Comparison

Apache CouchDB vs RethinkDB

On the evidence we track, Apache CouchDB leads this comparison with a composite score of 54/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Apache CouchDB full profile →RethinkDB full profile →

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★Apache CouchDB54

RethinkDB39

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	Apache CouchDBLeader	RethinkDB
Vioscale score	54 / 100low · 35%	39 / 100medium · 57%
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	commercial	open_source
Price levelpricing.price_level	free	free
Transparentpricing.transparent	✓	-
Integrations
Countintegrations.count	-	4
Security
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	7.2	3.3
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=conda&package_name=couchdb&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0	Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=rethinkdb&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	0	1,283
Github starsadoption.github_stars	6,942	26,994
Package downloads weeklyadoption.package_downloads_weekly	-	16,422
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	26	0
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	-	25
Historyrelease.history	-	20 items
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	Apache-2.0	-
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	Erlang	C++

Score

Vioscale score

Apache CouchDB54 / 100low · 35%

RethinkDB39 / 100medium · 57%

Pricing

Free tier

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB✓

Model

Apache CouchDBcommercial

RethinkDBopen_source

Price level

Apache CouchDBfree

RethinkDBfree

Transparent

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB–

Integrations

Count

Apache CouchDB–

RethinkDB4

Security

Scorecard

Apache CouchDB7.2

RethinkDB3.3

Vulnerabilities

Apache CouchDBCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=conda&package_name=couchdb&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

RethinkDBCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=rethinkdb&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0

Adoption

Dependent repos

Apache CouchDB0

RethinkDB1,283

Github stars

Apache CouchDB6,942

RethinkDB26,994

Package downloads weekly

Apache CouchDB–

RethinkDB16,422

Activity

Commits last 30d

Apache CouchDB26

RethinkDB0

Release

Cadence days

Apache CouchDB–

RethinkDB25

History

Apache CouchDB–

RethinkDB20 items

License

Spdx

Apache CouchDBApache-2.0

RethinkDB–

Language

Primary

Apache CouchDBErlang

RethinkDBC++

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for nosql databases. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capability comparison for NoSQL Databases
Capability	Apache CouchDB	RethinkDB
Core
Data model	Document	Document
Query
Query language	-	-
Consistency
Consistency	Eventual	-
Transactions
Transactions	-	-
Indexing
Secondary indexes	Yes	Yes
Scale
Partitioning / sharding	Automatic	-
Multi-region	✓	-
Replication
Replication topology	Leaderless	Primary-secondary
Deployment
Hosting	Cloud + self-hosted	Self-hosted only
Schema
Schema	-	Schemaless
Features
TTL / auto-expiry	-	-
Change streams / CDC	✓	✓
Vector / search built-in	-	-
Licensing
Licence class	Permissive OSS	Permissive OSS

Core

Data model

Apache CouchDBDocument

RethinkDBDocument

Query

Query language

Apache CouchDB-

RethinkDB-

Consistency

Apache CouchDBEventual

RethinkDB-

Transactions

Apache CouchDB-

RethinkDB-

Indexing

Secondary indexes

Apache CouchDBYes

RethinkDBYes

Scale

Partitioning / sharding

Apache CouchDBAutomatic

RethinkDB-

Multi-region

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB-

Replication

Replication topology

Apache CouchDBLeaderless

RethinkDBPrimary-secondary

Deployment

Hosting

Apache CouchDBCloud + self-hosted

RethinkDBSelf-hosted only

Schema

Apache CouchDB-

RethinkDBSchemaless

Features

TTL / auto-expiry

Apache CouchDB-

RethinkDB-

Change streams / CDC

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB✓

Vector / search built-in

Apache CouchDB-

RethinkDB-

Licensing

Licence class

Apache CouchDBPermissive OSS

RethinkDBPermissive OSS

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Apache CouchDB

Leader

An open-source document database built for distributed deployments with native replication capabilities. It enables offline-first applications to maintain data synchronization across servers, mobile devices, and browsers without manual configuration.

Independently observed

RethinkDB

An open-source NoSQL database built on a distributed architecture that eliminates polling by pushing fresh data to applications automatically. It stores flexible JSON documents and is designed to simplify building applications that display live information to users.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Apache CouchDB

Leader

Open sourceFree tier

as of 2026-08-14verify ↗

RethinkDB

Open source

as of 2026-08-14verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platform and deployment support comparison
Supports	Apache CouchDB	RethinkDB
WebPlatforms	✓	✓
iOSPlatforms	✓	✗
AndroidPlatforms	✓	✗
Cloud / SaaSDeployment	✓	✗
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	✓

Platforms

Web

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB✓

iOS

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB✗

Android

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB✗

Deployment

Cloud / SaaS

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB✗

Self-hosted

Apache CouchDB✓

RethinkDB✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Apache CouchDB

Leader

Not documented yet.

RethinkDB

4 total

Elasticsearch
RabbitMQ
Rails
PubNub

Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.