List of the Top 21 Offline-First Databases for Nonprofit in 2025

Firebase serves as an essential asset for the development and administration of successful applications, increasingly favored by development teams from emerging startups to established enterprises, largely due to its strong affiliation with Google. The platform provides a comprehensive array of dependable products and solutions that support your application throughout its entire lifecycle. By utilizing pre-packaged, open-source code bundles, you can streamline routine development processes with ease. Additionally, Firebase facilitates smooth integration with your preferred tools, empowering you to address complex challenges while improving your app's overall user experience. Whether your goal is to customize the onboarding journey, enhance user interaction, or roll out innovative features, Firebase is equipped to assist you. With its extensive documentation and support for cross-platform SDKs, Firebase enables app development and deployment across various platforms, including Android, iOS, web, C++, and Unity. You can learn how to kickstart a Firebase project, register your applications, and integrate the Firebase SDKs specific to your chosen platform—whether that’s iOS, Android, or the web. Furthermore, you can explore Firebase project fundamentals, gain in-depth knowledge about project permissions and management, and effectively prepare your application for launch, ensuring you have the essential resources for a successful deployment. In summary, Firebase remains a crucial partner in the landscape of app development, continually adapting to meet the evolving needs of developers. This adaptability not only enhances its offerings but also fosters a thriving community around it.

SQLite is a library written in C that delivers a compact, efficient, and fully-featured SQL database engine that is both reliable and widely used. It is regarded as the most popular database engine in the world, integrated into virtually every mobile device and most computers, along with countless applications that people utilize on a daily basis. Functioning as an in-process library, SQLite serves as a self-contained, serverless, and zero-configuration transactional SQL database engine. The source code is in the public domain, allowing anyone to utilize it freely for both commercial and personal endeavors. Thanks to its extensive integration and deployment across various platforms, SQLite has become an essential resource for developers engaged in significant projects. Its remarkable adaptability and user-friendliness are key factors that contribute to its unparalleled popularity within the database arena, making it a go-to choice for many. This widespread adoption showcases its importance in modern software development and data management practices.

Cloud Firestore is a powerful, fully managed NoSQL document database that operates without the need for server management, designed to optimize the storage, synchronization, and querying of data across mobile, web, and IoT applications worldwide. It includes client libraries that provide real-time synchronization and offline functionality, while its robust security features and seamless compatibility with Firebase and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) promote the swift creation of truly serverless applications. Firestore prioritizes an exceptional developer experience by offering built-in live synchronization, offline capabilities, and ACID transactions, all available through a wide range of client and server-side libraries. The system dynamically adapts to fluctuating demand, removing the burden of maintenance and achieving impressive availability rates ranging from 99.99% to 99.999% via dependable data replication. Functioning as a no-operations database, it allows users to pay only for the resources they utilize, thus circumventing upfront expenses and challenges associated with resource underuse. Its straightforward architecture facilitates direct interaction between applications and Firestore, significantly improving efficiency and performance. Furthermore, the platform benefits from continuous updates and enhancements, guaranteeing that developers can access the most current features and security improvements with ease, contributing to a more robust development ecosystem. This commitment to innovation ensures that Firestore remains a top choice for developers aiming to build scalable applications effectively.

PouchDB is an open-source JavaScript database inspired by Apache CouchDB, designed for seamless functionality within web browsers and ensuring efficient data storage. This groundbreaking tool allows applications to save data locally when offline and synchronize with CouchDB and other compatible servers once reconnected, thus ensuring data remains consistent across various sessions. It is lightweight and cross-browser compatible, requiring merely a simple script tag and 46KB when gzipped, or can be conveniently installed via npm. With an easy learning curve that necessitates some programming knowledge, PouchDB remains completely open-source, with its development openly conducted on GitHub. Developers can utilize PouchDB to build applications that provide a smooth experience both online and offline, catering to users regardless of their internet connection. Its user-friendly API simplifies the processes of creating, reading, updating, and deleting documents, which enhances the overall development workflow. This adaptability renders PouchDB an essential asset for contemporary web applications that focus on user accessibility and maintaining data integrity, while also supporting various use cases across different platforms.

