# PostgreSQL vs TiDB

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** PostgreSQL

| Attribute | PostgreSQL | TiDB |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 61.3 (60% (medium)) | 48.5 (19% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 22,285 | - |
| adoption.stackoverflow_questions | 170,000 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"PostgreSQL is a free, open-source relational database system that emphasizes extensibility and standards compliance. It provides robust support for complex data types and advanced query capabilities, making it suitable for both small applications and large-scale enterprise deployments.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org","question":"What is PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is open-source and available at no cost under the PostgreSQL License. Organizations can deploy and modify the software without paying licensing fees, though managed hosting services may charge for their infrastructure and support.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/about/licence/","question":"Is PostgreSQL free to use?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is cross-platform and runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS, and other operating systems. This broad platform support makes it accessible for diverse infrastructure environments.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/download/","question":"What operating systems does PostgreSQL support?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL fully implements ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions, ensuring that database operations are reliable and data remains consistent even in the face of failures or concurrent access patterns.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/tutorial-concepts.html","question":"Does PostgreSQL guarantee data integrity through ACID compliance?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Organizations often evaluate PostgreSQL alongside MySQL for relational workloads, Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server for large enterprise deployments, and NoSQL systems like MongoDB for document-based requirements. The choice depends on specific priorities around complexity, scalability, and data structure needs.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org","question":"What are common database alternatives to PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL can be deployed on self-managed infrastructure using binary installations or containerization, or through managed database services from cloud platforms such as AWS RDS, Google Cloud SQL, and Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Managed services typically handle automated backups, scaling, and routine maintenance.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/download/","question":"How can developers deploy PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL supports JSON/JSONB data types for semi-structured data, full-text search capabilities, window functions, Common Table Expressions, and custom extensions through its extensibility architecture. These features reduce the need for application-layer complexity and the addition of specialized separate systems.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-syntax.html","question":"What advanced features enable complex analytical and transactional work in PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is used in production by thousands of organizations ranging from startups to large enterprises. It includes comprehensive features for data replication, backup strategies, and high-availability configurations, making it a reliable choice for applications where data consistency and uptime are critical.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/","question":"Is PostgreSQL suitable for production and mission-critical applications?","confidence":0.9}]` | `[{"answer":"An open-source database designed for distributed deployment that's compatible with MySQL. It provides full ACID transaction support and can simultaneously handle transactional queries and complex analytics without requiring separate systems, including support for vector search. It is indexed under Relational Databases.","source":"https://www.pingcap.com","question":"What is TiDB?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"TiDB is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Paid editions are also offered: TiDB Cloud Dedicated, priced on request. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.pingcap.com","question":"Is TiDB free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to TiDB. 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://www.pingcap.com","question":"What platforms does TiDB support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. TiDB can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.pingcap.com","question":"Can TiDB be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for TiDB, including Cursor, JDBC and mysql-connector-python. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.pingcap.com","question":"What does TiDB integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and GDPR for TiDB. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as TiDB not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.pingcap.com/trust","question":"What security certifications does TiDB have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | An open-source, distributed SQL database that provides ACID transactions with automatic scaling from zero to peak load. It maintains MySQL protocol compatibility and supports both analytical and transactional workloads on unified data. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","sql_model":"full_sql","data_model":"relational","deployment":"self_hosted","serverless":false,"geo_spatial":"extension","sql_support":true,"extensibility":true,"json_document":true,"license_class":"permissive","managed_cloud":true,"vector_search":true,"horizontal_scale":"read_replica","acid_transactions":"full","automatic_failover":true,"horizontal_scaling":true}` | `{"sql_model":"full_sql","serverless":true,"license_class":"permissive","horizontal_scale":"distributed_native","acid_transactions":"full","wire_compatibility":"mysql"}` |
| integrations.count | 6 | 26 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"CloudNativePG"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"Patroni"},{"name":"pgAdmin"},{"name":"pgVector"},{"name":"PostGIS"},{"name":"pgAudit"},{"name":"Spock"},{"name":"Cilium"},{"name":"Submariner"}]` | `[{"name":"Cursor"},{"name":"JDBC"},{"name":"mysql-connector-python"},{"name":"MySQL"},{"name":"Kubernetes","native":true,"category":"infrastructure","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Apache Spark","native":false,"category":"analytics","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Kafka","native":false,"category":"streaming","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Confluent","native":false,"category":"streaming","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Datadog","native":false,"category":"monitoring","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"New Relic","native":false,"category":"monitoring","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Airbyte","native":false,"category":"data-integration","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"AWS AppFlow","native":false,"category":"data-integration","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"dbt","native":false,"category":"analytics","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Superset","native":false,"category":"dashboards","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Terraform","native":true,"category":"infrastructure","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"CloudFormation","native":false,"category":"infrastructure","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"AWS","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Google Cloud","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Azure","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Alibaba Cloud","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"AWS Lambda","native":false,"category":"compute","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Vercel","native":false,"category":"deployment","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Netlify","native":false,"category":"deployment","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Hibernate","native":false,"category":"orm","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Prisma","native":false,"category":"orm","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"SQLAlchemy","native":false,"category":"orm","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"PyMySQL","native":false,"category":"driver","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Zapier","native":false,"category":"automation","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"n8n","native":false,"category":"automation","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Model Context Protocol","native":false,"category":"protocol","direction":"inbound"}]` |
| language.primary | C | - |
| license.spdx | PostgreSQL | - |
| market.availability | `{"source":"https://www.postgresql.org","confidence":0.95,"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.postgresql.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T12:11:14.172Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"TiDB Cloud Starter"},{"free":false,"name":"TiDB Cloud Dedicated","contactSales":true}],"freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.pingcap.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T16:48:29.248Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | no |
| release.cadence_days | 90 | - |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.99 |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 6.1 | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/faq/2013-04-04/ | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=helm&package_name=openstack-helm%2Fpostgresql&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Relational Databases)

| Capability | PostgreSQL | TiDB |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| SQL model | Full SQL | Full SQL |
| **Transactions** |  |  |
| ACID transactions | Full | Full |
| Highest isolation level | - | - |
| **Consistency** |  |  |
| Consistency | - | - |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Horizontal scale | Read replicas | Natively distributed |
| **Replication** |  |  |
| Replication | - | - |
| **Availability** |  |  |
| Automatic failover / HA | ✓ | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | - |
| Serverless / scale-to-zero | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Compatibility** |  |  |
| Wire compatibility | - | MySQL protocol |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensions / plugins / UDFs | ✓ | - |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Licence class | Permissive OSS | Permissive OSS |
| **Data types** |  |  |
| JSON / document support | ✓ | - |
| Geo / spatial | Extension | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T18:58:00.496Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*