head to head · open source
rxdb vs Activeloop
rxdb has 23,386 GitHub stars, 1,175 forks, 17 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Activeloop has 9,241 stars, 722 forks, 66 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. rxdb leads on adoption by 153% (23,386 vs 9,241 stars). rxdb is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Activeloop is written in C++ under Apache-2.0. rxdb has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, Activeloop 8%. rxdb was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| rxdb | Activeloop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 23K | ★ 9.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-05-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.2K | ⑂ 722 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick rxdb if
- You weight community size — 23K 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 Activeloop if
- You want the Activeloop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Activeloop fits your workflow better
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.
About Activeloop
Activeloop Deep Lake is an open source database for AI data, written in C++ under Apache 2.0. It presents itself as a tensor database and AI data runtime for agents, combining serverless Postgres with a multimodal datalake for scalable retrieval and training. The project lives in the machine learning infrastructure ecosystem.
read the full Activeloop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rxdb or Activeloop more popular?
rxdb has 23,386 GitHub stars and Activeloop has 9,241. rxdb has the larger community by that measure.
Are rxdb and Activeloop free?
Both are open source. rxdb is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Activeloop under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rxdb and Activeloop?
rxdb is written in TypeScript and Activeloop in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, rxdb or Activeloop?
Choose rxdb if you want the larger community (23,386 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Activeloop if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.