TDengine vs TimescaleDB
TDengine: Industrial-IoT time-series database with a table-per-device model and built-in streaming and caching. TimescaleDB: PostgreSQL extension adding hypertables, columnar compression and continuous aggregates for time series.
key differences
- Licensing: TDengine is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0 (open-source edition)); TimescaleDB is source-available (Apache-2.0 core + Timescale License (TSL) for advanced features).
- TDengine is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than TimescaleDB (≤ 10 TB).
- Horizontal scaling is native in TDengine and none in TimescaleDB.
- Transactions: TDengine offers none ACID; TimescaleDB offers full.
- Only TDengine has streaming ingest.
- Only TimescaleDB has transactions, full-text search, vector search, triggers, stored procedures.
choose tdengine for
- +Industrial IoT and SCADA historian replacement
- +Connected-vehicle telemetry
- +Smart meters and energy grids
- +Edge-to-cloud sensor data aggregation
best at · IoT, Time-series, Streaming
choose timescaledb for
- +IoT and sensor data joined with relational metadata
- +Financial tick and market data analytics in SQL
- +Product and application metrics dashboards
- +Energy and utility metering
best at · Time-series, Real-time analytics, IoT
TDengine vs TimescaleDB: FAQ
What is the difference between TDengine and TimescaleDB?
TDengine: Industrial-IoT time-series database with a table-per-device model and built-in streaming and caching. TimescaleDB: PostgreSQL extension adding hypertables, columnar compression and continuous aggregates for time series. Licensing: TDengine is open source (copyleft) (GNU AGPL v3.0 (open-source edition)); TimescaleDB is source-available (Apache-2.0 core + Timescale License (TSL) for advanced features). TDengine is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than TimescaleDB (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is native in TDengine and none in TimescaleDB.
When should I choose TDengine over TimescaleDB?
Choose TDengine for industrial IoT and SCADA historian replacement; connected-vehicle telemetry; and smart meters and energy grids. Choose TimescaleDB for IoT and sensor data joined with relational metadata; financial tick and market data analytics in SQL; and product and application metrics dashboards.
Is TDengine or TimescaleDB more popular?
TimescaleDB ranks #34 on the WhichDB Score (47.1/100) and TDengine ranks #192 (17.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.
Are TDengine and TimescaleDB open source?
Yes. TDengine is open source. License: GNU AGPL v3.0 (open-source edition). Not in the OSI sense. TimescaleDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: Apache-2.0 core + Timescale License (TSL) for advanced features.