Couchbase Lite vs PouchDB
Couchbase Lite
couchbase.comPouchDB
pouchdb.apache.orgSide by side
| Figure | Couchbase Lite | PouchDB |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Mobile Databases | 8.1 (#8) | 8.5 (#3) |
| Offline operation | Reads and writes occur locally and synchronization catches up automatically when connectivity returns. | Applications can continue working while disconnected because data is persisted locally and synchronized later. |
| Security | Couchbase Lite supports AES-256, TLS, bring-your-own keys, field-level encryption and automatic purge after access revocation. | The adapters page shows PouchDB connecting to a remote database over HTTPS, but does not state a security certification or compliance standard. |
| What it does | Couchbase Lite embeds a NoSQL database in applications, synchronizes cloud-to-edge and peer-to-peer, and keeps working when the network is unavailable. | PouchDB is a JavaScript document database for browser applications that stores data locally and synchronizes with CouchDB-compatible servers. |
Plans
In their own words
Couchbase Lite
Couchbase Lite has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
PouchDB
PouchDB is a free, open-source JavaScript database for browser and Node.js applications. It keeps documents locally so applications can continue working offline, then synchronizes data bidirectionally with CouchDB-compatible servers when online. The same API is used in browsers and Node.js. Browser storage uses IndexedDB by default, while the documented Node.js adapter uses Node’s native SQLite module with Node.js versions later than 22.5.0. Supported server integrations include CouchDB 1.x, 2.x, and 3.x, Cloudant, and PouchDB Server. PouchDB is framework-agnostic and can work with Angular, React, Ember, Backbone, or another framework. It also runs with Cordova/PhoneGap, NW.js, Electron, and Chrome apps. Documents must be serializable as JSON, and attachments can be base64-encoded strings or Blob objects. Direct synchronization with a non-CouchDB database requires a backend that speaks the CouchDB replication protocol. Platforms listed are Android, API, extension, iOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows. The project lists GitHub Discussions, Slack, and Stack Overflow for discussion.