18.6
Chroma is open-source data infrastructure for AI that stores embeddings and metadata and supports search and retrieval across text, images, and other modalities.
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWeb
Best Embedded Databases in 2026
An embedded database keeps data close to the application that uses it, so the right fit depends on how that application stores and queries information. Compared on database model and query interface, the options also differ in supported platforms, data synchronization, encryption, and maximum database size. Chroma, LadybugDB, and SQLite are among the names to examine. Consider which platforms your project needs,…
28.6
SQLite is a transactional SQL database engine that runs inside an application, without a separate server process or configuration.
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWeb
38.1
HSQLDB is a Java-based relational database engine with in-memory and disk-based tables, available in embedded and server modes.
Free planOpen sourceAPILinuxmacOS
- 4
RxDB
RxDB is a JavaScript NoSQL database that runs inside an app and stores data locally on the client.
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.5From $99 a month - 5
LadybugDB
LadybugDB is an embedded columnar graph database intended for analytical workloads and agentic applications.
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.4Free plan - 6
RocksDB
RocksDB is a free, embeddable C++ library that stores persistent key-value data.
Free planiOSAPILinuxmacOS7.0Free plan - 7
UnQLite
UnQLite is an embedded NoSQL database engine that gives applications key/value and document-store interfaces without a separate server process.
Free planAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted7.0From $15,000 a year - 8
EJDB2
EJDB2 is a free, open-source JSON database engine implemented as a C library for embedding in applications.
Free planiOSAPILinuxmacOS6.9Free plan - 9
Firebird
Firebird is a free, open-source relational database management system with ANSI SQL features, available for Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted deployment.
Free planLinuxmacOSSelf-hostedWindows6.9From €199 a month - 10
ObjectBox
ObjectBox is an embedded, object-oriented NoSQL database for mobile apps and IoT devices.
Free planAndroidiOSAPILinux6.9Free plan - 11
Qdrant
Qdrant is a vector similarity search engine and API for storing, searching, and managing vectors alongside payload data.
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS6.9Free plan - 12
PouchDB
PouchDB is a free, open-source JavaScript database for applications that store data locally and sync with CouchDB or compatible servers.
Free planAndroidiOSWebLinux6.8Free plan - 13
bbolt
bbolt is a maintained fork of Bolt, providing Go applications with an embedded key-value store instead of a full database server.
Free planAndroidiOSLinuxmacOS6.7Free plan - 14
DuckDB UI
DuckDB UI is a browser-based interface for working with a local DuckDB instance, added through the ui extension.
Free planWebExtensionLinuxmacOS6.7Free plan - 15
LiteDB
LiteDB is a serverless, embedded .NET NoSQL document database distributed as a single DLL.
Free planAndroidiOSAPILinux6.7Free plan - 16
H2 Database Engine
H2 Database Engine is a free SQL database written in Java.
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS6.6Free plan - 17
eXtremeDB
eXtremeDB is an in-memory database system designed for embedded devices and applications.
AndroidiOSAPILinux6.3 - 18
LanceDB
LanceDB is an AI-native multimodal lakehouse for developing training datasets.
Free planAPILinuxSelf-hosted6.1Free plan - 19
sql.js
sql.js is a free, MIT-licensed JavaScript library for creating and querying relational SQLite databases in web browsers and Node.js.
Free planWebAPISelf-hosted6.1Free plan - 20
WiredTiger
WiredTiger is a free, open-source NoSQL data engine for data management, developed and maintained by MongoDB, Inc., where it is the principal database storage engine.
Free planAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted6.1Free plan - 21
libSQL
libSQL is an open-source, open-contribution relational database fork of SQLite maintained by Turso.
WebAPILinuxmacOS6.0 - 22
PGlite
PGlite is an open-source relational database that packages Postgres as WebAssembly in a TypeScript/JavaScript client library.
Free planWebSelf-hosted6.0Free plan - 23
LevelDB
LevelDB is a free, BSD-3-Clause key-value storage library for applications that need ordered mappings from string keys to string values.
Free planLinuxmacOSSelf-hostedWindows5.9Free plan - 24
LMDB
LMDB is a free embedded key-value database developed for the OpenLDAP Project.
WebLinuxmacOSSelf-hosted5.8 - 25
Tkrzw
LinuxmacOSSelf-hostedWindows5.5