# Apache CouchDB vs RethinkDB

| Attribute | Apache CouchDB | RethinkDB |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 49.4 (34% (low)) | 40.7 (57% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 46 | 0 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | 1,283 |
| adoption.github_stars | 6,975 | 27,005 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 12,928 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"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. It is indexed under NoSQL Databases.","source":"https://couchdb.apache.org","question":"What is Apache CouchDB?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Apache CouchDB is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://couchdb.apache.org","question":"Is Apache CouchDB free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Apache CouchDB supports the web, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://couchdb.apache.org","question":"What platforms does Apache CouchDB support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Apache CouchDB can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://couchdb.apache.org","question":"Can Apache CouchDB be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Apache CouchDB is published under the Apache-2.0 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/apache/couchdb","question":"Is Apache CouchDB open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"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. It is indexed under NoSQL Databases.","source":"https://rethinkdb.com","question":"What is RethinkDB?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"RethinkDB is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://rethinkdb.com","question":"Is RethinkDB free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to RethinkDB. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://rethinkdb.com","question":"What platforms does RethinkDB support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. RethinkDB can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://rethinkdb.com","question":"Can RethinkDB be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 4 integrations for RethinkDB, including Elasticsearch, RabbitMQ, Rails and PubNub. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://rethinkdb.com","question":"What does RethinkDB integrate with?","confidence":0.6}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source database that synchronizes data across multiple nodes using multi-primary replication, accessible via HTTP and JSON, designed for reliability and high availability. | A database that eliminates polling by automatically streaming query changes to connected clients, enabling developers to build responsive real-time applications with less complexity. |
| features.capabilities | `{"schema":"schemaless","hosting":"both","data_model":"document","consistency":"eventual","replication":"leaderless","multi_region":true,"partitioning":"automatic","license_class":"permissive","change_streams":true,"secondary_indexes":"yes"}` | `{"schema":"schemaless","hosting":"self","data_model":"document","replication":"primary_secondary","license_class":"permissive","change_streams":true,"secondary_indexes":"yes"}` |
| integrations.count | - | 4 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Elasticsearch"},{"name":"RabbitMQ"},{"name":"Rails"},{"name":"PubNub"}]` |
| language.primary | Erlang | C++ |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| platform.support | `{"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://couchdb.apache.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T11:09:10.445Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://rethinkdb.com","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T22:31:08.485Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 25 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.4.4","date":"2023-12-11T01:42:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.4.3","date":"2023-02-05T01:14:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.4.2","date":"2022-05-07T19:28:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.4.1","date":"2020-08-14T19:51:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.4.0","date":"2019-12-19T18:30:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.3.6","date":"2017-07-23T02:20:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.3.5","date":"2016-08-29T21:19:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.3.4","date":"2016-06-04T05:27:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.3.3","date":"2016-06-01T18:54:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.3.2","date":"2016-05-06T19:00:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.3.1","date":"2016-04-23T02:13:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.3.0","date":"2016-04-06T15:57:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.2.6","date":"2016-03-28T18:08:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.2.5","date":"2016-02-24T23:33:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.2.4","date":"2016-02-01T19:17:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.1.6","date":"2016-02-01T19:14:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.2.3-1","date":"2016-01-11T20:22:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.3-1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.2.2","date":"2015-12-21T09:02:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.2.1","date":"2015-11-17T09:14:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/releases/tag/v2.2.0","date":"2015-11-12T15:26:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.0"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 7.2 | 3.3 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=helm&package_name=cloudnativeapp%2Fcouchdb&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=rethinkdb&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (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 | Schemaless |
| **Features** |  |  |
| TTL / auto-expiry | - | - |
| Change streams / CDC | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vector / search built-in | - | - |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Licence class | Permissive OSS | Permissive OSS |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T18:59:37.459Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*