Database Comparisons
How TiDB Compares
Explore head-to-head comparisons against MySQL, Aurora, CockroachDB, YugabyteDB, and PostgreSQL. Plus shortlist guides for OLTP, HTAP, SaaS, and AI workloads. Written by engineers, reviewed in production.
Detailed Workload-Driven Comparisons
Each comparison covers architecture, scalability, ACID behavior, HA, TCO, and a clear verdict for your use case.
TiDB vs MySQL
Scale-out writes, HTAP, and distributed transactions vs. MySQL's single-primary simplicity. The definitive guide for teams hitting write limits or approaching sharding.
TiDB vs Amazon Aurora
Cloud-native distributed SQL vs. AWS's managed MySQL and Postgres. Covers TCO at scale, multi-region writes, HTAP, and what changes when Aurora's per-IO pricing meets your growth curve.
TiDB vs CockroachDB
Both are distributed SQL, but the architectural choices diverge fast. MySQL vs. PostgreSQL wire protocol, HTAP vs. OLTP-only, and how each handles Kubernetes operations and licensing.
TiDB vs YugabyteDB
Two open-source distributed SQL databases that look similar on paper. Differences emerge in HTAP support, MySQL vs. PostgreSQL compatibility, licensing, and operational footprint.
TiDB vs PostgreSQL
When Postgres hits its scaling limits (single-primary writes, vacuum overhead, sharding pain), distributed SQL becomes the conversation. Covers horizontal scaling, HTAP, and a realistic migration path.
TiDB vs Vitess
Vitess adds sharding on top of MySQL. TiDB replaces the stack entirely. If you're hitting MySQL's write limits and weighing your options, this covers what that difference means in practice: consistency, ops overhead, and which one fits your team.
TiDB vs OceanBase
Two distributed SQL databases, different design centers. OceanBase for peak OLTP and Oracle replacement. TiDB when you need transactions and real-time analytics on the same data.
Not Sure Which Database to Shortlist?
Coverage by workload, not by vendor. Each guide compares the leading options against the criteria that actually matter for that use case.
Best Distributed SQL Databases (2026)
A workload-first comparison of leading distributed SQL databases. Covers architecture, consistency guarantees, ecosystem fit, and when each is the right call.
Best Database for AI Agents (2026)
What agents actually need from a database: durable memory, vector search, ACID state, and the throughput to run hundreds in parallel. Compares TiDB, Pinecone, Redis, pgvector, Milvus, and MongoDB.
Best Vector Database for RAG (2026)
Retrieval quality, metadata filtering, hybrid search, and production readiness. Updated quarterly to reflect real vendor capability changes.
Best Databases for SaaS at Scale
Multi-tenant isolation, horizontal scaling, schema flexibility, and cost predictability for SaaS applications hitting growth inflection points.
Best Database for AI Applications
A practical comparison of 10 databases for RAG pipelines, vector search, and real-time AI workloads. Covers SQL support, ACID compliance, scalability, and when to use a unified platform vs. purpose-built tools.
Best MySQL-Compatible Databases
MySQL compatibility doesn't mean MySQL behavior. Covers forks, managed services, sharding tools, and distributed SQL and what each one costs you at scale.
Best Databases for Real-Time Analytics
Query latency, data freshness, and concurrency under load. Covers pure OLAP engines, streaming-first systems, and HTAP databases — and when each architecture is the right call.
Best HTAP Database
What it actually means to run transactions and analytics on the same live data. Covers architecture trade-offs, freshness guarantees, and how HTAP compares to a dedicated pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
TiDB is an open-source distributed SQL database that uses the MySQL wire protocol, so many MySQL applications connect with no application code changes. The key difference is the scaling model: MySQL scales vertically on a single primary (with read replicas), while TiDB distributes both storage and compute across nodes. That means scale-out writes, ACID transactions, and real-time analytics (HTAP) in one system, without sharding.
See the full TiDB vs. MySQL comparison.
Choose TiDB when single-node scaling has become the bottleneck: write throughput limits, sharding complexity, or analytics that strain the OLTP database. TiDB is built for workloads that need horizontal scale, strong consistency, and HTAP in one system. For smaller workloads that fit comfortably on a single primary, MySQL or PostgreSQL remains the simpler choice.
See TiDB vs. MySQL or TiDB vs. PostgreSQL for workload-specific guidance.
TiDB is compatible with the MySQL 8.0 protocol and most MySQL syntax, including stored procedures, views, and common SQL features. Most applications, ORMs, and drivers work without modification. There are documented differences (some around DDL, character sets, and edge-case behaviors), and the docs maintain a complete compatibility matrix.
See the MySQL compatibility reference in the TiDB docs.
HTAP stands for Hybrid Transactional/Analytical Processing: running OLTP and OLAP workloads against the same data, in the same system, without ETL. TiDB does this by separating row-oriented storage (TiKV) for transactions from columnar storage (TiFlash) for analytics, with replication between them. Production users run real-time dashboards and analytics directly on transactional data.
See How TiDB Does HTAP for the architecture details.
Both are distributed SQL databases with ACID transactions, but the choices diverge. TiDB uses the MySQL wire protocol, separates row and columnar storage for HTAP, and is open source under Apache 2.0. CockroachDB uses the PostgreSQL wire protocol, focuses on OLTP, and changed its license in 2024. Operational footprint, ecosystem fit, and HTAP needs usually decide the call.
See the full TiDB vs. CockroachDB comparison.
Yes. TiDB includes native vector search alongside SQL, JSON, and full-text search, so a single database can serve transactional state, agent memory, and retrieval for RAG pipelines. That eliminates the operational overhead of running a separate vector database for production AI applications.
See Best Database for AI Agents or the TiDB vector search documentation.
Yes. TiDB is open source under the Apache 2.0 license and free to download, run, and modify. PingCAP also offers TiDB Cloud, a fully managed service with a free tier for evaluation and pay-as-you-go and dedicated tiers for production.
See TiDB Cloud pricing or download TiDB Self-Managed.
Built for Engineers Evaluating Distributed SQL
Vendor comparisons are usually rigged. Ours cover the tradeoffs honestly, flag where competitors win, and get updated when reality changes.
Tradeoffs, Not Feature Checklists
Reviewed by Engineers
Updated When Reality Changes
Try TiDB Against Your Workload
No credit card required. Connects with your existing MySQL driver in minutes.