whichdb
vs

TerminusDB vs TypeDB

TerminusDB: Git-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel. TypeDB: Strongly typed entity-relation database with TypeQL, polymorphic queries and a Rust core.

key differences

  • Licensing: TerminusDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); TypeDB is open source (copyleft) (Mozilla Public License 2.0).
  • TypeDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than TerminusDB (≤ 100 GB).
  • Only TerminusDB has joins, json, time travel, branching.
  • Only TypeDB has secondary indexes.

choose terminusdb for

  • +Collaborative curation of reference or master data
  • +Auditable knowledge graphs with review workflows
  • +Versioned configuration and product data
  • +Data products that need reproducible snapshots

best at · Knowledge graph, Content, Metadata

choose typedb for

  • +Cybersecurity threat intelligence models
  • +Biomedical and drug-discovery knowledge graphs
  • +Engineering and digital-twin data models
  • +Complex access-control and policy modeling

best at · Knowledge graph, OLTP, Traversal

TerminusDBGit-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel.
TypeDBStrongly typed entity-relation database with TypeQL, polymorphic queries and a Rust core.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Document, RDF / Triple Store
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Gettier (DFRNT AB) and TerminusDB community
TypeDB Ltd.
First release
2019
2016
Latest version
12.0.8 (Oct 12, 2026)
3.14.1 (Oct 22, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (copyleft)Mozilla Public License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
21.0
27.0
Rank
#146
#108
GitHub stars
3.5K
4.5K
Stack Overflow questions
2
132
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Single node, Client server
Single node, Primary replica, Client server
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
WOQL (Datalog), GraphQL
TypeQL
Client languages
Python, JavaScript, Rust, Elixir
Python, Java, Rust, JavaScript, C#, C
Best for
Knowledge graph, Content, Metadata
Knowledge graph, OLTP, Traversal
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

TerminusDB vs TypeDB: FAQ

What is the difference between TerminusDB and TypeDB?

TerminusDB: Git-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel. TypeDB: Strongly typed entity-relation database with TypeQL, polymorphic queries and a Rust core. Licensing: TerminusDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); TypeDB is open source (copyleft) (Mozilla Public License 2.0). TypeDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than TerminusDB (≤ 100 GB). Only TerminusDB has joins, json, time travel, branching.

When should I choose TerminusDB over TypeDB?

Choose TerminusDB for collaborative curation of reference or master data; auditable knowledge graphs with review workflows; and versioned configuration and product data. Choose TypeDB for cybersecurity threat intelligence models; biomedical and drug-discovery knowledge graphs; and engineering and digital-twin data models.

Is TerminusDB or TypeDB more popular?

TypeDB ranks #108 on the WhichDB Score (27.0/100) and TerminusDB ranks #146 (21.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are TerminusDB and TypeDB open source?

Yes. TerminusDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. TypeDB is open source. License: Mozilla Public License 2.0.