Gel
Gel (formerly EdgeDB) develops an open-source graph-relational database on PostgreSQL with the EdgeQL query language and built-in Auth and AI extensions, serving application developers via open source, a managed cloud (shutting down January 2026), and Vercel integration.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Gel does
Gel (formerly EdgeDB Inc.) is a developer of an open-source graph-relational database built on top of PostgreSQL, serving application developers and full-stack teams who require richer data modeling, end-to-end type safety, and built-in Auth and AI capabilities without abandoning the Postgres ecosystem. Its core technology introduces a graph-relational data model using object types and links (replacing JOINs), a proprietary EdgeQL query language that combines SQL and GraphQL, declarative schema migrations, and extensions for authentication and RAG; the product is open source on GitHub and includes multi-language client libraries, a built-in GUI, and a CLI installable via npx or uvx.
The company monetized through Gel Cloud, a fully managed database service on AWS offered via a Freemium subscription (Free tier, Pro starting at $19.50/month, Enterprise on custom contracts), distributed primarily through product-led growth, a Vercel marketplace partnership, and direct enterprise sales. Revenue was generated via recurring subscriptions and managed-service contracts, with no public disclosure of ARR or customer counts beyond three early-stage startup logos (Fiori.ai, Credal.ai, Webble).
Gel Data Inc. raised approximately $19M in disclosed funding (seed in 2019, Series 1 in April 2022, Series A of ~$15M in November 2022 led by Accel and Nava Ventures), with operator-angel participation from founders and executives at Vercel, OpenAI, GitHub, Firebase, Cockroach Labs, PagerDuty, and Sentry. On December 2, 2025, the company announced that its team is joining Vercel; Gel Cloud is no longer accepting new registrations and will fully shut down on January 31, 2026, while the Gel open-source database remains available on GitHub and continues development within Vercel.
Gel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gel
- Legal name
- Gel Data Inc.
- Website
- https://geldata.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gel (formerly EdgeDB) develops an open-source graph-relational database on PostgreSQL with the EdgeQL query language and built-in Auth and AI extensions, serving application developers via open source, a managed cloud (shutting down January 2026), and Vercel integration.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open-Source Graph-Relational Database
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Model Databases (HDAEAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Graph Databases (HDAEAAAE), Managed Databases (Relational/NoSQL/In-Memory DBaaS) (HDABAAAE), Database/Application Data Layer Modernization (DB migration, ORM, caching) (BPAEAFAL)
Keywords
Where Gel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Gel Cloud Subscription: Fully managed cloud database service. Three tiers: Free (limited resources), Pro ($19.50/month starting), Enterprise (custom pricing). AWS-powered with encryption at rest, backups, monitoring.
- Enterprise Custom Deployment: Enterprise tier deploys in customer's AWS account with custom contracts, priority support, volume discounts, and custom pricing based on requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier for exploration |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro tier for production workloads |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise tier with full customization |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Gel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gel develops and distributes an open-source graph-relational database built on top of PostgreSQL, featuring a proprietary EdgeQL query language, a high-level typed object schema system with link-based modeling, native schema migrations, and built-in extensions for authentication and AI/RAG. It sells a fully managed cloud database service (Gel Cloud, scheduled to shut down January 31, 2026) with freemium and tiered subscriptions, and provides multi-language client libraries (TypeScript, Python, Go, Dart, Rust, .NET, Java), a CLI, and a GUI for end-to-end developer workflows.
Product overview
Gel is a unified open-source data platform built on PostgreSQL, combining a graph-relational database with EdgeQL query language, built-in AI capabilities, integrated authentication, comprehensive migration tooling, and multi-language client libraries. The core Gel database sits at the center, powered by EdgeQL (a SQL/GraphQL hybrid query language) and a high-level schema system. Gel Cloud provides managed cloud deployment, while Gel Auth and Gel AI Extension offer built-in authentication and AI/RAG capabilities. Gel CLI and Gel UI provide developer tooling, and Gel Migration Engine handles schema evolution. All components are designed for type safety, developer productivity, and seamless local-to-cloud workflow.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gel (Open-Source Database) Open-source scalable integrated data platform built on top of Postgres, providing a graph-relational data model, EdgeQL query language, high-level schema with object types and links, end-to-end type safety, and built-in AI and Auth capabilities. For developers and engineering teams.