RxDB is a NoSQL database crafted for a local-first approach, making it particularly ideal for modern web and mobile applications. It enables offline-first functionality by storing data directly on the client side using a variety of storage engines such as IndexedDB, OPFS, and SQLite. With its real-time reactivity, RxDB empowers developers to track changes in documents, fields, or queries, allowing UI components to display data updates immediately. Its versatile replication engine supports synchronization with numerous backends and bespoke endpoints, which enhances its adaptability for different scenarios. Moreover, RxDB integrates seamlessly with various frameworks and environments, further boosting its practicality. Among its core features are field-level encryption, schema validation, conflict resolution capabilities, options for backup and restoration, along with support for attachments and CRDTs. By reducing server load and facilitating quick local queries, RxDB significantly enhances performance and scalability, positioning it as an excellent choice for applications requiring real-time updates, offline capabilities, and consistency across platforms. Furthermore, the innovative design of RxDB equips developers with the tools necessary to create dynamic and responsive applications that can efficiently handle user interactions in real-time.

IndexedDB is a crucial API specifically created for client-side storage, enabling the management of substantial amounts of structured data, such as files and blobs. It employs indexing mechanisms that enhance search efficiency, making it ideal for handling large datasets. In contrast to traditional web storage, which is effective for smaller data volumes, it lacks the capacity to manage extensive structured datasets, a limitation that IndexedDB successfully addresses. Acting as a transactional database system similar to SQL-based Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), IndexedDB distinguishes itself by functioning as a JavaScript-based object-oriented database. This unique approach permits the storage and retrieval of objects indexed by keys, accommodating any objects that can be structured via the clone algorithm. Database schema definition, connection establishment, and the execution of data retrieval and updates occur through a sequence of transactions that users need to manage. Furthermore, like other web storage options, IndexedDB complies with the same-origin policy, which safeguards data security and integrity across various domains. Its adaptability and robust functionality have made IndexedDB an indispensable resource for developers who manage intricate data requirements on the web, ultimately enhancing user experience and application performance.

Dexie.js acts as an efficient and reliable interface for IndexedDB, designed to simplify the management of client-side storage. With a minified and gzipped size of about 29k, it offers an uncomplicated API that addresses the complex issues associated with the native IndexedDB, such as erratic error handling, sluggish querying, a lack of reactivity, and heightened code intricacies. The library is constructed on a well-designed API that boasts robust error management, the potential for functionality extension, and an understanding of change tracking, while also enhancing KeyRange features to facilitate various operations like case-insensitive searches, set matches, and OR conditions. By conforming to the IndexedDB specification and utilizing its full range of features, Dexie.js enables developers to interact with existing IndexedDB data seamlessly, eliminating the need for data migration. It also provides support for real-time composable queries, allowing components to instantly reflect database changes across numerous front-end frameworks such as React, Svelte, Vue, and Angular. Moreover, with the addition of Dexie Cloud, developers can build dependable, authenticated, and access-controlled local-first applications with minimal extra coding. This rich array of functionalities positions Dexie.js as an indispensable tool for contemporary web development, especially when it comes to managing client-side data with efficiency and ease. As the demand for better data handling solutions continues to grow, Dexie.js is likely to remain a popular choice among developers seeking to enhance their applications.

WatermelonDB is an advanced reactive database framework specifically designed for creating powerful React and React Native applications that can scale efficiently from hundreds to tens of thousands of records while ensuring rapid performance. It ensures that applications launch instantly, regardless of the data volume, employs lazy loading to retrieve data only as needed, and includes offline-first features alongside synchronization capabilities with custom backend systems. This framework is inherently multiplatform, being particularly optimized for React, which simplifies data integration into components, and it is also framework-agnostic, allowing developers to leverage its JavaScript API across various UI frameworks. Built upon a robust SQLite foundation, WatermelonDB provides static typing support through Flow or TypeScript, while also offering optional reactivity via an RxJS API. It adeptly addresses performance issues in complex applications by deferring data loading until it is explicitly requested and executing all queries directly on SQLite within a dedicated native thread, ensuring that most queries are resolved in near real-time. Moreover, this innovative framework not only simplifies data management but also serves as a flexible solution for developers aiming to boost the overall performance and responsiveness of their applications, ultimately enhancing the user experience.

