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QuestDB alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

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

Top picks

  • InfluxDB logo

    Best overall

    InfluxDB

    Open source

  • ClickHouse logo

    Best free option

    ClickHouse

    Free trial: 30 days with $300 credits

  • Tiger Data logo

    Best open source

    Tiger Data

    Starting price: Compute from $30/month (Performance)

Common reasons people leave QuestDB: replication, high availability and access control need the paid Enterprise edition, and the open-source edition only has basic auth without encryption in transit. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces QuestDB, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. InfluxDB currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1InfluxDB logoInfluxDBOpen source—YesLinux, macOS, Self-hosted +15 of 568.8
2ClickHouse logoClickHouseOpen source30 days with $300 creditsNoWeb, Linux, macOS +15 of 567.6
3Tiger Data logoTiger DataPaidCompute from $30/month (Performance)YesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 454.4
4Prometheus logoPrometheusOpen source—YesSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS +14 of 451.2
5VictoriaMetrics logoVictoriaMetricsOpen sourceFrom $200/monthYesSelf-hosted, Linux, macOS +14 of 450.0
  1. InfluxDB logo

    1. InfluxDBTop pick

    Best for: Teams storing high-volume metrics, IoT or telemetry data that they query by time

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

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from QuestDB

    The best-known time-series database, with a managed cloud and a large Telegraf plugin ecosystem.

    Pros

    • Purpose-built for high write rates of time-stamped data
    • SQL support in version 3 lowers the learning curve
    • Telegraf agent makes collecting data from common systems easy
    • Self-hosted, managed cloud and AWS-native options

    Cons

    • 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
    Visit InfluxDB Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    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 InfluxDB a good QuestDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 2, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source edition
    InfluxDB 3 Core, free
    Checked Nov 8, 2026influxdata.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise trial
    30 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026influxdata.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud Serverless credit
    $250 free credit
    Checked Nov 8, 2026influxdata.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Core runs on
    Linux, Mac, Docker
    Checked Nov 8, 2026influxdata.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. ClickHouse logo

    2. ClickHouse

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

    Open sourceWeb, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted

    67.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from QuestDB

    Open-source columnar database that handles time-series plus general analytics at very large scale.

    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
    Visit ClickHouse Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.346
    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 QuestDB 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)
  3. Tiger Data logo

    3. Tiger Data

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

    PaidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    54.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from QuestDB

    TimescaleDB runs inside full PostgreSQL, so time-series tables sit next to your relational data.

    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
    Visit Tiger Data Details and reviews
    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 Tiger Data a good QuestDB 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)
  4. Prometheus logo

    4. Prometheus

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

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

    51.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from QuestDB

    Better fit when the data is infrastructure metrics scraped from services and paired with alerting.

    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
    Visit Prometheus Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.341
    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 QuestDB 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)
  5. VictoriaMetrics logo

    5. VictoriaMetrics

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

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

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from QuestDB

    Lightweight, Prometheus-compatible metrics store with free clustering in its open-source version.

    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
    Visit VictoriaMetrics Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.338
    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 QuestDB 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)

The best QuestDB alternative for…

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

InfluxDB logo

Best QuestDB alternative for most people

InfluxDB

The best-known time-series database, with a managed cloud and a large Telegraf plugin ecosystem.

ClickHouse logo

Best QuestDB alternative for a free option

ClickHouse

Open-source columnar database that handles time-series plus general analytics at very large scale.

Tiger Data logo

Best QuestDB alternative for open source

Tiger Data

TimescaleDB runs inside full PostgreSQL, so time-series tables sit next to your relational data.

Prometheus logo

Best QuestDB alternative for self-hosting

Prometheus

Better fit when the data is infrastructure metrics scraped from services and paired with alerting.

VictoriaMetrics logo

Best QuestDB alternative for Mac

VictoriaMetrics

Lightweight, Prometheus-compatible metrics store with free clustering in its open-source version.

Prometheus logo

Best QuestDB alternative for Windows

Prometheus

Better fit when the data is infrastructure metrics scraped from services and paired with alerting.

InfluxDB logo

Best QuestDB alternative for Linux

InfluxDB

The best-known time-series database, with a managed cloud and a large Telegraf plugin ecosystem.

InfluxDB logo

Best QuestDB alternative for working in the browser

InfluxDB

The best-known time-series database, with a managed cloud and a large Telegraf plugin ecosystem.

QuestDB alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to QuestDB?

InfluxDB ranks first right now. The best-known time-series database, with a managed cloud and a large Telegraf plugin ecosystem. ClickHouse and Tiger Data follow it in our ranking.

QuestDB vs InfluxDB: what's the difference?

Both QuestDB and InfluxDB are free and open source. Only QuestDB runs on Windows. Only InfluxDB runs on Web.

Is QuestDB free?

QuestDB is free and open source. Enterprise trial: Yes. Checked on QuestDB's own site, November 2026.

How much do QuestDB alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked QuestDB alternatives: ClickHouse, 30 days with $300 credits; Tiger Data, Compute from $30/month (Performance); VictoriaMetrics, From $200/month. 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 QuestDB?

Yes. InfluxDB (open source), ClickHouse (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 QuestDB?

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

Which QuestDB alternatives work on Linux?

InfluxDB, ClickHouse, Prometheus and VictoriaMetrics run on Linux.

Why do people switch from QuestDB?

The complaints we hear most: 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 is this list ranked?

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