vs

RavenDB vs Starcounter

RavenDB: ACID document database for .NET and beyond, with auto-indexing, Corax search and multi-master replication. Starcounter: In-memory .NET application platform where C# classes are database tables, with no ORM in between.

key differences

  • RavenDB is primarily a document database; Starcounter is object.
  • Licensing: RavenDB is open source (copyleft) (AGPL-3.0 or commercial licence); Starcounter is proprietary (Starcounter End User License Agreement).
  • Horizontal scaling is native in RavenDB and none in Starcounter.
  • Only RavenDB has full-text search, vector search, geospatial, json, change data capture.
  • Only Starcounter has joins, in-memory.
  • RavenDB can run embedded in your application process.

choose ravendb for

  • +.NET business applications and line-of-business systems
  • +Embedded databases in desktop or edge applications
  • +Search-heavy catalogs and content
  • +Multi-site deployments needing offline-tolerant replication

best at · OLTP, Search, Vector search

choose starcounter for

  • +Line-of-business .NET applications needing very fast transactions
  • +Retail and supply-chain systems with heavy in-memory workloads

best at · OLTP

overview
Primary model
Document
Object
Also supports
Search Engine, Time-Series, Vector, Spatial
Relational
Type
Database engine
Backend platform
Status
Active
Active
Developer
RavenDB Ltd. (Hibernating Rhinos)
Starcounter AB
First release
2010
2009
Latest version
7.2.7 (Oct 20, 2026)
3.0 (2020)
License
Open source (copyleft)AGPL-3.0 or commercial licence
ProprietaryStarcounter End User License Agreement
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
30.9
2.6
Rank
#84
#472
GitHub stars
4K
–
Stack Overflow questions
2.5K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
None
Multi-region
Active active
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Schemaless
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Multi primary, Embedded, Client server
In memory, Embedded
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
✓
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
–
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
RQL (Raven Query Language), LINQ
SQL
Client languages
C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, PHP, Ruby
C#
Best for
OLTP, Search, Vector search, Time-series
OLTP

RavenDB vs Starcounter: FAQ

What is the difference between RavenDB and Starcounter?

RavenDB: ACID document database for .NET and beyond, with auto-indexing, Corax search and multi-master replication. Starcounter: In-memory .NET application platform where C# classes are database tables, with no ORM in between. RavenDB is primarily a document database; Starcounter is object. Licensing: RavenDB is open source (copyleft) (AGPL-3.0 or commercial licence); Starcounter is proprietary (Starcounter End User License Agreement). Horizontal scaling is native in RavenDB and none in Starcounter.

When should I choose RavenDB over Starcounter?

Choose RavenDB for .NET business applications and line-of-business systems; embedded databases in desktop or edge applications; and search-heavy catalogs and content. Choose Starcounter for line-of-business .NET applications needing very fast transactions; and retail and supply-chain systems with heavy in-memory workloads.

Is RavenDB or Starcounter more popular?

RavenDB ranks #84 on the WhichDB Score (30.9/100) and Starcounter ranks #472 (2.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are RavenDB and Starcounter open source?

Yes. RavenDB is open source. License: AGPL-3.0 or commercial licence. No. Starcounter is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Starcounter End User License Agreement.