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Neo4j alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

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

Top picks

  • SurrealDB logo

    Best overall

    SurrealDB

    Starting price: From $0.021 per hour per extra instance

  • PostgreSQL logo

    Best free option

    PostgreSQL

    Open source

  • PostgreSQL logo

    Best open source

    PostgreSQL

    Open source

Common reasons people leave Neo4j: clustering and advanced security need the paid Enterprise Edition, and desktop's bundled Enterprise licence is for local single-user use only. We ranked 4 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Neo4j, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. SurrealDB currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1SurrealDB logoSurrealDBFree plan + paidFrom $0.021 per hour per extra instanceNoWeb, Self-hosted, Linux +26 of 666.2
2PostgreSQL logoPostgreSQLOpen source—YesLinux, macOS, Windows +15 of 557.5
3Amazon Neptune logoAmazon NeptunePaid—NoWeb7 of 755.9
4Azure Cosmos DB logoAzure Cosmos DBFree plan + paid—NoWeb8 of 852.6
  1. SurrealDB logo

    1. SurrealDBTop pick

    Best for: Developers who want documents, graph relations and vectors in a single database

    Free plan + paidSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted, Linux, macOS, Windows

    66.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Neo4j

    Multi-model database with graph relations built in, so documents and edges live together in one engine.

    Pros

    • Documents, graphs and vectors in one query language
    • Built-in permissions and live queries
    • Free first cloud instance

    Cons

    • Younger ecosystem with fewer ORMs and tools
    • SurrealQL is another language to learn
    • Business Source Licence rather than a standard open-source licence
    Visit SurrealDB Details and reviews
    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 SurrealDB a good Neo4j alternative?

    Verified facts

    6 of 6 verified
    Free instance
    First instance $0/hour, 1GB storage
    Checked Oct 29, 2026surrealdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Paid instances
    From $0.021/hour
    Checked Oct 29, 2026surrealdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Capabilities
    Graph and vector
    Checked Nov 8, 2026surrealdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    From $0.021 per hour per extra instance
    Checked Nov 1, 2026surrealdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Yes, first instance with 1 GB storage
    Checked Nov 1, 2026surrealdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Scale plan
    $0.192 per node/hour, 3 nodes minimum
    Checked Nov 1, 2026surrealdb.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. PostgreSQL logo

    2. PostgreSQL

    Best for: Developers and teams who want a free, standards-minded relational database that scales with their app.

    Open sourceSelf-hostableLinux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted

    57.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Neo4j

    With the Apache AGE extension you get openCypher graph queries inside the Postgres you may already run.

    Pros

    • Strong SQL standards support and full ACID transactions
    • Rich types: JSONB, arrays, ranges, plus PostGIS for maps
    • Highly extensible with custom types and functions
    • Permissive licence and community governance, not one vendor

    Cons

    • Running replication, failover and major upgrades yourself takes expertise
    • Connection handling often needs a pooler under heavy load
    • No official GUI; you pick a separate client
    Visit PostgreSQL Details and reviews
    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 PostgreSQL a good Neo4j alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    PostgreSQL License (BSD/MIT-like)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026postgresql.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Origins
    1986, UC Berkeley POSTGRES project
    Checked Nov 8, 2026postgresql.org(opens source in a new tab)
    ACID-compliant
    Since 2001
    Checked Nov 8, 2026postgresql.org(opens source in a new tab)
    JSON support
    JSON/JSONB
    Checked Nov 8, 2026postgresql.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Solaris
    Checked Nov 8, 2026postgresql.org(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Amazon Neptune logo

    3. Amazon Neptune

    Best for: AWS teams that want a managed graph database for knowledge graphs, fraud detection or recommendations.

    PaidWeb

    55.9

    score / 100

    Why switch from Neo4j

    Managed graph database on AWS that accepts openCypher over Bolt, so many Neo4j apps can move with few query changes.

    Pros

    • Supports Gremlin, openCypher and SPARQL in one service
    • Fully managed, with read replicas and automatic failover
    • Serverless option that scales with load
    • openCypher over Bolt eases moving from Neo4j

    Cons

    • Only available on AWS, with no self-hosted version
    • Usage-based pricing is hard to predict without the AWS calculator
    • Lacks Neo4j's desktop tools and broad plugin ecosystem
    Visit Amazon Neptune Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    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 Amazon Neptune a good Neo4j alternative?

