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AI · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to HelixDB – A graph database built on object storage

Hey HN, it’s been just over a year since we launched HelixDB (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43975423), a project a friend and I started in college. It’s an OLTP graph database built on object-storage, with native vector search and full-text search (FTS). Why graph, vector and FTS? Graph databases provide a natural cognitive model for data, vectors allow for a semantic understanding of the entities and relationships in the graph, and FTS provides more specific filtering. Many AI-driven applications attempt to combine all of these functionalities by stitching together…

HelixDB is an OLTP graph database built on object storage that combines graph queries, vector search, and full-text search in a single system. It is designed for developers building AI-driven applications that need to… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 1 we have checked on their own sites, 1 of them free or with a free tier.

  1. 1

    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 →

  2. 2
    HelixDB▲105

    An open-source OLTP graph-vector database built in Rust.

    Feb 2026 · helix-db.com · its alternatives →

  3. 3

    This is a simple graph database in SQLite, inspired by "SQLite as a document database" - dpapathanasiou/simple-graph

    2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4TA
  5. 5

    We have been using graph DBs more and more at work. I found them painful to work with locally and decided to try and build something better.

    Aug 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6

    A distributed, fast open-source graph database featuring horizontal scalability and high availability - GitHub - vesoft-inc/nebula: A distributed, fast open-source graph database featuring horizontal scalability and high availability

    2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    Metabase grounds every answer in your semantic layer — your metrics and business logic — so you can inspect the query behind it.

    2015 · metabase.com · its alternatives →

  8. 8CH

    Hi HN! We're thrilled to share CozoDB v0.6, a monumental update to our FOSS database, which already unifies relational and graph features. With the addition of vector search, CozoDB becomes an even better companion for LLMs like ChatGPT. This release introduces vector search using HNSW indices within Datalog, enabling seamless integration with powerful features such as ad-hoc joins, recursive Datalog, and classical whole-graph algorithms. This update significantly broadens CozoDB's capabilities. Check out the linked release note for an in-depth look at the new features, comparisons to other…

    2023 · docs.cozodb.org · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    An open-source in-memory graph database

    2020 · its alternatives →

  10. 10
    Metabase▲313

    Open source business intelligence - Installs in 5 minutes

    2015 · metabase.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11
    Helix▲153

    Train your own AI with open-source AI and your data

    2023 · helix.ml · its alternatives →

  12. 12WH
  13. 13

    🦉⚡️Serverless, distributed vector database as an API - TimeSurgeLabs/athenadb

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14
    SereneDBfree▲262

    Ultra-Fast Search & Analytics Database, Agentic AI ready

    Sep 2026 · serenedb.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    Stellate is now open for everybody with edge caching, query analytics, error tracking and protection from malicious queries for your GraphQL APIs.

    2021 · graphcdn.io · its alternatives →

  16. 16
    FluentDB▲275

    The AI database client for Mac

    Jul 2026 · fluentdb.ai · its alternatives →

  17. 17

    The portable vector database for AI agents beyond the cloud

    Apr 2026 · actian.com · its alternatives →

  18. 18LA

    We are excited to share Lantern! Lantern is a PostgreSQL vector database extension for building AI applications. Install and use our extension here: https://github.com/lanterndata/lantern We have the most complete feature set of all the PostgreSQL vector database extensions. Our database is built on top of usearch — a state of the art implementation of HNSW, the most scalable and performant algorithm for handling vector search. There’s three key metrics we track. CREATE INDEX time, SELECT throughput, and SELECT latency. We match or outperform pgvector and pg_embedding…

    2023 · docs.lantern.dev · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Hey HN! We are building Epsilla (https://github.com/epsilla-cloud/vectordb), an open-source, self-hostable vector database for semantic similarity search that specializes in low query latency. When do we need a vector database? For example, GPT-3.5 has a 16k context window limit. If we want to let it answer a question about a 300 page book, we cannot put the whole book content into the context. We have to choose the sections of the book that are most relevant to the question. Vector database is specialized at ranking and picking the most relevant content from a large pool…

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Hello HN! My name is Paras and I am building this project called Slashbase. It's an open-source collaborative IDE for databases in browser. Connect to your database, browse data, run a bunch of queries or share queries within your team, right from your browser. Works with two types of databases: PostgreSQL and MongoDB. It's written in Golang and Nextjs React Framework and runs as a single binary. Features: - Cloud based: Setup on your server. Works in browser. - Easy to use: with minimal interface it is simple to use. - Collaborative: Works with your teams. Easy sharing queries within team.…

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    A graph database that supports more than 100+ billion data, high performance and scalability (Include OLTP Engine & REST-API & Backends) - hugegraph/hugegraph

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    EnterpriseDB (“EDB”), the leader in accelerating Postgres® in the enterprise, today announced its acquisition of Splitgraph, an early-stage disruptor that provides a Postgres compatible serverless SQL API for building data driven applications from hundreds of datasources. This move is seen as a mean

    2020 · splitgraph.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    Portable, Serverless & Lightweight SQLite-based Graph Database in Arturo - drkameleon/grafito

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    We are pleased to launch a public preview of an open source JSON-LD database which combines the simplicity of a document db with the analytical power of semantic graph. We hope it is approachable for most any developer while having the capabilities, when needed, for data interoperability, embedded cell-level security (ReBAC style), rich shape/schema restrictions, data provenance (time travel), and fact inferencing. Why did our team at Fluree build this? Data is increasingly critical for great decision making, AI, and more. The way we typically store and manage data, mainly as an…

    2023 · flur.ee · its alternatives →

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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 →