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PostGIS vs PostgreSQL

PostGIS: The standard spatial extension for PostgreSQL: geometry, geography, rasters and topology in SQL. PostgreSQL: The extensible, standards-first open-source relational database.

key differences

  • PostGIS is primarily a spatial database; PostgreSQL is relational.
  • Licensing: PostGIS is open source (copyleft) (GNU GPL v2.0); PostgreSQL is open source (permissive) (PostgreSQL License).
  • Only PostgreSQL has full-text search, vector search, change data capture, pub/sub, compression.

choose postgis for

  • +Store locators and proximity search
  • +Fleet tracking and logistics routing
  • +Land, utility and municipal GIS
  • +Vector tile generation for web maps

best at · Geo, OLTP, OLAP

choose postgresql for

  • +General-purpose application backend
  • +SaaS multi-tenant data
  • +Geospatial applications with PostGIS
  • +Semantic search alongside relational data with pgvector

best at · OLTP, Geo, Search

PostGISThe standard spatial extension for PostgreSQL: geometry, geography, rasters and topology in SQL.
PostgreSQLThe extensible, standards-first open-source relational database.
overview
Primary model
Spatial
Relational
Also supports
Relational
Document, Spatial
Type
Extension
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
PostGIS Project Steering Committee (OSGeo)
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
First release
2001
1996
Latest version
3.6.4 (Jun 8, 2026)
18.6 (Aug 13, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GNU GPL v2.0
Open source (permissive)PostgreSQL License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
47.5
93.2
Rank
#32
#1
GitHub stars
2.3K
22.6K
Stack Overflow questions
4.7K
178.8K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Addon
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
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, DigitalOcean, Aiven, Heroku
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Oracle Cloud, IBM Cloud, Alibaba Cloud
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
SQL
SQL, PL/pgSQL
Client languages
C, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C#, Ruby
C, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C#, Ruby
Best for
Geo, OLTP, OLAP
OLTP, Geo, Search, Content
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

PostGIS vs PostgreSQL: FAQ

What is the difference between PostGIS and PostgreSQL?

PostGIS: The standard spatial extension for PostgreSQL: geometry, geography, rasters and topology in SQL. PostgreSQL: The extensible, standards-first open-source relational database. PostGIS is primarily a spatial database; PostgreSQL is relational. Licensing: PostGIS is open source (copyleft) (GNU GPL v2.0); PostgreSQL is open source (permissive) (PostgreSQL License). Only PostgreSQL has full-text search, vector search, change data capture, pub/sub, compression.

When should I choose PostGIS over PostgreSQL?

Choose PostGIS for store locators and proximity search; fleet tracking and logistics routing; and land, utility and municipal GIS. Choose PostgreSQL for general-purpose application backend, SaaS multi-tenant data and geospatial applications with PostGIS.

Is PostGIS or PostgreSQL more popular?

PostgreSQL ranks #1 on the WhichDB Score (93.2/100) and PostGIS ranks #32 (47.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are PostGIS and PostgreSQL open source?

Yes. PostGIS is open source. License: GNU GPL v2.0. Yes. PostgreSQL is open source. License: PostgreSQL License.