GQL graph databases compared
Graph databases that implement the ISO GQL standard query language.
18 active gql graph databases are in the catalogue. They are written mostly in Java and Rust, 10 are open source, and 3 carry survey feature scores.
| Attribute | Neo4j | SurrealDB | Google Cloud Spanner Graph | TuGraph | Google Cloud BigQuery Graph | Ultipa Graph v5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||||||
| Rank | #1 | #14 | #37 | #40 | #43 | #81 |
| Score | 83.3 | 61.4 | 53.0 | 51.1 | 50.9 | 42.2 |
| GitHub stars | 17.2k | 33k | — | 1.8k | — | — |
| Popularity | 97.3 | 62.7 | 65.2 | 69.3 | 73.7 | 17.3 |
| Activity | 86.7 | 71.8 | 49.4 | 30.9 | 49.8 | 79.9 |
| Community | 90.2 | 68.8 | 55.1 | 58.4 | 48.0 | 30.6 |
| Research | 98.6 | 51.6 | 49.6 | 49.6 | 49.6 | 49.6 |
| Fundamentals | ||||||
| Description | A property graph database that stores data as fixed-size records in linked lists for index-free adjacency traversal. Offers community and commercial editions with an extensive graph algorithms library. | A multi-model database written in Rust that combines document, graph, and relational paradigms. Uses inter-document record links for graph traversals, with ACID transactions and row-level permissions. | A graph layer within Google Cloud Spanner that enables property graph queries over relational data using GQL and SQL/PGQ. Inherits Spanner's global distribution, strong consistency, and ACID transactions. | A property graph database developed by Ant Group and Tsinghua University, supporting both transactional lookups and graph analytics. Implements openCypher and GQL query languages. | A graph layer within Google Cloud BigQuery that runs property graph queries over warehouse tables using GQL, without a separate graph store. Property graphs are defined as views over existing tables and queried at analytical scale. | A distributed property graph database implemented in C++ with a storage-compute-coupled architecture for large-scale graph processing. Supports ISO GQL and the native UQL query language, with sharding, replication, graph algorithms, and RESTful access. |
| Vendor | Neo4j Inc | SurrealDB | Ant Group | Ultipa | ||
| Model | Property Graph | Multiple | Property Graph | Property Graph | Property Graph | Property Graph |
| Kind | database | database | database | database | database | database |
| Category | Established | Growing | Enterprise | Established | Enterprise | Growing |
| First released | 2007 | 2022-07 | 2024-08 | 2022-09 | 2026-04 | — |
| Status | active | active | active | active | active | active |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BUSL-1.1 | Proprietary | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Written in | Java | Rust | C++ | C++ | C++ | C++ |
| Query languages | Cypher, GQL | SurrealQL, GraphQL, GQL | GQL, SQL/PGQ | openCypher, GQL | GQL, SQL/PGQ | GQL, UQL |
| gdotv support | yes | no | yes | no | yes | yes |
Feature scores
Survey feature scores are available for 3 of these 18 engines. See each engine's page.
All 18 engines
| Name | Vendor | Model | Category | GitHub stars | License | Written in | Query languages | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultipa GQLDB | Ultipa | Property Graph | Growing | — | Proprietary | — | GQL | #71 |
| Grafeo | GrafeoDB | Multiple | Emerging | 766 | Apache-2.0 | Rust | GQL, openCypher, SPARQL, Gremlin, GraphQL, SQL/PGQ | #85 |
| MillenniumDB | IMFD Chile | Multiple | Emerging | 264 | GPL-2.0 | C++ | GQL, SPARQL | #91 |
| Microsoft Fabric Graph | Microsoft | Property Graph | Enterprise | — | Proprietary | — | GQL | #92 |
| Data Graphs | Data Language | Multiple | Emerging | — | Proprietary | Rust | openCypher, GQL | #105 |
| MemGQL | Memgraph | Multiple | Emerging | — | Proprietary | Rust | GQL | #106 |
| froGQL | PLEIAD | Property Graph | Emerging | 7 | MIT | Rust | GQL | #120 |
| GraphLite | DeepGraph AI | Property Graph | Emerging | 230 | Apache-2.0 | Rust | GQL | #121 |
| AstraeaDB | AstraeaDB | Property Graph | Emerging | 4 | MIT | Rust | GQL, Cypher | #138 |
| DuckGQL | Rahul Iyer | Property Graph | Emerging | 50 | MIT | C++ | GQL | #144 |
| selene-db | Justin Scott | Property Graph | Emerging | 5 | MIT OR Apache-2.0 | Rust | GQL | #149 |
| Traverse | Truespar | Property Graph | Emerging | — | Proprietary | Rust | openCypher, GQL | — |