GraphDB vs Virtuoso Universal Server
GraphDB
graphdb.ontotext.comVirtuoso Universal Server
virtuoso.openlinksw.comSide by side
| Figure | GraphDB | Virtuoso Universal Server |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 7 |
| Spec score · RDF Databases | 8.1 (#9) | 8.4 (#5) |
| Deployment | GraphDB can run as a desktop or standalone server application and is also available on AWS and Azure. | The open-source edition provides installers for Linux, macOS, and Windows, Docker instructions, and source builds for those operating systems. |
| Product | GraphDB is an RDF and SPARQL semantic graph database used for storage and inferencing in the Graphwise AI Platform. | Virtuoso is a multi-model DBMS and HTTP-based application server that provides access to disparate data sources. |
| Security | GraphDB documents role and access controls, local, LDAP and OAuth user databases, Basic, GDB, OpenID and Kerberos authentication, SSL/TLS encryption in transit, and security auditing. | The maker describes fine-grained attribute-based access controls and lists encryption at rest as a commercial feature. |
| Support | The edition comparison lists community support for Free and SLA support for Enterprise. | Commercial support can include bug fixes, feature enhancements, performance tuning, and consulting, with specifics depending on the agreement. |
Plans
Virtuoso Universal Server
- Personal$99.99 a year
- Personal$99.99, paid once
- Developer$199 a year
- Developer$199, paid once
- Project$499, paid once
- Project$499 a year
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
GraphDB
GraphDB is an RDF and SPARQL semantic graph database for storing data and performing inferencing in the Graphwise AI Platform. It supports SPARQL 1.1, RDF4J compatibility, RDFS and OWL 2 RL and QL rulesets, federated queries, and RDF-star. Its real-time forward-chaining reasoning operates across datasets, and the product page describes native GraphRAG and LangChain integration. GraphDB can run as a desktop or standalone server application, be self-hosted, or be deployed on AWS and Azure; downloads are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, and a platform-independent distribution. The Free edition includes a Lucene connector, one parallel query, and up to five repositories; GraphDB 11 and later requires a free license. Enterprise supports multiple cores, unlimited repositories, high-availability clustering, and connectors for Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, Solr, and Kafka. Free is on-premise only with community support. Enterprise includes SLA support and is licensed per server CPU core, with each cluster node licensed separately. Free costs nothing; Enterprise pricing is on request.
Virtuoso Universal Server
Virtuoso Universal Server is a multi-model database management system and HTTP-based application server for working with data from different sources. It supports relational SQL data, RDF, SPARQL, XML, JSON, and web services. A virtualization layer lets users query multiple sources through a unified database view, with connections through HTTP, ODBC, and JDBC. Listed standards include SQL, SPARQL, GraphQL, and RDF. The product has open-source and commercial licenses; the open-source version is under GPL. Commercial licensing adds advanced security, custom reasoning and inference, high-availability replication, and professional support. The maker describes fine-grained attribute-based access controls and lists encryption at rest as a commercial feature. Deployment options include Linux/Unix, Docker, Windows, and macOS installations, as well as on-premises/BYOL, AWS, and Azure. The maker lists data integration, governance, knowledge management, data productization, and AI-driven customer support as typical uses. Personal, Developer, and Project workstation licenses cost $99.99 as a one-time purchase, $199, paid once, and $499, paid once, respectively. OpenLink Software, the privately held maker, was founded in 1992.