head to head · open source
TiDB vs VictoriaMetrics
TiDB has 40,701 GitHub stars, 6,284 forks, 6,976 open issues and last shipped yesterday. VictoriaMetrics has 18,000 stars, 1,795 forks, 800 open issues and last shipped yesterday. TiDB leads on adoption by 126% (40,701 vs 18,000 stars). TiDB is written in Go under Apache-2.0; VictoriaMetrics is written in Go under Apache-2.0. TiDB has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, VictoriaMetrics 10%. TiDB was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (database), 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
| TiDB | VictoriaMetrics | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 18K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.3K | ⑂ 1.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick TiDB if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick VictoriaMetrics if
- You want the VictoriaMetrics feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and VictoriaMetrics fits your workflow better
About TiDB
TiDB TiDB (/’taɪdiːbi:/, "Ti" stands for Titanium) is an open source, cloud native, distributed SQL database designed for high availability, horizontal and vertical scalability, strong consistency, and high performance. Key Features Quick Start Need Help? Architecture Contributing License See Also Acknowledgments Key Features Distributed Transactions : TiDB uses a two phase commit protocol to ensure ACID compliance, providing strong consistency. Transactions span multiple nodes, and TiDB's distributed nature ensures data correctness even in the presence of network partitions or node failures. Horizontal and…
About VictoriaMetrics
VictoriaMetrics VictoriaMetrics is a fast, cost effective, and scalable solution for monitoring and managing time series data. It delivers high performance and reliability, making it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes. Here are some resources and information about VictoriaMetrics: Case studies : Grammarly, Roblox, Wix, Spotify,.... Available : Binary releases, Docker images on Docker Hub and Quay, Source code. Deployment types : Single node version and Cluster version under Apache License 2.0. Getting started: Read key concepts and follow the quick start guide. Community : Slack (join via Slack…
read the full VictoriaMetrics overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is TiDB or VictoriaMetrics more popular?
TiDB has 40,701 GitHub stars and VictoriaMetrics has 18,000. TiDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are TiDB and VictoriaMetrics free?
Both are open source. TiDB is licensed under Apache-2.0 and VictoriaMetrics under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between TiDB and VictoriaMetrics?
TiDB is written in Go and VictoriaMetrics in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, TiDB or VictoriaMetrics?
Choose TiDB if you want the larger community (40,701 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose VictoriaMetrics if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.