Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

RxDB VS Realm.io

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

RxDB logo RxDB

A fast, offline-first, reactive Database for JavaScript Applications

Realm.io logo Realm.io

Realm is a mobile platform and a replacement for SQLite & Core Data. Build offline-first, reactive mobile experiences using simple data sync.
  • RxDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-20

RxDB, which stands for Reactive Database, is a JavaScript-based NoSQL database designed for a wide range of applications such as websites, hybrid apps, Electron apps, progressive web apps, and Node.js. The "reactive" aspect of RxDB allows you not only to retrieve the current state of the database but also to subscribe to all changes in the state, including query results or specific fields within a document. This feature is particularly advantageous for real-time user interface applications, as it facilitates development and offers notable performance benefits. Additionally, RxDB can be utilized to build efficient backends in Node.js.

  • Realm.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-04

RxDB

Website
rxdb.info
$ Details
freemium €400.0 / Annually
Release Date
2016 December

RxDB features and specs

  • Offline-First Architecture
    RxDB is designed with an offline-first approach, allowing applications to function seamlessly without a constant internet connection by utilizing local storage and synchronizing with the server when online.
  • Reactive Data Stores
    The library offers real-time data synchronization and reactive data stores, enabling automatic updates to the UI when the underlying database changes.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    RxDB works across various platforms, including web browsers, Node.js, and mobile devices, providing flexibility for developers in building cross-platform applications.
  • Flexible Schema Management
    RxDB supports JSON Schema for defining data models, allowing developers to enforce data consistency and validation effectively.
  • Replication and Sync
    Comes with built-in replication features that ensure easy data synchronization between client and server databases, helping maintain data consistency across different devices and users.

Realm.io features and specs

  • 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 of Realm.io

  • 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.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RxDB and Realm.io)
NoSQL Databases
43 43%
57% 57
Databases
40 40%
60% 60
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Data Integration
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare RxDB and Realm.io

RxDB Reviews

10 Best Open Source Firebase Alternatives
Reactive Database or RxDB is a real-time NoSQL database for JavaScript apps such as progressive web apps, electron apps, PWAs, hybrid apps, and websites. Reactive means that you get to query the current state while subscribing to all state changes like the result of a single field of a document or query.

Realm.io Reviews

We have no reviews of Realm.io yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Realm.io should be more popular than RxDB. It has been mentiond 25 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

RxDB mentions (13)

  • Stop Syncing Everything
    > I'm thinking to give it a try in one of my React Native apps that face very uncertain connectivity. Some similar stuff you may want to investigate (no real opinion, just sharing since I've investigated this space a bit): - https://rxdb.info. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Show HN: Triplit – Open-source syncing database that runs on server and client
    Looks like it could be a more batteries-included/opinionated alternative to RxDB (https://rxdb.info). The relational queries might help some people who tend to think in SQL as opposed to documents (as in CouchDB or MongoDB) and the WebSockets for synchronization will help people get started more quickly. (RxDB provides interfaces for those who want to implement their own storage engine and/or synchronization... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • HackNote
    Some years ago "offline-first" was a thing: https://web.archive.org/web/20170720174332/http://hood.ie/initiatives/#offline-first Primarily based on PouchDB/CouchDB. Now the site redirects to RxDB. https://rxdb.info/ There's still a site by that name but I don't quite understand what's the intention https://offlinefirst.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Ask HN: How Can I Make My Front End React to Database Changes in Real-Time?
    I'm interested in this problem also! I think there is a large overlap with projects that market/focus on offline-first experiences. AFAIK this problem can be solved by: 1) Considering a client-side copy of the database that gets synced with the remote DB. This is an approach [PowerSync](https://www.powersync.com/) and [ElectricSql](https://electric-sql.com/) and [rxdb](https://rxdb.info/) take! - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it
    Hey, after I posted that, I went and gave a second look online to see if I could find something that would allow me to develop a local-first app with offline persistence and syncing capabilities. I ended up finding some possibilities out there that could potentially help me build stuff. One of them is RxDB [1], which offers WebRTC syncing - you'd still need a signaling server, I suppose, but all sensitive... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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Realm.io mentions (25)

  • 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 16 support. Some breaking changes include removal of Atlas App Services and Atlas Device Sync functionality, Strings and Data now considered different types and thus queries won't... - Source: dev.to / 7 months 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 it. When I landed on the page I remembered another Realm framework I used a lot long time ago. https://realm.io has the same name and the logo looks very similar too. Not sure if... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year 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 / over 1 year ago
  • Looking for android java developer mentor
    I would focus on Kotlin instead of Java, there's really no point in sticking to Java at this point. And when it comes to databases, some local ones that are pretty easy to get into are Realm and ObjectBox, SQLite can definitely be a bit overwhelming at the beginning. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Want to build a simple database app....Where do I start
    Just to add to this, there's also Realm and ObjectBox as alternatives. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

ObjectBox - ObjectBox empower edge computing with an edge device database and synchronization solution for Mobile & IoT. Store and sync data from edge to cloud.

PouchDB - Open-source JavaScript database inspired by Apache CouchDB that's designed to run well within the browser

Microsoft SQL Server Compact - Bring Microsoft SQL Server 2017 to the platform of your choice. Use SQL Server 2017 on Windows, Linux, and Docker containers.

Redis - Redis is an open source in-memory data structure project implementing a distributed, in-memory key-value database with optional durability.

CompactView - Viewer for Microsoft® SQL Server® CE database files (sdf)