whichdb
vs

Thanos vs VictoriaMetrics

Thanos: Sidecar-plus-object-storage layer giving Prometheus global queries, HA dedup and long retention. VictoriaMetrics: Resource-frugal, Prometheus-compatible metrics database, run as a single binary or a sharded cluster.

key differences

  • Thanos is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than VictoriaMetrics (≤ 1 PB).

choose thanos for

  • +Long-term storage for multi-cluster Prometheus
  • +Global dashboards across regions
  • +Cost-efficient metrics retention on S3/GCS

best at · Observability, Time-series

choose victoriametrics for

  • +Long-term storage for Prometheus metrics
  • +Kubernetes monitoring with vmagent and the operator
  • +Consolidating Graphite, Influx and Prometheus metrics in one store
  • +High-rate IoT telemetry

best at · Observability, Time-series, IoT

ThanosSidecar-plus-object-storage layer giving Prometheus global queries, HA dedup and long retention.
VictoriaMetricsResource-frugal, Prometheus-compatible metrics database, run as a single binary or a sharded cluster.
overview
Primary model
Time-Series
Time-Series
Also supports
–
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Thanos community (CNCF)
VictoriaMetrics Inc.
First release
2018
2018
Latest version
0.42.4 (Jul 30, 2026)
1.155.0 (Oct 26, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
13.1
26.8
Rank
#257
#109
GitHub stars
14.3K
17.9K
Stack Overflow questions
65
143
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
None
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage
Single node, Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS
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
PromQL
MetricsQL, PromQL
Client languages
–
–
Best for
Observability, Time-series
Observability, Time-series, IoT
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Thanos vs VictoriaMetrics: FAQ

What is the difference between Thanos and VictoriaMetrics?

Thanos: Sidecar-plus-object-storage layer giving Prometheus global queries, HA dedup and long retention. VictoriaMetrics: Resource-frugal, Prometheus-compatible metrics database, run as a single binary or a sharded cluster. Thanos is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than VictoriaMetrics (≤ 1 PB).

When should I choose Thanos over VictoriaMetrics?

Choose Thanos for long-term storage for multi-cluster Prometheus, global dashboards across regions and cost-efficient metrics retention on S3/GCS. Choose VictoriaMetrics for long-term storage for Prometheus metrics; kubernetes monitoring with vmagent and the operator; and consolidating Graphite, Influx and Prometheus metrics in one store.

Is Thanos or VictoriaMetrics more popular?

VictoriaMetrics ranks #109 on the WhichDB Score (26.8/100) and Thanos ranks #257 (13.1/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Thanos and VictoriaMetrics open source?

Yes. Thanos is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. VictoriaMetrics is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.