    Verified facts

    7 of 7 verified
    Query languages
    Gremlin, openCypher, SPARQL
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Neo4j migration
    openCypher and Bolt support
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    750 hours via AWS Free Tier
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Serverless
    Yes, billed per second
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    db.r5.large instance
    $0.348 per hour on demand (US East)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Storage
    $0.10 per GB-month (Standard)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    I/O requests
    $0.20 per million requests (Standard)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Azure Cosmos DB logo

    4. Azure Cosmos DB

    Best for: Azure-based teams that need a globally replicated NoSQL or vector database

    Free plan + paidWeb

    52.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Neo4j

    Managed Azure service with a Gremlin graph API if you'd rather not run servers.

    Pros

    • Global replication with tunable consistency
    • MongoDB and Cassandra-compatible APIs ease migrations
    • Serverless mode for spiky workloads

    Cons

    • Request-unit pricing is hard to predict
    • Costs grow quickly with multi-region writes
    • Only available on Azure
    Visit Azure Cosmos DB Details and reviews
    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 Azure Cosmos DB a good Neo4j alternative?

    Verified facts

    8 of 8 verified
    Database type
    Serverless NoSQL and vector database
    Checked Nov 8, 2026azure.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Vector search
    Built in
    Checked Nov 8, 2026azure.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier
    First 1000 RU/s and 25 GB
    Checked Nov 8, 2026learn.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    APIs
    NoSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, Gremlin, Table
    Checked Nov 8, 2026learn.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Yes, 1,000 RU/s and 25 GB storage a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026azure.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    30 days, no Azure subscription needed
    Checked Nov 8, 2026azure.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    New Azure account credit
    $200 credit for 30 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026azure.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data transfer out
    $0.05 per GB from Europe or North America
    Checked Nov 8, 2026azure.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Neo4j alternative for…

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

SurrealDB logo

Best Neo4j alternative for most people

SurrealDB

Multi-model database with graph relations built in, so documents and edges live together in one engine.

PostgreSQL logo

Best Neo4j alternative for a free option

PostgreSQL

With the Apache AGE extension you get openCypher graph queries inside the Postgres you may already run.

Azure Cosmos DB logo

Best Neo4j alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Azure Cosmos DB

Managed Azure service with a Gremlin graph API if you'd rather not run servers.

PostgreSQL logo

Best Neo4j alternative for open source

PostgreSQL

With the Apache AGE extension you get openCypher graph queries inside the Postgres you may already run.

SurrealDB logo

Best Neo4j alternative for self-hosting

SurrealDB

Multi-model database with graph relations built in, so documents and edges live together in one engine.

SurrealDB logo

Best Neo4j alternative for Mac

SurrealDB

Multi-model database with graph relations built in, so documents and edges live together in one engine.

SurrealDB logo

Best Neo4j alternative for Windows

SurrealDB

Multi-model database with graph relations built in, so documents and edges live together in one engine.

SurrealDB logo

Best Neo4j alternative for Linux

SurrealDB

Multi-model database with graph relations built in, so documents and edges live together in one engine.

Amazon Neptune logo

Best Neo4j alternative for working in the browser

Amazon Neptune

Managed graph database on AWS that accepts openCypher over Bolt, so many Neo4j apps can move with few query changes.

Neo4j alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Neo4j?

SurrealDB ranks first right now. Multi-model database with graph relations built in, so documents and edges live together in one engine. PostgreSQL and Amazon Neptune follow it in our ranking.

Neo4j vs SurrealDB: what's the difference?

Neo4j is free and open source; SurrealDB is free with paid plans. Neo4j is open source and SurrealDB is not. Both run on Windows, macOS, Linux and Web.

Is Neo4j free?

Neo4j is free and open source. Neo4j Desktop price: Free; Cloud free tier: AuraDB Free, $0. Checked on Neo4j's own site, November 2026.

Is there a free alternative to Neo4j?

Yes. SurrealDB (free plan + paid), PostgreSQL (open source) and Azure Cosmos DB (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Neo4j?

Yes: PostgreSQL. PostgreSQL can also be self-hosted.

Which Neo4j alternatives work on Linux?

SurrealDB and PostgreSQL run on Linux.

Why do people switch from Neo4j?

The complaints we hear most: clustering and advanced security need the paid Enterprise Edition; desktop's bundled Enterprise licence is for local single-user use only; memory-hungry on large graphs.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Neo4j, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.