Realm is a cutting-edge, mobile-focused open-source object database designed to function flawlessly on smartphones, tablets, and wearable technology. By utilizing a simple, object-oriented data structure, it removes the need for an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) layer, thus allowing developers to build models with standard classes in widely used programming languages such as Swift, Java, Kotlin, C#, JavaScript, Dart, and C++. Its architecture is optimized for high performance and low memory usage through methods like zero-copy design, lazy loading, and multi-version concurrency control (MVCC), which guarantees safe operations across multiple threads. Furthermore, Realm's live objects and collections automatically synchronize between threads, laying the groundwork for reactive programming practices. It also supports the creation of complex data structures by permitting relationships between objects via links and backlinks. In addition, developers can utilize tools like Realm Studio to explore and adjust local Realm databases, which enhances integration with various platforms, including React Native, Flutter, Xamarin, and Node.js. This flexibility and efficiency make Realm an attractive option for developers aiming to manage data effectively in their mobile applications, ultimately fostering a more seamless app development experience. As a result, Realm stands out in the realm of mobile database solutions.

OrbitDB operates as a decentralized, serverless, peer-to-peer database that harnesses IPFS for data storage and employs Libp2p Pubsub for efficient synchronization among peers. By integrating Merkle-CRDTs, it allows for conflict-free writing and merging of entries, which is particularly advantageous for decentralized applications, blockchain initiatives, and web applications that primarily function offline. The platform features various database types tailored to specific needs: 'events' serves as immutable append-only logs, 'documents' enables JSON document storage indexed by selected keys, 'keyvalue' provides standard key-value pair storage, and 'keyvalue-indexed' offers LevelDB-indexed key-value data. All these database types are built on OpLog, which is an immutable, cryptographically verifiable structure grounded in operation-driven CRDT principles. The JavaScript version of OrbitDB can function seamlessly in both browser and Node.js environments, while a Go variant is actively developed by the Berty project, providing extensive support for developers. This versatility and capacity for adaptation render OrbitDB an exceptional option for those aiming to implement contemporary data solutions within distributed frameworks, ensuring that it meets a wide array of user needs in the evolving technology landscape. As data management continues to evolve, the innovative features of OrbitDB position it as a compelling solution for future developments.

Leverage Core Data to manage your application's persistent data, allowing for offline access, temporary information caching, and the implementation of undo features on a single device. When it comes to synchronizing data across multiple devices associated with the same iCloud account, Core Data efficiently replicates your schema into a CloudKit container for seamless integration. You can define your data types and their relationships through Core Data’s Data model editor, which also facilitates the automatic generation of corresponding class definitions. During runtime, Core Data effectively manages object instances, allowing for diverse functionalities and interactions. It streamlines the connection between your objects and the storage solution, enabling data saving from both Swift and Objective-C without the need for direct database handling. Additionally, the undo manager in Core Data keeps track of changes, allowing users to revert them individually, as a group, or all at once, thereby simplifying the integration of undo and redo features in your application. It is also beneficial to perform potentially UI-blocking tasks, such as transforming JSON data into objects, in the background to preserve a seamless user experience. By adopting this approach, your application will not only improve its overall performance but will also keep users engaged without any disruptions, enhancing their interaction with the app.

Berkeley DB consists of a collection of embedded key-value database libraries designed to provide scalable and high-performance data management capabilities for a wide array of applications. The libraries feature simple function-call APIs that facilitate efficient data access and management. By leveraging Berkeley DB, developers can craft customized data management solutions that avoid the usual difficulties associated with bespoke projects. The library includes a variety of dependable building-block technologies that can be tailored to satisfy different application needs, whether for mobile devices or large-scale data centers, addressing both local storage requirements and global distribution challenges. This adaptability allows it to manage data volumes that span from kilobytes to petabytes. Consequently, Berkeley DB stands out as a favored option among developers seeking to implement effective data solutions, making it a versatile tool in the realm of data management. Its capability to cater to diverse environments further solidifies its reputation in the industry.

