kitio.aiDolphinDB vs Kinetica
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. DolphinDB starts at See pricing page and Kinetica starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Distributed time-series database
- Stream and batch processing
- Text-to-SQL queries
- RAG knowledge search
- Native MCP support
- In-database ML inference
- GPU-accelerated SQL
- Vector search
- Graph and geospatial analytics
- Natural language to SQL
- GraphRAG
- Real-time ingest
| Feature | DolphinDB | Kinetica |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Time-series database with built-in RAG, text-to-SQL and MCP support | GPU-accelerated database for real-time analytics, vectors and AI agents |
| Category | Data & analytics | Data & analytics |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | DolphinDB | Kinetica |
| Based in | China | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
DolphinDB starts at See pricing page and Kinetica starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Developer Edition
Free
- Single node
- Free forever
Dedicated Cloud
From $1.80 / hour
- Production workloads
- Billed via your cloud account
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Runs on your own infrastructure
Prices in USD, checked Nov 5, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
DolphinDB
- Fast queries on very large datasets
- Built-in finance analysis toolkit
- LLMs can query data through MCP
- Proprietary scripting language to learn
- Pricing not shown on the homepage
- Mostly geared toward finance use cases
Kinetica
- Many data types in one engine
- Free developer edition
- Fast on very large datasets
- Production use billed hourly
- Complex to run self-hosted
- Aimed at large data teams
Which one should you choose?
Choose DolphinDB if you want:
- Fast queries on very large datasets
- Built-in finance analysis toolkit
- LLMs can query data through MCP
Watch out: proprietary scripting language to learn.
Choose Kinetica if you want:
- Many data types in one engine
- Free developer edition
- Fast on very large datasets
Watch out: production use billed hourly.
DolphinDB vs Kinetica FAQ
What is the difference between DolphinDB and Kinetica?
DolphinDB: Time-series database with built-in RAG, text-to-SQL and MCP support. Kinetica: GPU-accelerated database for real-time analytics, vectors and AI agents. Both are data & analytics tools.
Is DolphinDB or Kinetica cheaper?
DolphinDB starts at See pricing page and Kinetica starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do DolphinDB and Kinetica have free plans?
DolphinDB: Yes. Kinetica: Yes.
Who makes DolphinDB?
DolphinDB is made by DolphinDB, based in China.
Who makes Kinetica?
Kinetica is made by Kinetica, based in United States.
Which should I choose, DolphinDB or Kinetica?
Choose DolphinDB if you value fast queries on very large datasets and built-in finance analysis toolkit. Choose Kinetica if you value many data types in one engine and free developer edition.