- Gel Cloud Fully managed, effortless cloud database service built on AWS, allowing developers to deploy Gel databases instantly with near-zero configuration. Features admin panel, rich UI, encryption at rest, slow query analysis, and Vercel/GitHub integration. Scheduled for full shutdown on January 31, 2026.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300μs latency vs 1ms+ for other ORMs (Drizzle, Sequelize, SQLAlchemy, Prisma, Django)
Companies that use Gel
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Gel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability4 records
Feature9 records
Gel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- VercelflagshipGel Data Inc. team joined Vercel to help build the best Python cloud. Gel Cloud shutting down Jan 31, 2026, with Gel remaining open source on GitHub. Team to work on Python infrastructure improvements.
- DrizzlecoreGel partnered with Drizzle to create top-tier JavaScript ORM experience. Drizzle support includes first-class SQL dialect, introspects Gel database to generate TypeScript types, and provides seamless integration for Next.js applications.
- VercelcoreGel Cloud integrated with Vercel and GitHub. Automatic preview deployments, zero-configuration. Seamless DX partnership enables developers to deploy databases alongside Vercel frontend deployments with easy billing integration.
- AWScoreGel Cloud infrastructure powered by AWS. Currently runs on AWS with plans to expand to additional cloud providers.
- GitHubcoreGitHub integration for Pull Request workflows. Gel Cloud integrates with GitHub for managing deployments directly from team PR workflow.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Hasura: GraphQL-on-Postgres data API/federation platform. Targets similar developer productivity goals (faster API building, type-safe access) and overlaps with Gel's GraphQL/EdgeQL positioning.
Direct peers
- Supabase: Postgres-based developer data platform offering managed database, built-in Auth, AI/Vector capabilities, and realtime. Closest direct analog to Gel's 'Postgres plus built-in Auth/AI' positioning, with much larger scale and VC backing.
- Neon: Serverless managed Postgres with branching and DX-first cloud experience. Competes with Gel Cloud on managed Postgres; integrates with Vercel similarly (preview deployments).
- Prisma: Leading TypeScript ORM and data layer with type-safe queries. Competes with Gel's EdgeQL and code-generation story for developer mindshare around type-safe data access.
- Drizzle: TypeScript-first lightweight ORM with strong type inference and SQL transparency. Drizzle is even an integration partner of Gel — they overlap on the JS/TS DX-focused data layer.
- Neo4j: Leading dedicated graph database with Cypher query language. Most direct peer for Gel's graph query and link-traversal capabilities, though Neo4j is graph-only while Gel is graph-relational.
- SurrealDB: Multi-model database combining document, graph, and relational access. Strongest competitor in the multi-model + developer-experience category that Gel occupies.
Broad incumbents
- CockroachDB: Distributed SQL database with Postgres-compatible protocol. Broad incumbent in the Postgres-derived database category; a Cockroach Labs co-founder (Ben Darnell) is even a Gel investor, highlighting the category overlap.
- YugabyteDB: Distributed SQL database with Postgres-compatible API. Like CockroachDB, broad incumbent in the distributed Postgres-compatible category, with a Yugabyte founder (Kannan Muthukkaruppan) also a Gel investor.
- PlanetScale: Managed serverless database platform focused on DX, scaling, and developer workflows. Direct overlap on the 'developer-first managed Postgres-class database' positioning, though PlanetScale is on MySQL/Vitess rather than Postgres.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gel social profiles
Digital presenceGel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Gel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gel
What does Gel do?
Gel develops and distributes an open-source graph-relational database built on top of PostgreSQL, featuring a proprietary EdgeQL query language, a high-level typed object schema system with link-based modeling, native schema migrations, and built-in extensions for authentication and AI/RAG. It sells a fully managed cloud database service (Gel Cloud, scheduled to shut down January 31, 2026) with freemium and tiered subscriptions, and provides multi-language client libraries (TypeScript, Python, Go, Dart, Rust, .NET, Java), a CLI, and a GUI for end-to-end developer workflows.
Is Gel a public or private company?
Gel is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Gel founded?
Gel was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gel based?
Gel is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gel make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Gel Cloud Subscription is the primary driver. The others are enterprise Custom Deployment.
Who are Gel's main competitors?
Hasura is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Supabase, Neon, Prisma, Drizzle, Neo4j and SurrealDB. Broad incumbents are CockroachDB, YugabyteDB and PlanetScale.
Does Gel have an API?
Yes. Gel provides client libraries for multiple programming languages (TypeScript, Python, Go, Dart, Rust, .NET, Java) that expose Gel's query capabilities including EdgeQL, SQL, and GraphQL. Client libraries offer zero-config automatic connection pooling, performance optimization, and auto-recovery from network/transaction errors. TypeScript query builder provides type-safe query composition. Developer documentation is at docs.geldata.com.
What industry is Gel in?
Gel's product category is Open-Source Graph-Relational Database. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAAAL, Multi-Model Databases, with a secondary code of HDAEAAAE, Graph Databases. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.