--- title: "SurrealDB vs. Traditional Databases | Why Surreal" description: "How SurrealDB compares to Postgres, MongoDB, and Neo4j. From single-model to native multi-model database architecture for the AI era." url: https://surrealdb.com/why/vs-traditional-databases --- # SurrealDB vs. traditional databases Three generations of database architecture for the AI era. From single-model silos to the unified data layer. [Start free with SurrealDB](https://studio.surrealdb.com/current/instances/deploy) [Explore the database](https://surrealdb.com/surrealdb) 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) THE GAP ## What traditional databases miss Traditional databases support one model well, but not native graph traversal, vector search, temporal queries, or unified multi-model execution. As AI workloads grow, teams bolt on extensions, glue systems together, and manage ever-growing operational complexity. ### No native graphs Postgres requires joins and CTEs. Graph traversal is a workaround, not a first-class feature. ### No native vectors Extensions like pgvector are bolt-ons. Not designed for hybrid queries or agent workloads. ### No temporal awareness No bi-temporal versioning. Can't query “what did we know when?” THE SOLUTION ## Everything in one engine SurrealDB was designed from the ground up as a native multi-model engine. Documents, graphs, vectors, time-series, and geospatial data - all first-class, all in one query language, one transaction boundary. ### Native multi-model Documents, graphs, vectors, time-series, geospatial. All first-class, all in one engine. ### SurrealQL One query language for everything. SQL-like, familiar, powerful. Joins, traversals, and vector search share one syntax. ### ACID across models One transaction boundary. Update a document and its graph relationships atomically. ### Agent-ready Agent Memory for memory. Knowledge graphs, entity extraction, temporal facts - built into the database. STORAGE ARCHITECTURE ## Three generations of database infrastructure The database industry is undergoing a generational shift driven by cloud object storage, elastic compute, and AI workloads. ### Gen 1: Monolith Compute and storage tightly coupled inside a single machine. Scaling means buying a bigger box. MySQL, PostgreSQL (self-hosted), classic Oracle ### Gen 2: Proprietary loose coupling Cloud vendors separated storage from compute, but data remains locked in proprietary formats with cloud lock-in. Amazon Aurora, Oracle Exadata, Google AlloyDB ### Gen 3: Open storage on the lake Data lives in commodity cloud object storage in open formats. Compute runs independently as stateless, elastic instances. Databricks Lakebase, SurrealDB 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 ## Traditional databases Can SurrealDB replace Postgres or MySQL? What about bi-temporal versioning? How does Gen 3 storage reduce costs? GET STARTED ## Move to Generation 3 The ACID rigor of traditional databases with the elasticity, durability, and economics of modern cloud infrastructure. ![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) [Explore the database](https://surrealdb.com/surrealdb) ```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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SurrealDB supports relational queries, SQL-like syntax, ACID transactions, and structured schemas. It also adds native graph traversal, vector search, temporal queries, and agent memory - capabilities that traditional databases require extensions or separate systems to achieve."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What about bi-temporal versioning?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"SurrealDB supports native bi-temporal versioning with transaction time (when data was committed) and valid time (when data is considered valid in the real world). Traditional databases store only current state - previous values are lost on update."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How does Gen 3 storage reduce costs?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Gen 3 storage uses commodity cloud object storage instead of provisioned disk, stateless compute that scales to zero when idle, and routes data through object storage to reduce cross-AZ network costs. Development and staging environments cost nothing when inactive."}}]} ```