Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. CRDT-Backed Realtime Database launched in 2021; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Matrix-CRDT – real-time collaborative apps using Matrix as backend▲320

   Hi HN! Matrix-CRDT connects the worlds of Yjs [1] (a proven, high performance CRDT) with that of Matrix.org [2]. It started as an experiment, asking myself; can we store "state updates of a datastore" in Matrix instead of chat messages? Now, I'm convinced it's actually a really powerful combination to develop real-time, collaborative software. I'm using it for a new project and so far didn't have to write a backend yet. Matrix takes care of a lot of stuff: Authentication, E2EE, federation, hosting, etc. - so I can focus on the client. I love the ideas of Local First [3] software. Personally,…

   2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   EdgeDB 1.0▲947

   Today, after years of research, development, and refinement EdgeDB graduates to a production-ready database. We are very proud to announce EdgeDB 1.0.

   2022 · edgedb.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   InstantDB – A Modern Firebase▲1,145

   Hey there HN! We’re Joe and Stopa, and today we’re open sourcing InstantDB, a client-side database that makes it easy to build real-time and collaborative apps like Notion and Figma. Building modern apps these days involves a lot of schleps. For a basic CRUD app you need to spin up servers, wire up endpoints, integrate auth, add permissions, and then marshal data from the backend to the frontend and back again. If you want to deliver a buttery smooth user experience, you’ll need to add optimistic updates and rollbacks. We do these steps over and over for every feature we build, which can…

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   ElectricSQL, Postgres to SQLite active-active sync for local-first apps▲617

   Hi HN, James, Valter, Sam and the team from ElectricSQL here. We're really excited to be sharing ElectricSQL with you today. It's an open source, local-first sync layer that can be used to build reactive, realtime, offline-capable apps directly on Postgres with two way active-active sync to SQLite (including with WASM in the browser). Electric comprises a sync layer (built with Elixir) placed in front of your Postgres database and a type safe client that allows you to bidirectionally sync data from your Postgres to local SQLite databases. This sync is CRDT-based, resilient to conflicting…

   2023 · electric-sql.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   A proof-of-concept FoundationDB based network block device backend▲192

   A totally proof-of-concept FoundationDB based network block device backend - dividuum/fdb-nbd

   2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Pg_CRDT – an experimental CRDT extension for Postgres▲296

   This is an experimental extension for CRDTs, pg_crdt: GitHub repo[0]. It supports Yjs/Yrs and Automerge. The linked blog post [1] describes how we're thinking about this extension in a Supabase context. I want to emphasise this part: "pg_crdt has not been released onto the Supabase platform (and it may never be). We’re considering many options for offline-sync/support and, while CRDTs will undoubtedly factor in, we’re not sure if this is the right approach." [0] GitHub repo: https://github.com/supabase/pg_crdt [1] Blog post:…

   2022 · supabase.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Domain-tailored CRDTs for collaboration without server involvement▲158

   2018 · archagon.net · its alternatives →

8. 8DA
   DriftDB – an open source WebSocket backend for real-time apps▲367

   Hey HN! I’ve written a bunch of WebSocket servers over the years to do simple things like state synchronization, WebRTC signaling, and notifying a client when a backend job was run. I realized that if I had a simple way to create a private, temporary, mini-redis that the client could talk to directly, it would save a lot of time. So we created DriftDB. In addition to the open source server that you can run yourself, we also provide https://jamsocket.live where you can use an instance we host on Cloudflare’s edge (~13ms round trip latency from my home in NY). You may have seen my…

   2023 · driftdb.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   PocketBase – Open Source realtime backend in one file▲563

   Open Source realtime backend in 1 file. Contribute to pocketbase/pocketbase development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

10. 10SC
    SyncedStore CRDT – build multiplayer collaborative apps for React / Vue▲144

    SyncedStore is a library for building distributed, real-time collaborative web applications that sync automatically. This used to be quite complex, but with SyncedStore it's as easy as sharing a pie!

    2021 · syncedstore.org · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Firebase, a scalable real-time backend▲526

    Discover Firebase, Google’s mobile and web app development platform that helps developers build apps and games that users will love.