Discover the rapid NoSQL database designed specifically for mobile and IoT applications, featuring integrated data synchronization. ObjectBox offers a performance advantage that is tenfold compared to its rivals, significantly improving response times and enabling real-time capabilities. The benchmarks are impressive, demonstrating compatibility with an extensive array of systems, from sensors to servers. It supports multiple platforms like Linux, Windows, macOS/iOS, Android, and Raspbian, catering to both embedded solutions and containerized environments. Experience effortless data synchronization through ObjectBox's pre-built features, which guarantee that your data is readily available at the right time and place, allowing for quicker application launches. Create applications that function seamlessly whether online or offline, ensuring a dependable user experience that does not rely on constant internet access, fostering an “always-on” environment for users. By streamlining your time-to-market, you can conserve essential resources and cut development costs while allowing developers to concentrate on high-priority tasks, as ObjectBox helps reduce risks. Additionally, ObjectBox can lower cloud expenses by as much as 60% by enabling local data storage at the edge and efficiently syncing only the needed information. This strategy not only boosts performance but also improves data management and accessibility throughout your applications, leading to a more cohesive user experience. With ObjectBox, you can truly elevate your application's efficiency and responsiveness, ensuring that it meets the demands of today's fast-paced technology landscape.

GUN is an innovative graph database engine that is decentralized, operates in real-time, and prioritizes an offline-first approach, enabling effortless data handling, sharing, and storage within applications without the complexities of managing servers or dealing with network requests, as well as addressing offline modifications or concurrency issues. This nimble and effective system for data synchronization functions wherever JavaScript is available, allowing developers to focus on their application's data requirements instead of technical obstacles. By leveraging GUN, you can quickly develop cutting-edge applications that capitalize on robust internet features like decentralization and true privacy, which ultimately aligns with the vision of a more open and liberated web. GUN is designed to be a flexible database solution that functions seamlessly across various platforms, including browsers, mobile devices, and servers, giving you the freedom to design your preferred data management framework. Additionally, GUN facilitates the creation of applications that not only enhance user experience but also prioritize privacy while minimizing reliance on conventional infrastructures, making it a valuable tool for modern development.

Actian Zen is a high-performance database management system designed for embedded applications, particularly those functioning at the edge, along with mobile and IoT platforms. It effectively combines SQL and NoSQL data models, providing developers with the versatility needed to manage a diverse range of structured and unstructured data. Known for its compact design, scalability, and outstanding reliability, Actian Zen is ideal for resource-constrained environments where steady performance and low maintenance are essential. Moreover, it features advanced security measures and a self-optimizing architecture that supports real-time data analytics and processing without the need for constant management. This system is widely adopted across various sectors, including healthcare, retail, and manufacturing, as it is crucial for handling distributed data environments that support their critical operations. Its distinct attributes make it an attractive option for organizations eager to embrace the benefits of edge computing technologies, fostering innovation and efficiency in their processes. Ultimately, Actian Zen stands out as a robust solution for modern data management challenges.

FairCom EDGE simplifies the integration of sensor and machine data right at the source, whether it's in a factory, water treatment plant, oil rig, wind farm, or any other industrial environment. As the world's pioneering converged IoT/Industrial IoT hub, FairCom EDGE combines messaging and data persistence into a single comprehensive solution. It features browser-based tools for administration, configuration, and monitoring, streamlining the user experience. Additionally, FairCom EDGE is compatible with MQTT, OPC UA, and SQL for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, along with HTTP/REST for real-time monitoring and reporting. The platform consistently gathers data from sensors and devices via OPC UA and captures messages from machinery using MQTT. Moreover, the data is efficiently parsed, stored, and made accessible through MQTT or SQL, ensuring seamless data management across various industrial applications. This robust functionality positions FairCom EDGE as an essential tool for modern industrial data integration.

