SQLite
Small, fast, self-contained SQL database engine
Quick Verdict
Best For
- Local-first applications
- Embedded and mobile applications
- Development and testing environments
- Single-user desktop applications
Consider Alternatives If
- High-concurrency write workloads
- Multi-server deployments without additional tooling
- Applications requiring fine-grained access control
Top Alternatives
Score Breakdown
6 dimensions evaluated with transparent methodology
Exceptional read performance with single-file simplicity
- Zero network latency for local operations
- Excellent read performance for most workloads
- Minimal memory footprint
- −1 Single-writer limitation affects concurrent writes
- −1 Not suitable for high-write workloads
- −1 Large datasets may hit performance limits
Zero-configuration with instant setup
- No server to install or configure
- Single file contains entire database
- Works in any environment (browser, mobile, server)
- −5 Limited built-in data types compared to PostgreSQL
- −5 No native network access
Universal support with growing modern tooling
- Every major language has SQLite bindings
- Turso/LibSQL for distributed SQLite
- Drizzle and other ORMs support
- −10 Fewer cloud-native options than PostgreSQL
- −10 Limited monitoring and admin tools
- −10 No native replication or clustering
Legendary stability with backwards compatibility
- 100% backwards compatible since 2004
- No external dependencies
- Public domain (no licensing issues)
- −2 Upgrades may require file format migrations
- −2 Limited tooling for large-scale operations
Completely free with zero operational overhead
- Public domain - truly free
- No server costs for local use
- Minimal resource requirements
Solid security with encryption options
- SQLCipher for encryption at rest
- No network attack surface (local only)
- Used in security-sensitive applications
- −5 No built-in access control
- −5 Encryption requires additional libraries
- −5 Audit logging requires custom implementation
Compare Alternatives
How SQLite stacks up against similar technologies
| Technology | Overall | Perf | DX | Ecosystem | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current SQLite | 87 | 95 | 90 | 70 | |
| PostgreSQL Full-featured, better concurrency | 89 | — | — | — | Compare → |
| Supabase Managed, real-time, auth included | 83 | — | — | — | Compare → |
Sources & Methodology
How we calculate these scores — transparent and reproducible
GitHub
Repository activity, stars, contributors, issue resolution time
NPM Registry
Weekly downloads, package dependencies, version history
OSV Database
Known vulnerabilities, security advisories, CVE tracking
Community Signals
Stack Overflow activity, Discord engagement, developer surveys
1.2.0 Last updated: 2025-12-28 Confidence: 92% Frequently Asked
Why doesn't SQLite score 100%?
No technology is perfect for every use case. Our scoring reflects real-world trade-offs. SQLite's main gaps are in ecosystem, where fewer cloud-native options than postgresql.
What does confidence percentage mean?
Confidence (92%) indicates how much data we have to support the score. Higher confidence means more data points from multiple sources (GitHub activity, NPM downloads, security audits, community surveys).
How often are scores updated?
Scores are recalculated weekly using automated data pipelines. Major version updates trigger immediate recalculation. Last update: 2025-12-28.