GQL graph databases compared
Graph databases that implement the ISO GQL standard query language.
13 active gql graph databases are in the catalogue. They are written mostly in Java and Rust, 7 are open source, and 2 carry survey feature scores.
| Attribute |  Neo4j |  SurrealDB |  Google Cloud BigQuery Graph |  Google Cloud Spanner Graph |  TuGraph |  Grafeo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||||||
| Rank | #1 | #14 | #33 | #39 | #48 | #80 |
| Score | 78.8 | 60.1 | 54.0 | 51.7 | 49.2 | 41.9 |
| GitHub stars | 17k | 32.8k | — | — | 1.8k | 722 |
| Popularity | 93.8 | 65.3 | 93.9 | 59.8 | 64.9 | 50.8 |
| Activity | 82.8 | 71.8 | 49.8 | 49.5 | 35.4 | 44.8 |
| Community | 77.2 | 61.0 | 48.4 | 55.7 | 48.8 | 59.2 |
| Research | 98.6 | 50.4 | 50.4 | 50.4 | 50.4 | 61.2 |
| Fundamentals | ||||||
| Description | A property graph database that stores data as fixed-size records in linked lists for index-free adjacency traversal. Offers community and commercial editions with an extensive graph algorithms library. | A multi-model database written in Rust that combines document, graph, and relational paradigms. Uses inter-document record links for graph traversals, with ACID transactions and row-level permissions. | A graph layer within Google Cloud BigQuery that runs property graph queries over warehouse tables using GQL, without a separate graph store. Property graphs are defined as views over existing tables and queried at analytical scale. | A graph layer within Google Cloud Spanner that enables property graph queries over relational data using GQL and SQL/PGQ. Inherits Spanner's global distribution, strong consistency, and ACID transactions. | A property graph database developed by Ant Group and Tsinghua University, supporting both transactional lookups and graph analytics. Implements openCypher and GQL query languages. | An embeddable graph database supporting both property graph and RDF data models with in-memory or persistent storage. Features ACID transactions via MVCC, vector search with HNSW indexing, and a cost-based query optimizer. |
| Vendor | Neo4j Inc | SurrealDB | Ant Group | GrafeoDB | ||
| Model | Property Graph | Multiple | Property Graph | Property Graph | Property Graph | Multiple |
| Kind | database | database | database | database | database | database |
| Category | Established | Growing | Enterprise | Enterprise | Established | Emerging |
| First released | 2007 | 2022 | 2026-04 | 2024-08 | 2022 | 2026 |
| Status | active | active | active | active | active | active |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSL-1.1 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Rust | — | — | C++ | Rust |
| Query languages | Cypher, GQL | SurrealQL, GraphQL, GQL | GQL, SQL/PGQ | GQL, SQL/PGQ | openCypher, GQL | GQL, openCypher, SPARQL, Gremlin, GraphQL, SQL/PGQ |
| gdotv support | yes | no | yes | yes | no | no |
Feature scores
Survey feature scores are available for 2 of these 13 engines. See each engine's page.
All 13 engines
| Name | Vendor | Model | Category | GitHub stars | License | Written in | Query languages | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Fabric Graph | Microsoft | Property Graph | Enterprise | — | Proprietary | — | GQL | #90 |
| Data Graphs | Data Language | Multiple | Emerging | — | Proprietary | Rust | openCypher, GQL | #98 |
| MemGQL | Memgraph | Multiple | Emerging | — | Proprietary | — | GQL | #99 |
| MillenniumDB | IMFD Chile | Multiple | Emerging | 261 | GPL-2.0 | C++ | GQL, SPARQL | #106 |
| GraphLite | DeepGraph AI | Property Graph | Emerging | 228 | Apache-2.0 | Rust | GQL | #115 |
| froGQL | PLEIAD | Property Graph | Emerging | 7 | MIT | Rust | GQL | #118 |
| Traverse | Truespar | Property Graph | Emerging | — | Proprietary | Rust | openCypher, GQL | — |