Best Free Key-Value Databases of 2025

Dragonfly serves as a seamless substitute for Redis, offering enhanced performance while reducing costs. It is specifically engineered to harness the capabilities of contemporary cloud infrastructure, catering to the data requirements of today’s applications, thereby liberating developers from the constraints posed by conventional in-memory data solutions. Legacy software cannot fully exploit the advantages of modern cloud technology. With its optimization for cloud environments, Dragonfly achieves an impressive 25 times more throughput and reduces snapshotting latency by 12 times compared to older in-memory data solutions like Redis, making it easier to provide the immediate responses that users demand. The traditional single-threaded architecture of Redis leads to high expenses when scaling workloads. In contrast, Dragonfly is significantly more efficient in both computation and memory usage, potentially reducing infrastructure expenses by up to 80%. Initially, Dragonfly scales vertically, only transitioning to clustering when absolutely necessary at a very high scale, which simplifies the operational framework and enhances system reliability. Consequently, developers can focus more on innovation rather than infrastructure management.

InterSystems IRIS, a cloud-first data platform, is a multi-model transactional database management engine, application development platform, interoperability engine and open analytics platform. InterSystems IRIS offers a variety of APIs that allow you to work with transactional persistent data simultaneously. These include key-value, relational and object, document, and multidimensional. Data can be managed by SQL, Java, node.js, .NET, C++, Python, and native server-side ObjectScript language. InterSystems IRIS features an Interoperability engine as well as modules for building AI solutions. InterSystems IRIS features horizontal scalability (sharding and ECP), and High Availability features such as Business intelligence, transaction support and backup.

BangDB seamlessly incorporates AI, streaming capabilities, graph processing, and analytics directly within its database, empowering users to handle intricate data types like text, images, videos, and objects for immediate data processing and analysis. Users can ingest or stream various data types, process them, train models, make predictions, uncover patterns, and automate actions, facilitating applications such as IoT monitoring, fraud prevention, log analysis, lead generation, and personalized experiences. Modern applications necessitate the simultaneous ingestion, processing, and querying of diverse data types to address specific challenges effectively. BangDB accommodates a wide array of valuable data formats, simplifying problem-solving for users. The increasing demand for real-time data is driving the need for concurrent streaming and predictive analytics, which are essential for enhancing and optimizing business operations. As organizations continue to evolve, the ability to rapidly adapt to new data sources and insights will become increasingly vital for maintaining a competitive edge.

Redis Labs is the home of Redis. Redis Enterprise is the best Redis version. Redis Enterprise is more than a cache. Redis Enterprise can be free in the cloud with NoSQL and data caching using the fastest in-memory database. Redis can be scaled, enterprise-grade resilience, massive scaling, ease of administration, and operational simplicity. Redis in the Cloud is a favorite of DevOps. Developers have access to enhanced data structures and a variety modules. This allows them to innovate faster and has a faster time-to-market. CIOs love the security and expert support of Redis, which provides 99.999% uptime. Use relational databases for active-active, geodistribution, conflict distribution, reads/writes in multiple regions to the same data set. Redis Enterprise offers flexible deployment options. Redis Labs is the home of Redis. Redis JSON, Redis Java, Python Redis, Redis on Kubernetes & Redis gui best practices.

When seeking a database that ensures both scalability and high availability without sacrificing performance, Apache Cassandra stands out as an ideal option. Its linear scalability paired with proven fault tolerance on standard hardware or cloud services positions it as an excellent choice for handling mission-critical data effectively. Additionally, Cassandra's superior capability to replicate data across several datacenters not only enhances user experience by reducing latency but also offers reassurance in the event of regional failures. This combination of features makes it a robust solution for organizations that prioritize data resilience and efficiency.

Amazon DynamoDB is a versatile key-value and document database that provides exceptional single-digit millisecond performance, regardless of scale. As a fully managed service, it offers multi-region, multimaster durability along with integrated security features, backup and restore capabilities, and in-memory caching designed for internet-scale applications. With the ability to handle over 10 trillion requests daily and support peak loads exceeding 20 million requests per second, it serves a wide range of businesses. Prominent companies like Lyft, Airbnb, and Redfin, alongside major enterprises such as Samsung, Toyota, and Capital One, rely on DynamoDB for their critical operations, leveraging its scalability and performance. This allows organizations to concentrate on fostering innovation without the burden of operational management. You can create an immersive gaming platform that manages player data, session histories, and leaderboards for millions of users simultaneously. Additionally, it facilitates the implementation of design patterns for various applications like shopping carts, workflow engines, inventory management, and customer profiles. DynamoDB is well-equipped to handle high-traffic, large-scale events seamlessly, making it an ideal choice for modern applications.

Riak is a distributed systems expert and works with Application teams to overcome distributed system challenges. Riak's Riak®, a distributed NoSQL databank, delivers: Unmatched resilience beyond the typical "high availability" offerings - Innovative technology to ensure data accuracy, and never lose a word. - Massive scale for commodity hardware - A common code foundation that supports true multi-model support Riak®, offers all of this while still focusing on ease-of-use. Choose Riak®, KV flexible key value data model for web scale profile management, session management, real time big data, catalog content management, customer 360, digital message and other use cases. Choose Riak®, TS for IoT, time series and other use cases.

