SurrealDB
Multi-model database for documents, graphs and vectors, with a managed cloud and realtime queries.
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- Alternatives ranked
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About SurrealDB
SurrealDB is a multi-model database that combines document, graph, relational-style and vector data in one engine, queried with SurrealQL, a SQL-like language. It includes features normally found in a backend, such as record-level permissions, user authentication and live queries that push changes to clients, so small apps can connect to it directly from the frontend. It can run embedded, in the browser, on a single node or as a distributed cluster, and positions itself strongly around knowledge graphs and memory for AI agents. Surreal Cloud is the managed service: the first instance is free with a small amount of storage, further instances are billed hourly with compute and storage priced separately, and enterprise plans add dedicated support. The database source is available on GitHub under the Business Source Licence, which converts to open source after a delay. It is younger than mainstream databases, so tooling, ORMs and operational experience are thinner.
Best for: Developers who want documents, graph relations and vectors in a single database.
Pros and cons
What works
- Documents, graphs and vectors in one query language
- Built-in permissions and live queries
- Free first cloud instance
Why people leave
- Younger ecosystem with fewer ORMs and tools
- SurrealQL is another language to learn
- Business Source Licence rather than a standard open-source licence
Top SurrealDB alternatives
See all 4- 1
MongoDB Atlas66.5Mature managed document database with vector search.
- 2
Supabase62.6Postgres with pgvector, auth and realtime in a widely used platform.
- 3
Firebase59.6Managed realtime document database with client SDKs.
- 4
PocketBase57.2Simple self-hosted backend with realtime and auth on SQLite.
Why people left SurrealDB
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SurrealDB: common questions
Is SurrealDB free?
SurrealDB has a free plan and paid plans.
Is SurrealDB open source?
No, SurrealDB is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Supabase and PocketBase.
What platforms does SurrealDB run on?
SurrealDB is available for Web, Self-hosted, Linux, macOS and Windows.
What are the best alternatives to SurrealDB?
The highest-ranked SurrealDB alternatives right now are MongoDB Atlas, Supabase and Firebase. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.