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Should I Use ObjectBox?

objectbox.io·Analyzed 2 hours ago·Based on 14 sources

High-speed & lightweight database solution which securly stores your data privatly on-device and syncs it seamless to millions of devices

Depends

Depends

Buy if you build offline-first mobile, IoT, or edge apps and want a fast on-device store with sync.

Fast on-device NoSQL DB for offline-first mobile/IoT apps; skip if you need SQL, published sync pricing, or mature encryption.

Confidence: Medium

2015

Founded

Munich/London-based (Tracxn)

$3.39M

Total funding

4 rounds, seed-stage (Tracxn)

5 employees

Team size

~$688K revenue (GetLatka)

800K+ developers

Adoption

Since launch (greenrobot)

Value for money4

Core database free; only sync costs money

Ease of use4

Reviewers call it simplest; no SQL or ORM layer

Feature depth3

Offline sync and vectors, but no SQL

Security posture2

Encryption unclear; no public security page

Pros

  • Claims 10X faster on-device performance; lightweight NoSQL engine¹
  • Works fully offline; apps run online and offline
  • Free core database across Android, iOS, Swift, Flutter, Java, Go³
  • Case studies claim up to 60% cloud cost reduction
  • Now doubles as an edge vector database since v4.0

Cons

  • No SQL layer; Reddit tells SQL fans to stick with SQLite
  • Proprietary core; migrating to SQLite or Realm later hurts10
  • Encryption unclear; developers still open GitHub issues asking⁶
  • Sync is a paid SaaS with unpublished pricing²
  • Tiny vendor: 5 employees, ~$688K revenue; longevity risk12

Gotchas

  • mediumSync pricing unpublished; expect a sales conversation before you can budget²
  • mediumProprietary storage means full data migration if you ever leave10
  • mediumNo public security page; encryption relies on platform features and DIY key handling⁴
  • mediumFive-employee vendor: support depth and long-term roadmap are thin12

Best for

  • Offline-first mobile apps
  • IoT and edge devices
  • On-device vector search / edge AI
  • Flutter, Android, iOS developers

Not for

  • Server or web backends needing standard SQL
  • Buyers wanting published, predictable sync pricing
  • Apps needing audited encryption out of the box
  • Teams needing deep enterprise-grade vendor support

Companies that use it

  • Kapsch13
  • easyGoband
  • 14
  • MoodSpace

Pricing

ObjectBox DB

Free

  • On-device database for mobile, desktop, IoT
  • SDKs: Java, Kotlin, Dart/Flutter, Swift, Go

ObjectBox Sync

Not disclosed

  • Device-to-device and cloud sync
  • Commercial SaaS subscription

Security

No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Users praise speed and simplicity while debating sync reliability, licensing, and SQLite/Realm trade-offs.

“If syncing works out I'll probably stick with objectbox.”
— Reddit, r/androiddev
“If you like doing SQL you should stick with SQLite.”
— Reddit, r/java
“The use of ObjectBox has been a positive addition”
— G2 review

Alternatives

Compare ObjectBox with each alternative.

Realm

Popular mobile object database; active Reddit comparisons

Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources: reviews, Reddit threads, official docs, case studies, and company data. No numeric review ratings or public sync prices found.

Sources

  1. ObjectBox — edge vector database (official site)objectbox.io
    official
  2. ObjectBox Sync Pricingobjectbox.io
    official
  3. ObjectBox Docsdocs.objectbox.io
    official
  4. ObjectBox Security pageobjectbox.io
    security
  5. Does ObjectBox support data encryption? — Stack Overflowstackoverflow.com
    security
  6. Security features in ObjectBox — GitHub issuegithub.com
    security
  7. ObjectBox Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  8. ObjectBox Reviews — Capterracapterra.com
    review
  9. ObjectBox vs Room — Redditreddit.com
    review
  10. Choosing between Realm and ObjectBox — Redditreddit.com
    review
  11. ObjectBox funding and investors — Tracxntracxn.com
    news
  12. ObjectBox revenue and headcount — GetLatkagetlatka.com
    news
  13. Kapsch railway IIoT case studyobjectbox.io
    official
  14. billiger.de mobile app case studyobjectbox.io
    official

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