head to head · open source
orm vs rxdb
orm has 47,640 GitHub stars, 2,538 forks, 2,627 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. rxdb has 23,386 stars, 1,175 forks, 17 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. orm leads on adoption by 104% (47,640 vs 23,386 stars). orm is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; rxdb is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. orm has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, rxdb 5%. rxdb was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (database, nodejs), 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
| orm | rxdb | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 48K | ★ 23K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 1.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick orm if
- You weight community size — 48K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick rxdb if
- You want the rxdb feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and rxdb fits your workflow better
About orm
Prisma ORM is a next generation TypeScript ORM for Node.js and TypeScript applications, supporting PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, SQLite, MongoDB, and CockroachDB, and it is aimed at developers and teams building data backed applications in that ecosystem.
About rxdb
RxDB is a local first, reactive NoSQL database for JavaScript applications, aimed at developers building offline capable or realtime user interfaces who want client side data storage and sync through their own backend rather than a hosted vendor.
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Frequently asked questions
Is orm or rxdb more popular?
orm has 47,640 GitHub stars and rxdb has 23,386. orm has the larger community by that measure.
Are orm and rxdb free?
Both are open source. orm is licensed under Apache-2.0 and rxdb under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between orm and rxdb?
orm is written in TypeScript and rxdb in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, orm or rxdb?
Choose orm if you want the larger community (47,640 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose rxdb if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.