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PostGIS vs Tile38

PostGIS: The standard spatial extension for PostgreSQL: geometry, geography, rasters and topology in SQL. Tile38: In-memory geospatial database and geofencing server that speaks the Redis protocol and HTTP.

key differences

  • Licensing: PostGIS is open source (copyleft) (GNU GPL v2.0); Tile38 is open source (permissive) (MIT License).
  • Horizontal scaling is addon in PostGIS and manual in Tile38.
  • Transactions: PostGIS offers full ACID; Tile38 offers none.
  • Only PostGIS has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, triggers, stored procedures.
  • Only Tile38 has ttl / expiry, pub/sub, in-memory.

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 tile38 for

  • +Fleet, courier and ride-hailing vehicle tracking
  • +Geofence alerts for IoT devices
  • +Location-based notifications in mobile apps
  • +Real-time nearby search for moving objects

best at · Geo, Real-time analytics, IoT

PostGISThe standard spatial extension for PostgreSQL: geometry, geography, rasters and topology in SQL.
Tile38In-memory geospatial database and geofencing server that speaks the Redis protocol and HTTP.
overview
Primary model
Spatial
Spatial
Also supports
Relational
Key-Value
Type
Extension
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
PostGIS Project Steering Committee (OSGeo)
Josh Baker (tidwall)
First release
2001
2016
Latest version
3.6.4 (Jun 8, 2026)
1.38.0 (Jun 9, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GNU GPL v2.0
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
47.5
10.0
Rank
#32
#305
GitHub stars
2.3K
9.8K
Stack Overflow questions
4.7K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Manual
Multi-region
Read replicas
None
ACID
Full
None
Consistency
Strong
Eventual
Schema
Strict
Schemaless
Architecture
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
In memory, Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, DigitalOcean, Aiven, Heroku
–
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
Tile38 commands
Client languages
C, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, C#, Ruby
–
Best for
Geo, OLTP, OLAP
Geo, Real-time analytics, IoT, Pub/Sub
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

PostGIS vs Tile38: FAQ

What is the difference between PostGIS and Tile38?

PostGIS: The standard spatial extension for PostgreSQL: geometry, geography, rasters and topology in SQL. Tile38: In-memory geospatial database and geofencing server that speaks the Redis protocol and HTTP. Licensing: PostGIS is open source (copyleft) (GNU GPL v2.0); Tile38 is open source (permissive) (MIT License). Horizontal scaling is addon in PostGIS and manual in Tile38. Transactions: PostGIS offers full ACID; Tile38 offers none.

When should I choose PostGIS over Tile38?

Choose PostGIS for store locators and proximity search; fleet tracking and logistics routing; and land, utility and municipal GIS. Choose Tile38 for fleet, courier and ride-hailing vehicle tracking; geofence alerts for IoT devices; and location-based notifications in mobile apps.

Is PostGIS or Tile38 more popular?

PostGIS ranks #32 on the WhichDB Score (47.5/100) and Tile38 ranks #305 (10.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are PostGIS and Tile38 open source?

Yes. PostGIS is open source. License: GNU GPL v2.0. Yes. Tile38 is open source. License: MIT License.