Effortlessly handle intricate models with ArcadeDB while ensuring no compromises are made. Say goodbye to the concept of Polyglot Persistence; there's no need to juggle multiple databases. With ArcadeDB's Multi-Model database, you can seamlessly store graphs, documents, key values, and time series data in one unified solution. As each model is inherently compatible with the database engine, you can avoid the delays caused by translation processes. Powered by advanced Alien Technology, ArcadeDB's engine can process millions of records every second. Notably, the speed of data traversal remains constant regardless of the database's size, whether it houses a handful of records or billions. ArcadeDB is versatile enough to function as an embedded database on a single server and can easily scale across multiple servers using Kubernetes. Its compact design allows it to operate on any platform while maintaining a minimal footprint. Your data's security is paramount; our robust, fully transactional engine guarantees durability for mission-critical production databases. Additionally, ArcadeDB employs a Raft Consensus Algorithm to ensure consistency and reliability across multiple servers, making it a top choice for data management. In an era where efficiency and reliability are crucial, ArcadeDB stands out as a comprehensive solution for diverse data storage needs.

Introducing Speedb, the cutting-edge key-value storage engine that is fully compatible with RocksDB, offering enhanced stability, efficiency, and performance improvements. By becoming a part of the Hive, Speedb’s open-source community, you can engage with others to refine and exchange insights and best practices regarding RocksDB. Speedb stands as a viable alternative for users of LevelDB and RocksDB who are looking to elevate their applications. If you are utilizing event streaming platforms such as Kafka, Flink, Spark, Splunk, or Elastic, incorporating Speedb can significantly boost their performance. The growing volume of metadata in contemporary data sets is leading to notable performance challenges for various applications, but with Speedb, you can maintain affordable costs while ensuring your applications run seamlessly, even during peak demand. When considering whether to upgrade or implement a new key-value store within your infrastructure, Speedb is well-equipped to meet the demands. By integrating Speedb's sophisticated key-value storage engine into your projects, you will swiftly notice enhancements in performance and efficiency, allowing you to focus on innovation rather than troubleshooting.

Valkey is a high-performance key/value datastore that is open source and designed to handle diverse workloads, including caching and message queuing, while also functioning as a primary database. With backing from the Linux Foundation, its open source status is guaranteed indefinitely. Valkey can be deployed as a standalone service or within a clustered environment, featuring options for replication and ensuring high availability. It provides a wide array of data types, such as strings, numbers, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, bitmaps, hyperloglogs, among others. Users have the ability to manipulate data structures directly with a comprehensive suite of commands. Additionally, Valkey offers native extensibility through built-in Lua scripting support and allows the use of module plugins to introduce new commands and data types. The latest version, Valkey 8.1, brings numerous enhancements that improve performance by reducing latency, boosting throughput, and optimizing memory consumption. This makes Valkey an increasingly efficient choice for developers looking for a flexible and powerful data management solution.

Aerospike is the global leader for next-generation, real time NoSQL data solutions at any scale. Aerospike helps enterprises overcome seemingly impossible data bottlenecks and compete with other companies at a fraction of the cost and complexity of legacy NoSQL databases. Aerospike's Hybrid Memory Architecture™ is a patented technology that unlocks the full potential of modern hardware and delivers previously unimaginable value. It does this by delivering unimaginable value from huge amounts of data at both the edge, core, and in the cloud. Aerospike empowers customers with the ability to instantly combat fraud, dramatically increase shopping cart sizes, deploy global digital payment networks, and provide instant, one-to-1 personalization for millions. Aerospike customers include Airtel and Banca d'Italia as well as Snap, Verizon Media, Wayfair, PayPal, Snap, Verizon Media, and Nielsen. The company's headquarters is in Mountain View, California. Additional locations are in London, Bengaluru, India, and Tel Aviv in Israel.

InterSystems Cache®, a high-performance database, powers transaction processing applications all over the globe. It's used for everything, from mapping a million stars in the Milky Way to processing a trillion equity trades per day to managing smart energy grids. InterSystems has developed Cache, a multi-model (object-relational, key-value), DBMS and application server. InterSystems Cache offers multiple APIs that allow you to work with the same data simultaneously: key/value, relational/object, document, multidimensional, object, object, and object. Data can be managed using SQL, Java, node.js.NET, C++ and Python. Cache also offers an application server that hosts web apps (CSP, REST, SOAP and other types TCP access for Cache data).

ScyllaDB serves as an ideal database solution for applications that demand high performance and minimal latency, catering specifically to data-intensive needs. It empowers teams to fully utilize the growing computing capabilities of modern infrastructures, effectively removing obstacles to scaling as data volumes expand. Distinct from other database systems, ScyllaDB stands out as a distributed NoSQL database that is completely compatible with both Apache Cassandra and Amazon DynamoDB, while incorporating significant architectural innovations that deliver outstanding user experiences at significantly reduced costs. Over 400 transformative companies, including Disney+ Hotstar, Expedia, FireEye, Discord, Zillow, Starbucks, Comcast, and Samsung, rely on ScyllaDB to tackle their most challenging database requirements. Furthermore, ScyllaDB is offered in various formats, including a free open-source version, a fully-supported enterprise solution, and a fully managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS) available across multiple cloud platforms, ensuring flexibility for diverse user needs. This versatility makes it an attractive choice for organizations looking to optimize their database performance.

