# Alembic vs Kysely

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Kysely

| Attribute | Alembic | Kysely |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 60.8 (42% (low)) | 73.6 (78% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 18 | 59 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 52,456 | 1,155 |
| adoption.github_stars | 4,444 | 14,269 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 20,754,444 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Alembic is an open-source database migrations tool that provides transactional DDL support, auto-generation of migration scripts, and non-linear versioning with dependency-graph structure for managing database schema changes. It is indexed under ORM & Database Tools.","source":"https://alembic.sqlalchemy.org/","question":"What is Alembic?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Alembic is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://alembic.sqlalchemy.org/","question":"Is Alembic free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Alembic supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://alembic.sqlalchemy.org/","question":"What platforms does Alembic support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Alembic is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic","question":"Is Alembic open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"A JavaScript and TypeScript SQL query builder that provides compile-time type safety and database schema validation. It works across multiple runtimes (Node, Deno, Bun, Cloudflare Workers, browsers) with zero runtime dependencies and emphasizes composable, type-safe queries over higher-level abstractions. It is indexed under ORM & Database Tools.","source":"https://kysely.dev","question":"What is Kysely?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Kysely is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://kysely.dev","question":"Is Kysely free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Kysely supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://kysely.dev","question":"What platforms does Kysely support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Kysely can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://kysely.dev","question":"Can Kysely be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 20 integrations for Kysely, including Supabase, Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, AirTrail and AWS Blocks, plus 12 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://kysely.dev","question":"What does Kysely integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Kysely is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely","question":"Is Kysely open source?","confidence":0.99}]` |
| deployment.options | - | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A framework for creating, managing, and applying database schema changes in Python applications, with support for automatic migration detection, multiple database backends, and both scripted and programmatic workflows. | A JavaScript and TypeScript SQL query builder that provides compile-time type safety and database schema validation. It works across multiple runtimes (Node, Deno, Bun, Cloudflare Workers, browsers) with zero runtime dependencies and emphasizes composable, type-safe queries over higher-level abstractions. |
| features.capabilities | `{"raw_sql":true,"multi_db":true,"languages":"Python","relations":true,"migrations":true,"schema_first":true}` | `{"raw_sql":true,"multi_db":true,"languages":"TypeScript, JavaScript (Node, Deno, Bun, Cloudflare Workers, browsers)","relations":true,"migrations":true,"studio_gui":false,"schema_first":true,"type_safe_queries":true,"connection_pooling":false}` |
| integrations.count | - | 21 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Supabase"},{"name":"Cursor"},{"name":"Windsurf"},{"name":"GitHub Copilot"},{"name":"ChatGPT"},{"name":"Claude"},{"name":"Claude Code"},{"name":"AirTrail"},{"name":"AWS Blocks"},{"name":"Conar"},{"name":"EmbedPDF"},{"name":"Hot Updater"},{"name":"inlang"},{"name":"Notesnook"},{"name":"OpenClaw"},{"name":"Reflect"},{"name":"Sink"},{"name":"Stacks"},{"name":"StudioCMS"},{"name":"Tunarr"},{"name":"ZenStack"},{"name":"PostgreSQL","category":"database"},{"name":"MySQL","category":"database"},{"name":"SQLite","category":"database"},{"name":"Microsoft SQL Server","category":"database"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://alembic.sqlalchemy.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T16:51:56.374Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Completely free and open source (MIT license)","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://kysely.dev","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:37:15.404Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 17 | 10 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_20_0","date":"2026-09-11T19:09:17Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_20_0"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_19_2","date":"2026-09-04T17:10:17Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_19_2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_19_1","date":"2026-08-08T16:32:07Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_19_1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_19_0","date":"2026-08-04T18:57:11Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_19_0"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_18_5","date":"2026-06-25T15:21:00Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_18_5"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_18_4","date":"2026-02-10T16:00:54Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_18_4"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_18_3","date":"2026-01-29T20:24:21Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_18_3"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_18_2","date":"2026-01-28T21:23:36Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_18_2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_18_1","date":"2026-01-14T18:53:22Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_18_1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_18_0","date":"2026-01-09T21:22:29Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_18_0"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_17_2","date":"2025-11-14T20:35:09Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_17_2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_17_1","date":"2025-10-29T00:23:22Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_17_1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_17_0","date":"2025-10-11T18:40:20Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_17_0"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_16_5","date":"2025-08-27T18:02:11Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_16_5"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_16_4","date":"2025-07-10T16:17:25Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_16_4"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_16_3","date":"2025-07-08T18:57:56Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_16_3"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_16_2","date":"2025-06-16T18:05:14Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_16_2"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_16_1","date":"2025-05-21T23:11:12Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_16_1"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_16_0","date":"2025-05-21T19:18:54Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_16_0"},{"url":"https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/releases/tag/rel_1_15_2","date":"2025-03-28T13:52:07Z","type":"stable","version":"rel_1_15_2"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.29.6","date":"2026-09-16T01:06:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.30.0-beta.2","date":"2026-09-14T01:34:36Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.30.0-beta.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.29.5","date":"2026-08-10T01:06:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.30.0-beta.1","date":"2026-07-26T17:34:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.30.0-beta.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.30.0-beta.0","date":"2026-07-25T12:45:33Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.30.0-beta.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.29.4","date":"2026-07-17T17:42:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.29.3","date":"2026-07-05T23:18:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.29.2","date":"2026-05-16T15:52:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.29.1","date":"2026-05-16T00:01:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.29.0","date":"2026-05-08T23:54:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.17","date":"2026-05-03T01:10:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.29.0-rc.0","date":"2026-04-24T20:13:08Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v0.29.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.16","date":"2026-04-10T18:07:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.15","date":"2026-03-31T01:49:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.14","date":"2026-03-20T11:28:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.13","date":"2026-03-18T22:12:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.12","date":"2026-03-14T09:13:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.11","date":"2026-01-31T18:58:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.10","date":"2026-01-18T07:13:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/kysely-org/kysely/releases/tag/v0.28.9","date":"2025-12-13T17:48:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.9"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 6.2 | 7.2 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=alembic&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":4,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=kysely&per_page=100","last_12m":4,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (ORM & Database Tools)

| Capability | Alembic | Kysely |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type-safe queries | - | ✓ |
| Schema migrations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Relations / joins API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Languages | Python | TypeScript, JavaScript (Node, Deno, Bun, Cloudflare Workers, browsers) |
| **Modelling** |  |  |
| Schema-first modelling | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Flexibility** |  |  |
| Raw SQL escape hatch | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Portability** |  |  |
| Multiple database backends | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| Connection pooling | - | ✗ |
| **DX** |  |  |
| Data browser / studio | - | ✗ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:04:33.700Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*