (permissive) (BSD 3-Clause); Redis is open source (copyleft) (Tri-license: AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1 (Redis 8+)).
  • Horizontal scaling is addon in Pika and native in Redis.
  • Only Pika has compression.
  • Only Redis has secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search, json, stored procedures.

choose pika for

  • +Large persistent key-value data behind a Redis API
  • +Cutting memory cost of oversized Redis deployments

best at · Cache, Sessions, Queue

choose redis for

  • +Application and database query caching
  • +Session storage and user tokens
  • +Rate limiting and distributed locks
  • +Leaderboards and counters

best at · Cache, Sessions, Queue

PikaQihoo 360's Redis-compatible, RocksDB-backed store for datasets too big for memory.
RedisThe in-memory data structure server that became the default cache, now with search, JSON and vectors built in.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
–
Document, Vector, Time-Series, Search Engine
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
OpenAtom Foundation (originally Qihoo 360)
Redis Ltd.
First release
2015
2009
Latest version
4.0.4 (Oct 16, 2026)
8.10.3 (Oct 26, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)BSD 3-Clause
Open source (copyleft)Tri-license: AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1 (Redis 8+)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
5.8
84.3
Rank
#375
#2
GitHub stars
6.1K
77.1K
Stack Overflow questions
–
25.4K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Native
Multi-region
None
Active active
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
Primary replica, Distributed, Client server
In memory, Single node, Primary replica, Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, DigitalOcean, Heroku, Render
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
Redis commands (RESP)
Redis commands (RESP), Lua, Redis Query Engine (FT.*)
Client languages
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust, Ruby, PHP
Best for
Cache, Sessions, Queue
Cache, Sessions, Queue, Pub/Sub
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Pika vs Redis: FAQ

What is the difference between Pika and Redis?

Pika: Qihoo 360's Redis-compatible, RocksDB-backed store for datasets too big for memory. Redis: The in-memory data structure server that became the default cache, now with search, JSON and vectors built in. Licensing: Pika is open source (permissive) (BSD 3-Clause); Redis is open source (copyleft) (Tri-license: AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1 (Redis 8+)). Horizontal scaling is addon in Pika and native in Redis. Only Pika has compression.

When should I choose Pika over Redis?

Choose Pika for large persistent key-value data behind a Redis API and cutting memory cost of oversized Redis deployments. Choose Redis for application and database query caching; session storage and user tokens; and rate limiting and distributed locks.

Is Pika or Redis more popular?

Redis ranks #2 on the WhichDB Score (84.3/100) and Pika ranks #375 (5.8/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Pika and Redis open source?

Yes. Pika is open source. License: BSD 3-Clause. Yes. Redis is open source. License: Tri-license: AGPLv3, RSALv2 or SSPLv1 (Redis 8+).