Comparison

PostgreSQL vs SQLite

No clear leader: PostgreSQL (61.3) and SQLite (60.1) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
PostgreSQL61
SQLite60
Score
vioscaleAI score
PostgreSQL61 / 100medium · 60%
SQLite60 / 100medium · 53%
Pricing
Free tier
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✓
Model
PostgreSQLopen_source
Price level
PostgreSQLfree
SQLitefree
Transparent
PostgreSQL–
SQLite✓
Integrations
Count
PostgreSQL6
SQLite–
Adoption
Dependent repos
PostgreSQL0
SQLite0
Github stars
PostgreSQL22,285
SQLite10,602
Stackoverflow questions
PostgreSQL170,000
SQLite40,000
Activity
Commits last 30d
PostgreSQL100
SQLite100
Release
Cadence days
PostgreSQL90
SQLite60
License
Spdx
PostgreSQLPostgreSQL
SQLiteblessing
Language
Primary
PostgreSQLC
SQLiteC
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
PostgreSQL8 items
SQLite7 items

Capabilities

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

Core
SQL model
PostgreSQLFull SQL
SQLiteFull SQL
Transactions
ACID transactions
PostgreSQLFull
SQLiteFull
Highest isolation level
PostgreSQL-
SQLite-
Consistency
Consistency
PostgreSQL-
SQLiteStrong
Scale
Horizontal scale
PostgreSQLRead replicas
SQLiteSingle-node
Replication
Replication
PostgreSQL-
SQLiteAsync
Availability
Automatic failover / HA
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✗
Deployment
Deployment
PostgreSQLSelf-hosted
SQLiteEmbedded
Serverless / scale-to-zero
PostgreSQL✗
SQLite✓
Compatibility
Wire compatibility
PostgreSQL-
SQLiteNone
Extensibility
Extensions / plugins / UDFs
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✓
Licensing
Licence class
PostgreSQLPermissive OSS
SQLitePermissive OSS
Data types
JSON / document support
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✓
Geo / spatial
PostgreSQLExtension
SQLiteExtension

What each one is

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

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an open source relational database with over 35 years of active development. It supports transactions, user-defined functions, and a broad subset of SQL, widely used for data storage and retrieval in applications ranging from small projects to enterprise deployments.

Independently observed

SQLite

An open-source, zero-configuration database engine that provides complete SQL functionality in a compact library designed to be embedded directly into applications with minimal setup or external dependencies.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

PostgreSQL

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

SQLite

Open sourceFree tier

Free and open source, public domain

as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
Web
PostgreSQL✗
SQLite✓
iOS
PostgreSQL✗
SQLite✓
Android
PostgreSQL✗
SQLite✓
macOS
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✓
Windows
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✓
Linux
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✓
CLI
PostgreSQL✗
SQLite✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✗
Self-hosted
PostgreSQL✓
SQLite✓

Integrations

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

PostgreSQL

10 total
  • CloudNativePG
  • Kubernetes
  • Patroni
  • pgAdmin
  • pgVector
  • PostGIS
  • pgAudit
  • Spock
  • Cilium
  • Submariner
Independently observed

SQLite

Not documented yet.

Still deciding?

PostgreSQL or SQLite: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

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