DuckDB vs SQLite
| Feature | DuckDB | SQLite |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Databases | Databases |
| Sub-category | Analytics DB | Relational |
| Maturity | stable | mature |
| Complexity | beginner | beginner |
| Performance tier | medium | medium |
| License | MIT | Public Domain |
| License type | permissive | permissive |
| Pricing | fully free | fully free |
| GitHub stars | 28.0K | 0 |
| Contributors | 300 | 50 |
| Commit frequency | weekly | weekly |
| Plugin ecosystem | none | none |
| Docs quality | good | good |
| Backing org | DuckDB Foundation | D. Richard Hipp |
| Funding model | foundation | community |
| Min RAM | 256 MB | 32 MB |
| Min CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Scaling pattern | single_node | single_node |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| K8s native | No | No |
| Offline capable | Yes | Yes |
| Vendor lock-in | none | none |
| Languages | C++ | C |
| API type | REST | REST |
| Protocols | HTTP | HTTP |
| Deployment | docker, apt, binary | docker, apt, binary |
| SDK languages | — | — |
| Team size fit | solo, small, medium, enterprise | solo, small, medium, enterprise |
| First release | 2020 | 2020 |
| Latest version | — | — |
When to use DuckDB
- ✓ Primary use: local-analytics
- ✓ Primary use: data-science
- ✓ Primary use: etl
When to use SQLite
- ✓ Primary use: mobile-database
- ✓ Primary use: embedded-storage
- ✓ Primary use: testing