head to head · open source
ClickHouse vs parse-server
ClickHouse has 50,719 GitHub stars, 9,204 forks, 7,547 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. parse-server has 21,397 stars, 4,813 forks, 561 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. ClickHouse leads on adoption by 137% (50,719 vs 21,397 stars). ClickHouse is written in C++ under Apache-2.0; parse-server is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. ClickHouse has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, parse-server 22%. ClickHouse was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (hacktoberfest), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| ClickHouse | parse-server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 51K | ★ 21K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.2K | ⑂ 4.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ClickHouse if
- You weight community size — 51K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick parse-server if
- You want the parse-server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and parse-server fits your workflow better
About ClickHouse
ClickHouse® is an open source column oriented database management system that allows generating analytical data reports in real time. How To Install (Linux, macOS, FreeBSD) Useful Links Official website has a quick high level overview of ClickHouse on the main page. ClickHouse Cloud ClickHouse as a service, built by the creators and maintainers. Tutorial shows how to set up and query a small ClickHouse cluster. Documentation provides more in depth information. YouTube channel has a lot of content about ClickHouse in video format. ClickHouse Theater contains presentations and videos about ClickHouse. Slack and…
read the full ClickHouse overview →
About parse-server
[ ][open collective link] [ ][open collective link] Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Parse Server works with the Express web application framework. It can be added to existing web applications, or run by itself. The full documentation for Parse Server is available in the wiki. The Parse Server guide is a good place to get started. An API reference and Cloud Code guide are also available. If you're interested in developing for Parse Server, the Development guide will help you get set up. A big thank you 🙏 to our sponsors and backers who…
read the full parse-server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ClickHouse or parse-server more popular?
ClickHouse has 50,719 GitHub stars and parse-server has 21,397. ClickHouse has the larger community by that measure.
Are ClickHouse and parse-server free?
Both are open source. ClickHouse is licensed under Apache-2.0 and parse-server under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ClickHouse and parse-server?
ClickHouse is written in C++ and parse-server in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, ClickHouse or parse-server?
Choose ClickHouse if you want the larger community (50,719 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose parse-server if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.