Couchbase Lite vs Realm
Couchbase Lite
couchbase.com
Realm
realm.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Couchbase Lite | Realm |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Mobile Databases | 8.1 (#8) | 7.7 (#18) |
| Security | Couchbase Lite supports AES-256, TLS, bring-your-own keys, field-level encryption and automatic purge after access revocation. | Realm Swift says data can be encrypted in flight and at rest. |
Plans
In their own words
Couchbase Lite
Couchbase Lite has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Realm
Realm is an object database for local data persistence in mobile and edge applications. It runs directly on phones, tablets, and wearables, and presents data as objects that developers can query in code without an ORM. The database supports relationships, generics, and vectorization. Its documentation describes apps continuing to work through weak signal, offline periods, or outages. Listed SDKs include Java, Swift, Objective-C, JavaScript, and .NET; the JavaScript implementation supports React Native on iOS and Android, as well as Node.js and Electron on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Realm Swift supports encryption in transit and at rest. Realm Studio can open and edit local and synced Realms and administer Realm Object Server instances. Former Device Sync connected data across users, devices, and a backend in real time, but MongoDB announced deprecation of Device Sync and Realm SDKs in September 2024. Realm is free and open source under Apache License 2.0.