--- title: "SurrealDB vs. Postgres | Database comparison" description: "A comparison of SurrealDB and PostgreSQL features and capabilities." url: https://surrealdb.com/comparison/postgres --- # SurrealDB vs. Postgres SurrealDB natively unifies relational, graph, vector, document, and temporal data in a single engine - no extensions or workarounds. [Migrate from Postgres](https://surrealdb.com/docs/build/migrating/from-other-databases/from-postgresql) [Contact us](https://surrealdb.com/contact) 1. ![Babcock](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/babcock.lo4rnVg1.svg) 2. ![ING](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/ing.X3I6S3_V.svg) 3. ![British Airways](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/british-airways.KEsZiwV-.svg) 4. ![Nvidia](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/nvidia.DaIEuMil.svg) 5. ![Apple](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/apple.D5pq4flY.svg) 6. ![SpaceX](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/spacex.CQJEk-IL.svg) 7. ![Samsung](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/samsung.CH-vQgnb.svg) 8. ![adidas](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/adidas.DdTC5qhk.svg) 9. ![Tencent](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/tencent.paQmLxyy.svg) 10. ![Alibaba](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/alibaba.B16idgfM.svg) 11. ![PolyAI](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/poly-ai.c3w_fAg6.svg) 12. ![Later](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/later.Ds736jFO.svg) 13. ![Verizon](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/verizon.BI7CajdX.svg) 14. ![Liberty Mutual](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/liberty-mutual.B7qOU1pd.svg) 15. ![Walmart](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/walmart.BjDg_Sr8.svg) 16. ![Carrier](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/carrier.D21gC6NX.svg) 17. ![Saks Fifth Avenue](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/saks-fifth-avenue.COIDpLSb.svg) 18. ![San Francisco Compute Company](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/sfcc.B7jlImq4.svg) 19. ![Shield AI](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/shield-ai.pINZ0KJr.svg) 20. ![Wix](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/wix.DvHhmoBi.svg) KEY ADVANTAGES ## Why teams choose SurrealDB over Postgres Postgres supports parts of this through extensions and workarounds. SurrealDB runs all of it natively in one system. ### Vector + graph retrieval Vectors identify similar items. Graphs add relationship context during retrieval. ### Higher accuracy through context Graph-based retrieval improves relevance by incorporating relationship-aware reasoning. ### Lower cost at scale A single unified engine eliminates the need for multiple specialised systems, reducing infrastructure sprawl. ### Operational simplicity One engine replaces kNN, multi-store SQL pipelines, and distributed instance coordination. HOW IT COMPARES ## SurrealDB vs. Postgres + pgvector Postgres is a powerful relational database, but AI and retrieval workloads stretch it beyond its original design. SurrealDB handles these workloads natively. Feature PostgreSQL SurrealDB Architecture Monolithic relational engine. Extensions bolt additional capabilities onto a core not designed for multi-model execution. Distributed, multi-model database with a decoupled query and storage layer. Efficient as single node or distributed. Models Relational database with JSON, full-text search, and vector support via extensions. No native graph model. Native multi-model: document, relational, graph, key-value, time-series, vector, full-text search, and geospatial. Relationship querying Relationships expressed through foreign keys and joins. Cost increases with join depth. First-class relationships traversed directly without joins. No join planning or join indexes required. Scale Scaling beyond a single node requires manual primary/replica coordination. Large deployments commonly require manual sharding. Horizontally scalable for both reads and writes. Designed to eliminate the need for sharding. Schema evolution Schema changes on large tables are disruptive and risky. Migrations often require maintenance windows. Schema-flexible by design. Start schemaless and incrementally enforce schema without downtime. Pricing Infrastructure costs grow with index count, replicas, and sharding. Unified engine reduces the need for multiple specialised systems. Costs scale linearly with usage. FEATURED BLOG ## Learn more about SurrealDB vs. PostgreSQL A detailed look at how SurrealDB compares to PostgreSQL for modern application and AI workloads. ![A look at SurrealQL and how it differs from PostgreSQL](https://cdn.surrealdb.com/d5rql5c8bm2s73cj5k7g.auto) Jan 27, 2026 Tutorial ### [A look at SurrealQL and how it differs from PostgreSQL](https://surrealdb.com/blog/a-look-at-surrealql-and-how-it-differs-from-postgresql) TRUSTED BY ## Enterprise teams building on SurrealDB From knowledge graphs to AI assistants - how enterprise teams are building on SurrealDB. ![Samsung](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/4c58b81e7b3c9466.C_Hv0eml.svg) DATABASE ### [Unlocking insights with knowledge graphs](https://surrealdb.com/customer/samsung) Samsung Ads uses SurrealDB to build dynamic, real-time knowledge graphs for smarter campaign execution - collapsing three legacy data stores into one. Read case study ![Verizon](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/18b99996c689000f.B5PQ-nI9.svg) DATABASE ### [AI assistant empowering 10,000 technicians](https://surrealdb.com/customer/verizon) Verizon uses SurrealDB to power a generative AI assistant for 10,000 field technicians, delivering instant access to documentation, outage updates, and workflows. Read case study ![Tencent](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/401d8346058682c8.DqM87mst.svg) DATABASE ### [Unified infrastructure monitoring](https://surrealdb.com/customer/tencent) Tencent consolidated nine backend tools into one real-time monitoring platform powered by SurrealDB's multi-model context graph. Read case study ![PolyAI](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/c5fa07c66cd05131.BnC7wHcc.svg) DATABASE ### [High-performance customer service AI powered by RAG](https://surrealdb.com/customer/polyai) PolyAI connects SurrealDB to Agent Studio for low-latency, customer-controlled RAG across voice AI experiences. Read case study ![Saks Fifth Avenue](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/saks-fifth-avenue-white.pDJ9HGmf.svg) DATABASE ### [AI-powered personalisation at massive scale](https://surrealdb.com/customer/saks) Saks Fifth Avenue uses SurrealDB's vector search and graph capabilities to deliver real-time, AI-powered personalisation across 5 million luxury customers and 45 million monthly product-recommendation queries. Read case study FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ## Common questions about Postgres How is SurrealDB different from PostgreSQL? Can SurrealDB replace PostgreSQL? How does SurrealDB handle relationships compared to PostgreSQL joins? GET STARTED ## Migrate from Postgres Relational depth without the extension sprawl: documents, graphs, and vectors in one ACID engine. ![Samsung](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/4c58b81e7b3c9466.C_Hv0eml.svg)![NVIDIA](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/nvidia.DaIEuMil.svg)![Apple](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/f7dc2519e0d212bc.Cn8MYAK7.svg)![Verizon](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/18b99996c689000f.B5PQ-nI9.svg)![Tencent](https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/401d8346058682c8.DqM87mst.svg) SOC 2 Type 2 GDPR Cyber Essentials Plus ISO 27001 [Start free with SurrealDB](https://studio.surrealdb.com/current/instances/deploy) [Migration guide](https://surrealdb.com/docs/build/migrating/from-other-databases/from-postgresql) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"SurrealDB","url":"https://surrealdb.com","logo":"https://surrealdb.com/assets/static/logo.BG7_TG2b.svg","description":"SurrealDB is the unified data layer for AI. 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