Azure Cosmos DB offers a fully managed NoSQL database solution tailored for contemporary application development, ensuring single-digit millisecond response times and an impressive availability rate of 99.999 percent, all supported by service level agreements. This service provides automatic, instantaneous scalability and supports open-source APIs for MongoDB and Cassandra, allowing for rapid data operations. With its turnkey multi-master global distribution, users can experience swift read and write operations from any location around the globe. Additionally, Azure Cosmos DB enables organizations to accelerate their decision-making processes by facilitating near-real-time analytics and AI capabilities on the operational data housed within the database. Furthermore, Azure Synapse Link for Azure Cosmos DB integrates effortlessly with Azure Synapse Analytics, ensuring smooth performance without necessitating data movement or compromising the efficiency of the operational data store, enhancing the overall functionality of your data strategy. This integration not only streamlines workflows but also empowers users to derive insights more efficiently.

Berkeley DB encompasses a suite of embedded key-value database libraries that deliver scalable and high-performance data management functionalities for various applications. Its products utilize straightforward function-call APIs for accessing and managing data efficiently. With Berkeley DB, developers can create tailored data management solutions that bypass the typical complexities linked with custom projects. The library offers a range of reliable building-block technologies that can be adapted to meet diverse application requirements, whether for handheld devices or extensive data centers, catering to both local storage needs and global distribution, handling data volumes that range from kilobytes to petabytes. This versatility makes Berkeley DB a preferred choice for developers looking to implement efficient data solutions.

Amazon ElastiCache enables users to effortlessly establish, operate, and expand widely-used open-source compatible in-memory data stores in the cloud environment. It empowers the development of data-driven applications or enhances the efficiency of existing databases by allowing quick access to data through high throughput and minimal latency in-memory stores. This service is particularly favored for various real-time applications such as caching, session management, gaming, geospatial services, real-time analytics, and queuing. With fully managed options for Redis and Memcached, Amazon ElastiCache caters to demanding applications that necessitate response times in the sub-millisecond range. Functioning as both an in-memory data store and a cache, it is designed to meet the needs of applications that require rapid data retrieval. Furthermore, by utilizing a fully optimized architecture that operates on dedicated nodes for each customer, Amazon ElastiCache guarantees incredibly fast and secure performance for its users' critical workloads. This makes it an essential tool for businesses looking to enhance their application's responsiveness and scalability.

We provide a globally distributed real-time database, along with stream processing and computing capabilities for event-driven applications, utilizing as many as 175 edge data centers around the world. Developers and API creators appreciate our platform because it addresses the complex challenges of managing shared mutable state across hundreds of locations with both strong consistency and minimal latency. Macrometa empowers you to seamlessly enhance your existing infrastructure, allowing you to reposition portions of your application or the entire setup closer to your end users. This strategic placement significantly boosts performance, enhances user experiences, and ensures adherence to international data governance regulations. Serving as a serverless, streaming NoSQL database, Macrometa encompasses integrated pub/sub features, stream data processing, and a compute engine. You can establish a stateful data infrastructure, create stateful functions and containers suitable for prolonged workloads, and handle data streams in real time. While you focus on coding, we manage all operational tasks and orchestration, freeing you to innovate without constraints. As a result, our platform not only simplifies development but also optimizes resource utilization across global networks.

Couchbase distinguishes itself from other NoSQL databases by delivering an enterprise-grade, multicloud to edge solution that is equipped with the powerful features essential for mission-critical applications on a platform that is both highly scalable and reliable. This distributed cloud-native database operates seamlessly in contemporary dynamic settings, accommodating any cloud environment, whether it be customer-managed or a fully managed service. Leveraging open standards, Couchbase merges the advantages of NoSQL with the familiar structure of SQL, thereby facilitating a smoother transition from traditional mainframe and relational databases. Couchbase Server serves as a versatile, distributed database that integrates the benefits of relational database capabilities, including SQL and ACID transactions, with the adaptability of JSON, all built on a foundation that is remarkably fast and scalable. Its applications span various industries, catering to needs such as user profiles, dynamic product catalogs, generative AI applications, vector search, high-speed caching, and much more, making it an invaluable asset for organizations seeking efficiency and innovation.

Store data in its native format for graph, document, and search purposes. Leverage a comprehensive query language that allows for rich access to this data. Map the data directly to the database and interact with it through optimal methods tailored for specific tasks, such as traversals, joins, searches, rankings, geospatial queries, and aggregations. Experience the benefits of polyglot persistence without incurring additional costs. Design, scale, and modify your architectures with ease to accommodate evolving requirements, all while minimizing effort. Merge the adaptability of JSON with advanced semantic search and graph technologies, enabling the extraction of features even from extensive datasets, thereby enhancing data analysis capabilities. This combination opens up new possibilities for handling complex data scenarios efficiently.