Software Alternatives & Startups

Realm.io VS SQLite

Compare Realm.io VS SQLite and see what are their differences

Realm.io

Realm is a mobile platform and a replacement for SQLite & Core Data. Build offline-first, reactive mobile experiences using simple data sync.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
SQLite

SQLite Home Page

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source

Which is more popular?

Realm.io might be a bit more popular than SQLite. We know about 25 links to it since March 2021 and only 18 links to SQLite.

social mentions
25 vs 18
Databases popularity
25% vs 75%
alternatives listed
85 vs 234

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Realm.io
SQLite
Website realm.io sqlite.org
Pricing
Open source
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Realm.io 5 features
SQLite 7 features
  • Easy Integration
    Realm is designed to be easy to set up and integrate into existing projects, with straightforward APIs and comprehensive documentation.
  • Performance
    Realm provides high performance with minimal overhead. It's faster than many traditional databases for many use cases, especially with large datasets and complex queries.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Realm supports multiple platforms including iOS, Android, and React Native, allowing for easy cross-platform development.
  • Real-Time Data Sync
    Realm offers real-time synchronization of data between devices and a server, ensuring consistency and enabling collaborative features.
  • Rich Data Types
    Realm supports complex data types such as lists and objects, making it more flexible for various types of applications.

Possible disadvantages

  • Learning Curve
    Despite extensive documentation, there can be a learning curve for developers new to Realm, particularly if they are accustomed to traditional SQL databases.
  • Storage Size
    Realm databases can become large quickly, especially if not properly managed, potentially impacting app performance and storage costs.
  • Limited Query Language
    While powerful, Realm's query language isn't as mature or feature-rich as SQL, which might limit some advanced querying needs.
  • Tooling
    The tooling ecosystem for Realm is not as extensive as those for more established databases like SQLite or MongoDB, which could impact developer productivity.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Using Realm might lead to vendor lock-in, as migrating away from it to another database system can be complex and time-consuming.
  • Zero Configuration
    SQLite does not require any server setup or configuration, allowing for easy integration and deployment in applications.
  • Lightweight
    It is extremely lightweight, with a small footprint, making it ideal for embedded systems and mobile applications.
  • Self-Contained
    SQLite is self-contained, meaning it has minimal external dependencies, which simplifies its distribution and usage.
  • File-Based Storage
    Data is stored in a single file, which makes it easy to manage and transfer databases as simple files.
  • ACID Compliance
    SQLite supports Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability (ACID) properties, ensuring reliable transactions.
  • Cross-Platform
    SQLite is available on numerous platforms, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, providing a broad compatibility range.
  • Public Domain
    SQLite operates under the public domain, allowing for unrestricted use in commercial and non-commercial applications.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Scalability
    SQLite is not designed to handle high levels of concurrency and large-scale databases, making it less suitable for large, high-traffic applications.
  • Write Performance
    Write operations can be slower compared to server-based databases, especially under heavy write loads.
  • Lack of Certain Features
    SQLite lacks some advanced features offered by other RDBMS like stored procedures, user-defined functions, and full-text search indexing.
  • Security
    As SQLite is file-based, it might lack some of the security features present in server-based databases, such as sophisticated access control.
  • Concurrency
    SQLite uses a locking mechanism to control access to the database, which can lead to contention and performance bottlenecks in highly concurrent environments.
  • Backup and Restore
    While it's straightforward to copy SQLite database files, it lacks the advanced backup and restore features found in more complex RDBMS.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Realm.io
SQLite

No analysis of Realm.io yet.

Overall verdict

  • SQLite is an excellent choice for a variety of use cases, particularly where ease of use, scalability for smaller applications, and integration simplicity are prioritized. Its robust feature set and extensive community support make it a reliable option for many developers.

Why this product is good

  • SQLite is highly regarded for its efficiency, simplicity, and portability. It is a self-contained, serverless database engine that requires no configuration, making it easy to integrate into applications. Its zero-configuration system and minimal setup offer a lightweight solution that supports complex queries with ACID compliance. SQLite is also used widely due to its high reliability and performance, and it is included by default in several programming environments.

Recommended for

  • Small to medium-sized applications
  • Embedded devices and IoT applications
  • Mobile applications
  • Testing and prototyping
  • Internal or standalone tools and applications
  • Education and learning environments

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Realm.io 0 videos + Add
SQLite 3 videos + Add

No Realm.io videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

SQLite | What, Why , Where

More videos

  • - W20 PROG1442 3.3 UWP sqLite Review
  • - How To Create SQLite Databases From Scratch For Beginners - Full Tutorial

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Realm.io
SQLite
25% 25%
75% 75%
40% 40%
60% 60%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%

User comments

Share your experience with using Realm.io and SQLite. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Realm.io no reviews yet
SQLite no reviews yet

We have no reviews of Realm.io yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Realm.io 25 mentions
SQLite 18 mentions
  • Release Radar · September 2024: Major updates from the open source community
    From the team at MongoDB comes Realm, a mobile database that runs directly inside phones, tablets, or wearables. It's built for mobile, and designed for offline use. The latest release comes with built-in Swift 6 language mode, and Xcode... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • I built a WebComponents-based framework
    Looks really cool, I like to make very minimalistic dependency choices for the web apps I work on. Web Components look interesting and it's great to see frameworks that build upon it and provide features that are currently missing from... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Realm Database, Expo SDK 49 and Expo Router Getting Started
    Realm is a fast, scalable alternative to SQLite with mobile to cloud data sync that makes building real-time, reactive mobile apps easy. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago

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  • Can I have my Lightroom catalogue pointing at two sources...?
    Yes. A Lightroom catalog file is, after all, just a SQLite database. (Srsly, make a copy of your catalog file, rename it whatever.sqlite and use your favorite SQLite GUI to rip it open and look at the tables and fields). It's just... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Building a database to search Excel files
    I use visidata with a playback script I recorded to open the sheet to a specific Excel tab, add a column, save the sheet as a csv file. Then I have a sqlite script that takes the csv file and puts it in a database, partitioned by... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Saw this on my friends Snapchat story, this hurts my heart
    Use the most-used database in the world: https://sqlite.org/index.html. Source: over 3 years ago

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Alternatives to Realm.io and SQLite

When comparing Realm.io and SQLite, you can also consider the following products.