Couchbase sets itself apart from other NoSQL databases by providing an enterprise-level, multicloud to edge solution that is packed with essential features for mission-critical applications, built on a platform known for its exceptional scalability and reliability. This distributed cloud-native database functions effortlessly within modern, dynamic environments, supporting any cloud setup, from customer-managed to fully managed services. By utilizing open standards, Couchbase effectively combines the strengths of NoSQL with the familiar aspects of SQL, which aids organizations in transitioning smoothly from traditional mainframe and relational databases. Couchbase Server acts as a flexible, distributed database that merges the relational database advantages, such as SQL and ACID transactions, with the flexibility of JSON, all while maintaining high-speed performance and scalability. Its wide-ranging applications serve various sectors, addressing requirements like user profiles, dynamic product catalogs, generative AI applications, vector search, rapid caching, and much more, thus proving to be an indispensable resource for organizations aiming for enhanced efficiency and innovation. Additionally, its ability to adapt to evolving technologies ensures that users remain at the forefront of their industries.

Harness the potential of low-code development without limitations, allowing for the swift construction of web and mobile applications via an easy-to-navigate visual interface packed with ready-made components. Quickly adapt and enhance your applications to align with the changing demands of your business, taking advantage of features like in-app guided tours, reusable templates, and effortless cloud deployments, while simplifying data integration through visual mapping tools to boost overall productivity. Effortlessly connect to any backend data source, facilitating seamless data collection and transformation across multiple systems. Design captivating applications that are tailored to various audiences across all devices, ensuring an outstanding user experience without any barriers. Accelerate your development timeline by utilizing over 100 pre-built native UI widgets specifically crafted for both mobile and web environments. Leverage the full spectrum of native mobile app functionalities, responsive design, and progressive web app (PWA) features to ensure peak performance, user experience, and security. Generate adaptable omni-channel experiences from a unified design platform that spans mobile, web, wearables, and more, expanding your influence and effectiveness in the digital realm. Moreover, this efficient methodology encourages collaboration among teams, fostering the rapid emergence of innovative solutions that can keep pace with the fast-evolving market demands. In doing so, it empowers organizations to cultivate a culture of creativity and agility, ultimately driving greater success.

Apache CouchDB™ provides the ability to access your data from any location where it is needed. The Couch Replication Protocol is employed in a wide variety of projects and products that accommodate all types of computing environments, from globally distributed server clusters to mobile devices and web browsers. Users can choose to securely store their data on their own servers or with leading cloud service providers. Both web-based and native applications leverage CouchDB's inherent JSON support and its proficiency in managing binary data for all storage demands. The Couch Replication Protocol ensures seamless data transfer among server clusters, mobile devices, and web browsers, creating an excellent offline-first user experience while maintaining high performance and reliability. Moreover, CouchDB is equipped with a developer-friendly query language and optional MapReduce capabilities, which enhance the process of efficient and comprehensive data retrieval. With such features, CouchDB emerges as a flexible option for developers aiming to create powerful applications that effectively handle a wide range of data requirements, making it a valuable tool in modern software development. As a result, it is well-suited for both simple projects and complex, data-intensive applications alike.

This is a robust, easily scalable embedded SQL database that allows access from any location. Additionally, it offers top-tier data protection, disaster recovery solutions, synchronization of changes, and comprehensive data security measures.

Couchbase Capella is a cloud-native database platform that significantly improves the way operational and analytical data is stored and processed in a format that is friendly to JSON. It is recognized as an exceptional Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) option for transaction management, search capabilities, AI integrations, and edge computing, while also delivering real-time analytics features. Initiating your journey with Capella is quite uncomplicated; users can engage with their JSON data using SQL and take advantage of the user-friendly natural language coding assistance provided by Capella iQ. This adaptable database has been specifically crafted to manage both operational and analytical functions, supporting various scenarios including JSON analytics, vector searches, and synchronization of mobile data. With its quick response times clocked in milliseconds and outstanding price-performance ratios for any document-centric DBaaS, users can easily register for a free trial and become operational in just a few minutes. Moreover, Capella's robust architecture is tailored to tackle numerous challenges in development and deployment, making it an intelligent selection for those aiming to fortify their technological infrastructure with a reliable database solution. By offering a blend of efficiency and versatility, Capella positions itself as a forward-thinking choice for modern data needs.