InfluxDB costs $25/mo.
These cost $0.
6 free alternatives to InfluxDB, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
The top-rated free, open-source replacement for InfluxDB is TDengine (AGPL-3.0 Open Source). Across this category, 6 self-hostable tools are available (including TDengine and TimescaleDb). Switching a 5-person team saves up to $1,500/year compared to InfluxDB's $25/mo subscription.
The catch: Requires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed kdb+.
InfluxDB vs Free Alternatives
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $25/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TDengine | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Self-host | ★ 25.2k | InfluxDB vs TDengine → |
| TimescaleDb | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 23.8k | InfluxDB vs TimescaleDb → |
| VictoriaMetrics | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 18k | InfluxDB vs VictoriaMetrics → |
| QuestDB | open source | Apache-2.0 | Self-host | ★ 17.5k | InfluxDB vs QuestDB → |
| GreptimeDB | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 6.8k | InfluxDB vs GreptimeDB → |
| Apache IoTDB | open source | Open Source | Self-host | ★ 6.4k | InfluxDB vs Apache IoTDB → |
The picks
6 open source · ranked by fit
- 01
TDengine
open sourceAGPL-3.0Self-host25.2knov 2026High-performance time-series database with industrial data management, built-in stream analytics, and AI-driven anomaly detection for operational environments.
The catch vs InfluxDBRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed kdb+.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/taosdata/TDengine or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 02
TimescaleDb
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host23.8knov 2026PostgreSQL extension for time-series data with automatic partitioning, up to 95% columnar compression, continuous aggregates, and ~200 native SQL functions.
The catch vs InfluxDBRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed InfluxDB.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/timescale/timescaledb or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 03
VictoriaMetrics
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host18knov 2026Time series database and monitoring platform compatible with Prometheus, handling billions of metrics with lower resource usage than most alternatives.
The catch vs InfluxDBRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed InfluxDB.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 04
QuestDB
open sourceApache-2.0Self-host17.5knov 2026Open-source time-series database offering massive ingestion throughput, millisecond queries, and SQL extensions, designed for optimal performance at any hardware scale.
The catch vs InfluxDBRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed kdb+.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/questdb/questdb or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 05
GreptimeDB
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host6.8knov 2026Cloud-native observability database unifying metrics, logs, and traces with sub-second queries, 50x cost reduction, and seamless OpenTelemetry integration.
The catch vs InfluxDBRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed InfluxDB.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/greptimeteam/greptimedb or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
- 06
Apache IoTDB
open sourceOpen SourceSelf-host6.4knov 2026Apache IoTDB manages industrial IoT time-series data with high-throughput read/write, edge-cloud sync, ultra-high compression, and integrations with Hadoop, Spark, Flink, and Grafana.
The catch vs InfluxDBRequires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed InfluxDB.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Clone https://github.com/apache/iotdb or deploy with Docker Compose
- setup
- Deploy via Docker or binary release from GitHub and configure environment variables.
- your data
- All application data and configuration live on your own server or local database.
- checked
- 2026-11-07
InfluxDB Head-to-Head Comparisons (2027)
Side-by-side trade-off breakdowns · 6 free alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · InfluxDB open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to InfluxDB?+
The top free alternative to InfluxDB is TDengine (open source, AGPL-3.0). High-performance time-series database with industrial data management, built-in stream analytics, and AI-driven anomaly detection for operational environments. Other popular InfluxDB replacements include TimescaleDb, VictoriaMetrics, QuestDB.
Can I self-host a free replacement for InfluxDB?+
Yes. Of the 6 free alternatives to InfluxDB, 6 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: TDengine (AGPL-3.0), TimescaleDb (Open Source), VictoriaMetrics (Open Source), QuestDB (Apache-2.0), GreptimeDB (Open Source), Apache IoTDB (Open Source).
How much does switching from InfluxDB to a free alternative save?+
InfluxDB starts at $25/month per seat ($300/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like TDengine saves $1,500 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own InfluxDB clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for InfluxDB is NO (use a free alternative, save the tokens). Instead of paying recurring SaaS fees for InfluxDB or rebuilding it from scratch, deploy one of the 6 battle-tested open-source alternatives like TDengine.
What is the catch when switching from InfluxDB to TDengine?+
Requires self-hosting setup, updates, and server maintenance compared to managed kdb+.
