SurrealDB Review, Pricing & Features

SurrealDB is a multi-model database with document, graph, relational, and vector support. Free to self-host or use SurrealDB Cloud from $0.021/hr.

Category
Databases
Pricing
freemium, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2021
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Free PlanAPIAIFreemium

What Is SurrealDB

SurrealDB is a multi-model database designed to replace the common pattern of stitching together separate document, graph, relational, and vector databases within a single application. It provides document, graph, relational, and vector capabilities through one unified engine and query language called SurrealQL.

Founded in 2021 by brothers Tobie and Jaime Morgan Hitchcock and headquartered in London, SurrealDB has raised over 40 million dollars from investors including FirstMark and Georgian, and offers the database as an embeddable engine, a self-hosted server, or a managed cloud service called SurrealDB Cloud.

Key Features

SurrealDB supports real-time live queries that push updates to connected clients as data changes, along with ACID-compliant transactions, built-in row-level authentication and permissions, and native vector search for AI and retrieval-augmented applications.

It can be embedded directly into an application as a single binary or WebAssembly module, deployed self-hosted, or run through SurrealDB Cloud, which offers vertical scaling on its Start tier and horizontal, multi-availability-zone scaling on its Scale tier. Some advanced cloud capabilities, such as database branching and forking, are planned for a future release.

Pricing

SurrealDB can be self-hosted for free using its source-available core. SurrealDB Cloud offers a Start plan with one free instance and 1GB of free storage, then usage-based pricing beginning around $0.021 per hour.

The Scale plan is priced per node per hour, starting around $0.192, and adds multi-availability-zone deployment and multi-region disaster recovery. An Enterprise tier offers custom pricing for self-hosted or private-cloud deployments with SSO, audit logging, and SLA-backed uptime.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Replaces multiple specialized databases with a single multi-model engine
  • Flexible deployment options from embedded to fully managed cloud
  • Free tier and free self-hosted use for prototyping and small projects
  • Well-funded with backing from established venture investors
  • Native vector search suited to modern AI application needs

Cons

  • Newer database with a shorter production track record than established systems
  • Some advanced cloud features like branching and forking are still rolling out
  • SurrealQL requires learning a new query language distinct from standard SQL
  • Source-available licensing terms may require review for some enterprise use cases
  • Smaller ecosystem of third-party tools and integrations compared to legacy databases

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SurrealDB free?

Yes, the core database can be self-hosted for free, and SurrealDB Cloud offers a free starting instance with usage-based pricing beyond that.

What is SurrealDB used for?

SurrealDB is used to store and query document, graph, relational, and vector data within a single database, commonly for serverless, JAMstack, and AI-powered applications.

Who founded SurrealDB?

SurrealDB was founded in 2021 by brothers Tobie Morgan Hitchcock and Jaime Morgan Hitchcock.

Where is SurrealDB headquartered?

SurrealDB is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.

Can SurrealDB replace Postgres and MongoDB together?

SurrealDB aims to cover relational and document use cases in one engine, though teams should evaluate it against their specific workload requirements before migrating.

Does SurrealDB support vector search for AI?

Yes, SurrealDB includes native vector data types and search capabilities suited to AI and retrieval-augmented generation applications.

Can I self-host SurrealDB?

Yes, SurrealDB can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure at no licensing cost for the core engine.

What is SurrealQL?

SurrealQL is SurrealDB's purpose-built query language designed to express document, graph, relational, and vector queries.

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