# Neon vs SQLite

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Neon

| Attribute | Neon | SQLite |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 79 (71% (medium)) | 60.8 (54% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 10,346 |
| adoption.stackoverflow_questions | - | 40,000 |
| content.faq | - | `[{"answer":"SQLite is a C-language library that provides a lightweight, self-contained SQL database engine with no external dependencies or separate server process. It is embedded directly into applications and is the most widely deployed database engine in the world, found in virtually all mobile phones and most computers.","source":"https://www.sqlite.org","question":"What is SQLite?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Yes. SQLite's source code is placed in the public domain by its authors and contributors. Anyone is free to copy, modify, use, compile, and distribute SQLite for any purpose—commercial or non-commercial—without requiring permission or payment.","source":"https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html","question":"Is SQLite open source and free?","confidence":0.98},{"answer":"SQLite is designed as a replacement for file input/output operations like fopen() and fread(), not as a replacement for enterprise database servers like Oracle or PostgreSQL. It is optimized for storing structured data within applications with minimal overhead and configuration.","source":"https://www.sqlite.org/about.html","question":"What is SQLite designed to replace?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"SQLite excels for embedded applications, mobile devices, local desktop applications, and low-to-medium traffic websites (under roughly 100,000 hits per day). Use a client-server database like PostgreSQL or MySQL if your application requires multiple concurrent writers, network database access, or extreme scalability.","source":"https://www.sqlite.org/whentouse.html","question":"When should I use SQLite versus a client-server database?","confidence":0.93},{"answer":"SQLite allows only one writer at a time, though multiple readers can work concurrently. Databases can theoretically reach 281 terabytes in size and support rows up to 1 gigabyte, though most deployments are considerably smaller and single-file-based.","source":"https://www.sqlite.org/about.html","question":"What are SQLite's concurrency and size limitations?","confidence":0.92},{"answer":"SQLite is highly reliable with ACID transaction support and aviation-grade testing including 100 percent branch coverage. It recovers cleanly from power failures and system crashes, making it suitable for critical embedded applications, though its single-writer model makes it unsuitable for high-concurrency server environments.","source":"https://www.sqlite.org/about.html","question":"How reliable is SQLite for production use?","confidence":0.94},{"answer":"SQLite provides a C API for direct integration and is widely supported by bindings in nearly every major programming language, including Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, Ruby, PHP, and others. Its public domain status allows libraries to be created for any language or platform.","source":"https://www.sqlite.org","question":"What programming languages can use SQLite?","confidence":0.9}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Neon is a managed Postgres database service that automatically scales compute and storage based on workload demands. It features instant database branching for testing and development, point-in-time restore capability, and maintains SOC2 and HIPAA compliance. | An in-process SQL database engine that stores complete databases in single disk files, requiring no server process or configuration. It is designed for embedded use in applications, mobile devices, and IoT systems, with full ACID transaction support and cross-platform compatibility. |
| features.capabilities | `{"isolation":"serializable","sql_model":"full_sql","deployment":"managed","serverless":true,"consistency":"strong","replication":"async","license_class":"proprietary","horizontal_scale":"read_replica","acid_transactions":"full","automatic_failover":true,"wire_compatibility":"postgres"}` | `{"sql_model":"full_sql","deployment":"embedded","serverless":true,"consistency":"strong","geo_spatial":"extension","replication":"async","extensibility":true,"json_document":true,"license_class":"permissive","horizontal_scale":"single_node","acid_transactions":"full","automatic_failover":false,"wire_compatibility":"none"}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Datadog"}]` | - |
| language.primary | - | C |
| license.spdx | - | blessing |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"ios":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"android":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free - Build and learn","features":["100 projects","100 CU-hours monthly per project","0.5 GB storage per project","Compute up to 2 CU (8 GB RAM)","Unlimited team members","Managed backend","Better Auth","Object Storage (Beta)","Functions (Beta)"],"description":"Build and learn free with no time limits and no credit card required","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"0.5 GB per project","projects":"100","max_compute_cu":"2","cu_hours_monthly":"100 per project"}},{"free":false,"name":"Launch","summary":"Usage-based, typical $15/mo (intermittent load, 1 GB)","features":["Compute autoscaling up to 16 CU","Scale to zero when inactive","Database storage with 7-day instant restore history","100 snapshots","Monitoring with 3-day retention","Private networking options","Object Storage (Beta)","Functions (Beta)","AI Gateway (Beta)"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"CU-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.106,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.35,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"branch-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.002,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.2,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Pay-per-usage plan for variable workloads","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"projects":"100","max_compute_cu":"16","branches_per_project":"10"}},{"free":false,"name":"Scale","summary":"Usage-based, typical $701/mo (high load, 100 GB)","features":["Compute autoscaling up to 56 CU","Configurable scale-to-zero","Database storage with up to 30-day instant restore history","100 snapshots","SLAs included","HIPAA compliance","Private networking with Private Link","Monitoring with 14-day retention and export (Datadog, OTel)","Spending limits","Multiple egress options","Object Storage (Beta)","Functions (Beta)","AI Gateway (Beta)"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"CU-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.222,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.35,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"branch-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.002,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.2,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.01,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Pay-per-usage plan for production workloads with SLAs and compliance features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"projects":"1000+","max_compute_cu":"56","branches_per_project":"25"}}],"summary":"Free tier with 100 CU-hours/mo. Usage-based: Launch plan $0.106/CU-hr + $0.35/GB-mo, Scale plan $0.222/CU-hr + $0.35/GB-mo. Typical $15–$701/mo.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://neon.tech","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T12:40:59.605Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0.002,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source, public domain","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.sqlite.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T12:15:03.546Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 60 |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.95 | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 4.5 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=com.fpliu.ndk.pkg.prefab.android.21%3Asqlite&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Relational Databases)

| Capability | Neon | SQLite |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| SQL model | Full SQL | Full SQL |
| **Transactions** |  |  |
| ACID transactions | Full | Full |
| Highest isolation level | Serializable | - |
| **Consistency** |  |  |
| Consistency | Strong | Strong |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Horizontal scale | Read replicas | Single-node |
| **Replication** |  |  |
| Replication | Async | Async |
| **Availability** |  |  |
| Automatic failover / HA | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Managed | Embedded |
| Serverless / scale-to-zero | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Compatibility** |  |  |
| Wire compatibility | Postgres protocol | None |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensions / plugins / UDFs | - | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Licence class | Proprietary | Permissive OSS |
| **Data types** |  |  |
| JSON / document support | - | ✓ |
| Geo / spatial | - | Extension |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:08:36.048Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*