    2012 · firebase.com · its alternatives →

12. 12AL
    A local-first, real-time global canvas using CRDTs▲7

    This is a demo of a family of libraries intended to make it easy to build local-first, real-time applications for mobile, desktop and the web using CRDTs. It currently has support for using Sqlite, PostgreSQL or a plain old record store (Hive) as data storage backend. https://github.com/cachapa/crdt There's also a websocket sync layer that transparently handles the connection and delta changesets between participants. https://github.com/cachapa/crdt_sync

    2023 · draw.cachapa.net · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Realtime Multiplayer by Supabase▲273

    Easily build real-time apps that enables user collaboration

    2022 · multiplayer.dev · its alternatives →

14. 14WC
    Working code for Operational Transformation/CRDT hybrid▲130

    2017 · medium.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Fireproof – local-first database with Git-like encrypted sync▲99

    Hi, HN! As a cofounder of Couchbase, I pioneered mobile sync, and I’ve always wanted to bring the speed and reliability of local-first data to the web, incubating PouchDB among other efforts. I learned the constraints of real world financial applications at McKinsey & Company FinLab, and Merkle integrity research at Protocol Labs taught me smart contract data structures. As part of the JavaScript community (and early hosting provider for NPM) I’ve been waiting, and now with the availability of APIs like Passkeys and Origin Private Filesystem, I’m happy to say the browser is ready to support…

    2024 · fireproof.storage · its alternatives →

16. 16
    HelixDB – Open-source vector-graph database for AI applications (Rust)▲237

    Hey HN, we want to share HelixDB (https://github.com/HelixDB/helix-db/), a project a college friend and I are working on. It’s a new database that natively intertwines graph and vector types, without sacrificing performance. It’s written in Rust and our initial focus is on supporting RAG. Here’s a video runthrough: https://screen.studio/share/szgQu3yq. Why a hybrid? Vector databases are useful for similarity queries, while graph databases are useful for relationship queries. Each stores data in a way that’s best for its main type of query (e.g.…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

17. 17M2
    Muse 2.0 with local-first sync▲178

    Hey HN, I want to share with you something I and my four colleagues have been working on for the last several years. It’s a whiteboarding and notes tool called Muse[1]. We just released a 2.0 version which includes local-first sync. A little backstory: I’m one of the authors of the 2019 essay Local-first software[2]. (Past HN discussions[3][4].) The thesis is to reclaim some of the ownership over our data that we’ve lost in the transition from filesystems to cloud/SaaS. So I’m excited to bring CRDT technology “out of the lab” and into a commercial product as a chance to prove the value…

    2022 · museapp.com · its alternatives →

18. 18MD
    Multiplayer Demo Built with Elixir▲221

    Hey HN, I’m an engineer at Supabase [0] and one of the creators of this demo. My team and I have been working hard to bring developers the next version of Supabase Realtime. The current version of Realtime [1] is a Change Data Capture (CDC) server for a PostgreSQL database that broadcasts changes via WebSockets to authorized subscribers. It’s written in Elixir/Phoenix. The server utilizes PostgreSQL’s logical replication functionality, which writes database changes to Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) segment files, and a replication slot, responsible for managing and retaining WAL files.…

    2022 · multiplayer.dev · its alternatives →

19. 19
    ProvenDB▲67

    Bridging the gap between databases and blockchains

    2019 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Resilio Sync▲72

    Simple file sync and share solution

    2020 · resilio.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Hubsync▲78

    Hubspot data at your fingertips in real-time

    2023 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    The Changelog - #181: RethinkDB, Databases, and the Realtime Web With Slava Akhmechet▲60

    Slava Akhmechet schools us on RethinkDB and the realtime web

    2015 · changelog.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Hightouch for Product Teams▲60

    Sync warehouse data into your production databases

    2022 · hightouch.com · its alternatives →

24. 24SR
    Sync – Realtime partials with Rails▲143

    I’m Chris McCord, a programmer with a passion for science and building things. I spend my time crafting the Phoenix Framework, working with …

    2013 · chrismccord.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →