AppBreakup

InfluxDB alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll database management systems

Top picks

Common reasons people leave InfluxDB: free Core edition lacks high availability and enterprise security, and repeated rewrites between versions 1, 2 and 3 have made upgrades disruptive. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces InfluxDB, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. ClickHouse currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1ClickHouse logoClickHouseOpen source30 days with $300 creditsNoWeb, Linux, macOS +15 of 566.2
2QuestDB logoQuestDBOpen source—YesSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS +15 of 557.5
3Prometheus logoPrometheusOpen source—YesSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS +14 of 456.8
4VictoriaMetrics logoVictoriaMetricsOpen sourceFrom $200/monthYesSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS +14 of 454.4
5Tiger Data logoTiger DataPaidCompute from $30/month (Performance)YesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 452.6
  1. ClickHouse logo

    1. ClickHouseTop pick

    Best for: Engineering teams building real-time dashboards, observability or analytics over billions of rows

    Open sourceWeb, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted

    66.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from InfluxDB

    Fast column-oriented analytics database that handles large time series and log workloads with SQL.

    Pros

    • Very fast aggregations over large tables, suited to live dashboards
    • Apache 2.0 open source, so it can be self-hosted at no licence cost
    • Strong compression keeps storage costs down
    • Managed cloud option on AWS, Google Cloud and Azure

    Cons

    • Schema and table-engine choices need care to get good performance
    • Updates, deletes and large joins are weaker than in general-purpose warehouses
    • Self-hosting a cluster takes real operational work
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.341
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is ClickHouse a good InfluxDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Oct 29, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026clickhouse.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    30 days with $300 credits
    Checked Nov 8, 2026clickhouse.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pricing model
    Compute and storage metered separately
    Checked Nov 8, 2026clickhouse.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud providers
    AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
    Checked Nov 8, 2026clickhouse.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. QuestDB logo

    2. QuestDB

    Best for: Teams storing high-volume timestamped data who want to query it in plain SQL

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    57.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from InfluxDB

    Open-source time-series database that accepts InfluxDB line protocol but is queried in standard SQL.

    Pros

    • Apache 2.0 licence for the full single-node engine
    • Standard SQL with time-series extensions instead of a custom query language
    • Postgres wire protocol lets Grafana and Postgres drivers connect directly
    • Takes InfluxDB-style line protocol, Kafka and Telegraf for ingestion

    Cons

    • Replication, high availability and access control need the paid Enterprise edition
    • The open-source edition only has basic auth without encryption in transit
    • Smaller ecosystem and fewer hosted options than InfluxDB or TimescaleDB
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is QuestDB a good InfluxDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    Apache 2.0
    Checked Nov 6, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026questdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Postgres wire protocol
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026questdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Open-source edition security
    Basic auth, no TLS
    Checked Nov 8, 2026questdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise trial
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026questdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Prometheus logo

    3. Prometheus

    Best for: Engineers running Kubernetes or microservices who want the de facto standard for metrics

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    56.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from InfluxDB

    Free, pull-based metrics store that is the default choice for monitoring Kubernetes and cloud-native services.

    Pros

    • Industry-standard metrics format supported almost everywhere
    • PromQL is expressive for alerts and analysis
    • Simple single-binary deployment

    Cons

    • No built-in long-term or clustered storage
    • Metrics only, so logs and traces need other tools
    • Basic UI, so you will want Grafana too
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.360
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Prometheus a good InfluxDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Origin
    Built at SoundCloud, started 2012
    Checked Nov 8, 2026prometheus.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Governance
    CNCF, joined 2016
    Checked Nov 8, 2026prometheus.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Query language
    PromQL
    Checked Nov 8, 2026prometheus.io(opens source in a new tab)
  4. VictoriaMetrics logo

    4. VictoriaMetrics

    Best for: Teams outgrowing Prometheus who want cheaper long-term metrics storage

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    54.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from InfluxDB

    Open source, Prometheus-compatible time series store known for low resource use at high scale.

    Pros

    • Uses far less memory and disk than many alternatives
    • Drop-in compatible with Prometheus and Grafana
    • Simple single-binary option, cluster when needed

    Cons

    • Some features are enterprise-only
    • MetricsQL extensions can reduce portability
    • Logs and traces products are newer
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.352
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is VictoriaMetrics a good InfluxDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud price
    From $200/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026victoriametrics.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud free trial
    30 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026victoriametrics.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Editions
    Open source and enterprise
    Checked Nov 8, 2026victoriametrics.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Tiger Data logo

    5. Tiger Data

    Best for: Teams storing and querying large time-series or event datasets in Postgres

    PaidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    52.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from InfluxDB

    Time series on PostgreSQL (formerly Timescale), so you keep full SQL, joins and the Postgres ecosystem.

    Pros

    • Fast time-series queries and strong compression on plain Postgres
    • Self-hostable TimescaleDB extension
    • Hourly billing with a 30-day trial

    Cons

    • No permanent free cloud tier
    • Some features use a source-available licence rather than open source
    • Extra value is limited for non-time-series apps
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.346
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Tiger Data a good InfluxDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free trial
    30 days, no credit card
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tigerdata.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    Compute from $30/month (Performance)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tigerdata.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    TimescaleDB
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tigerdata.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Scale plan
    Compute from $36/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tigerdata.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best InfluxDB alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

ClickHouse logo

Best InfluxDB alternative for most people

ClickHouse

Fast column-oriented analytics database that handles large time series and log workloads with SQL.

QuestDB logo

Best InfluxDB alternative for a free option

QuestDB

Open-source time-series database that accepts InfluxDB line protocol but is queried in standard SQL.

Prometheus logo

Best InfluxDB alternative for open source

Prometheus

Free, pull-based metrics store that is the default choice for monitoring Kubernetes and cloud-native services.

VictoriaMetrics logo

Best InfluxDB alternative for self-hosting

VictoriaMetrics

Open source, Prometheus-compatible time series store known for low resource use at high scale.

ClickHouse logo

Best InfluxDB alternative for Mac

ClickHouse

Fast column-oriented analytics database that handles large time series and log workloads with SQL.

QuestDB logo

Best InfluxDB alternative for Windows

QuestDB

Open-source time-series database that accepts InfluxDB line protocol but is queried in standard SQL.

ClickHouse logo

Best InfluxDB alternative for Linux

ClickHouse

Fast column-oriented analytics database that handles large time series and log workloads with SQL.

Tiger Data logo

Best InfluxDB alternative for working in the browser

Tiger Data

Time series on PostgreSQL (formerly Timescale), so you keep full SQL, joins and the Postgres ecosystem.

InfluxDB alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to InfluxDB?

ClickHouse ranks first right now. Fast column-oriented analytics database that handles large time series and log workloads with SQL. QuestDB and Prometheus follow it in our ranking.

InfluxDB vs ClickHouse: what's the difference?

Both InfluxDB and ClickHouse are free and open source. InfluxDB is open source and ClickHouse is not. Both run on Linux, macOS and Web.

Is InfluxDB free?

InfluxDB is free and open source. Enterprise trial: 30 days; Cloud Serverless credit: $250 free credit. Checked on InfluxDB's own site, November 2026.

How much do InfluxDB alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked InfluxDB alternatives: ClickHouse, 30 days with $300 credits; VictoriaMetrics, From $200/month; Tiger Data, Compute from $30/month (Performance). Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to InfluxDB?

Yes. ClickHouse (open source), QuestDB (open source), Prometheus (open source) and VictoriaMetrics (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to InfluxDB?

Yes: QuestDB, Prometheus, VictoriaMetrics and Tiger Data. QuestDB, Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics can also be self-hosted.

Which InfluxDB alternatives work on Linux?

ClickHouse, QuestDB, Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics run on Linux.

Why do people switch from InfluxDB?

The complaints we hear most: free Core edition lacks high availability and enterprise security; repeated rewrites between versions 1, 2 and 3 have made upgrades disruptive; enterprise and dedicated cloud pricing is quote-only.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces InfluxDB, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.