TigerData (TimescaleDB) Alternative: Vela vs TigerData

General‑purpose Postgres for apps—delivered in your cloud with enterprise RBAC, instant storage‑level cloning, and predictable pricing.

Try Interactive Demo Calculate Savings

Looking for a TigerData alternative? Keep Postgres and add BYOC, instant copy‑on‑write clones, and organization‑wide RBAC so platform teams can test safely on production‑like data and ship with fewer mistakes.

At a Glance

Run Postgres for apps in your cloud—pair with time‑series where it shines

BYOC / On‑prem

Data stays in your account & region. Simplify residency.

Instant Branching

Copy‑on‑write clones for production‑like data in seconds.

Enterprise RBAC

Org‑wide roles, SSO, quotas, and guardrails.

Feature‑by‑Feature Comparison

See how Vela compares across what matters

Data Model & Strengths

Vela (TigerData Alternative)

PostgreSQL (relational, ACID) with extensions
Full SQL: joins, constraints, triggers, functions
Great for mixed OLTP + analytics + AI (pgvector)
Copy‑on‑write cloning for very large datasets

TigerData (Cloud/Self‑host)

PostgreSQL with time‑series/analytics specialization
SQL with hypertables/partitions (time‑series focus)
Strong for metrics, events, observability, IoT
Great compression and retention tooling

Hosting Model & Control

Vela (TigerData Alternative)

BYOC / on‑prem in your own account
Kubernetes‑native control plane
Data residency & compliance simplified
Portable across hyperscalers and EU tier‑2 clouds

TigerData (Cloud/Self‑host)

Managed cloud and self‑host options
Runs in provider accounts (cloud) or your infra (self‑host)
Private networking/tiering by plan & mode
Residency depends on chosen regions/deployment

Developer & QA Workflows

Vela (TigerData Alternative)

Instant copy‑on‑write cloning for production‑like data
Git‑style branching per PR / pipeline
Supabase‑style Studio UX (enterprise‑modified)
Faster pre‑merge validation on real data

TigerData (Cloud/Self‑host)

Clones/environments via backup/restore or tooling
Time‑series dev tools, compression/retention configs
Great SQL DX for time‑series analytics
Branch‑per‑PR usually requires seeding/scripts

Performance & Scaling

Vela (TigerData Alternative)

Independently scale vCPU / RAM / IOPS
Low‑latency storage (Simplyblock) + fast snapshots
Live migration & cluster rebalancing
Optimized for heavy CI/QA and staging throughput

TigerData (Cloud/Self‑host)

Time‑series ingest & query optimizations
Compression & tiered retention to control cost
Scaling depends on deployment/plan
Strong for append‑heavy workloads

Pricing & Cost Predictability

Vela (TigerData Alternative)

Flat $/vCPU (no per‑seat fees)
Unlimited developer seats
No egress fees inside your cloud
Encourages many short‑lived branches

TigerData (Cloud/Self‑host)

Plan/usage‑based (cloud) or infra cost (self‑host)
Storage/compression can be very efficient
Seats/features vary by plan
Great for analytics‑heavy telemetry

Use‑Case Fit

Vela (TigerData Alternative)

Product DBs needing SQL + migrations
CI/QA at scale with large production‑like datasets
Postgres ecosystem + extensions (pgvector, FDWs)
Enterprise RBAC in BYOC/on‑prem

TigerData (Cloud/Self‑host)

Time‑series analytics (metrics, events, IoT)
Downsampling/retention + long‑term analytics
Operational analytics on historical telemetry
Can complement OLTP databases

Cost Predictability for Growing Teams

Encourage more testing without surprise bills

Scenario	Vela (BYOC)	TigerData	Notes
Feature branches per PR	Instant cloned DBs at flat $/vCPU	New envs via import/restore	Branch‑heavy teams prefer predictable infra cost
Analytics & reporting	Native SQL + extensions	Time‑series optimized SQL	Pick per dominant workload style
Strict residency/compliance	Data stays in your account/region	Depends on cloud/self‑host	BYOC simplifies audits & controls

Model Costs for Your Team

Which One Fits Your Situation?

A quick guide for choosing

Choose Vela if…

• You need general‑purpose Postgres for apps.
• You want BYOC/on‑prem with strict residency.
• You run heavy CI/QA with many ephemeral branches.
• You prefer predictable $/vCPU and unlimited seats.

Choose TigerData if…

• Your workload is primarily time‑series analytics.
• You need native compression/retention ops.
• You’re fine with SaaS or self‑host trade‑offs.
• You pair it with an OLTP DB for app data.

FAQ: TigerData Alternative

When would teams pick Vela over TigerData?

Choose Vela when you need a general‑purpose Postgres for your app (OLTP) plus instant cloning/branching for CI/QA in your own cloud with enterprise RBAC and predictable $/vCPU.

Does Vela handle time‑series workloads?

Yes—Vela runs Postgres with extensions and can support time‑series patterns. If your workload is dominantly time‑series analytics at massive scale, TigerData’s specialization can be attractive.

Can we use Vela for OLTP and TigerData for analytics?

Many teams pair a general‑purpose Postgres for app data with a time‑series/analytics store. Vela’s BYOC and cloning improve QA regardless of your downstream analytics choice.

More Reasons to Move to Vela

Beyond branching, here’s what stands out

Benefit	Vela	TigerData	Details
Self‑Hosting & Residency	✓	Cloud/Self	Vela standardizes BYOC/on‑prem for app DBs.
Instant DB Branching	✓	Manual/Tools	CoW clones for huge datasets in seconds.
Predictable $/vCPU Pricing	✓	Varies	Unlimited seats; fewer surprises from spikes.
Enterprise RBAC	✓	Tiers	Org‑wide roles, SSO, quotas, guardrails.
App + Analytics in One	✓	Specialized	Use Postgres features + extensions directly.
Tooling Familiarity	✓	✓	Stay in standard Postgres ecosystem.

Bring Postgres Branching to Your Cloud

See how Vela’s BYOC model, instant cloning, and enterprise RBAC reduce production mistakes and speed up releases.

Try Interactive Demo Calculate Savings