Software · head to head
ArangoDB vs BigQuery
ArangoDB
Software
Multi-model database for graph, document, and search
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
BigQuery
Software
Serverless, highly scalable enterprise data warehouse
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ArangoDB the company has repositioned around a wider platform, so ArangoDB is now described as the foundation inside Arango rather than the product itself; BigQuery query costs can become substantial for organizations with high query volumes
- They diverge on capability: ArangoDB covers Multi-model Support, BigQuery covers Serverless Architecture.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ArangoDB and BigQuery actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ArangoDB
- Multi-model Support
- AQL Query Language
- Graph Traversals
- Full-text Search
- ACID Transactions
- SmartGraphs
- Satellite Collections
- Foxx Microservices
Only in BigQuery
- Serverless Architecture
- Petabyte Scale
- Real-time Analytics
- Machine Learning
- Geospatial Analysis
- Streaming Ingestion
- Standard SQL
- Looker
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ArangoDB
- Graph, document and key-value data in one databasenot BigQuery
- Vector and full-text search alongside graph traversalnot BigQuery
- Avoiding separate stores for related and unstructured datanot BigQuery
- Backing AI applications needing both graph context and vectorsnot BigQuery
BigQuery
- Business intelligencenot ArangoDB
- Data warehousingnot ArangoDB
- Real-time analyticsnot ArangoDB
- Reportingnot ArangoDB
- Machine learningnot ArangoDB
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ArangoDB
- The company has repositioned around a wider platform, so ArangoDB is now described as the foundation inside Arango rather than the product itself
- Neither the community licence terms nor cloud pricing are stated on the main site
- arangodb.com redirects to arango.ai
BigQuery
- Query costs can become substantial for organizations with high query volumes
- Data egress from Google Cloud incurs additional charges
Pricing, plan by plan
ArangoDB
Free- CommunityFree
- All data models
- AQL queries
- Full-text search
- ArangoGraph$99/month
- Managed service
- Graph analytics
- Enterprise support
BigQuery
Free- Free TierFree
- 1TB queries/month
- 10GB storage/month
- Standard support
- On-demand$6.25/TB
- Pay per query
- Pay per storage
- All features
Which should you pick?
Choose ArangoDB if
- You need multi-model support.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
- You also want aql query language.
Choose BigQuery if
- You need serverless architecture.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud API.
- You also want petabyte scale.
Questions people ask
- Is ArangoDB or BigQuery better?
- Neither clearly leads. ArangoDB starts at Free and BigQuery at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ArangoDB or BigQuery?
- ArangoDB starts at Free and BigQuery at Free.
- Does ArangoDB or BigQuery run on more platforms?
- ArangoDB runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web. BigQuery runs on Web, Cloud API.
- Can I use ArangoDB for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is ArangoDB best used for?
- ArangoDB is most often used for graph, document and key-value data in one database, vector and full-text search alongside graph traversal, avoiding separate stores for related and unstructured data, backing ai applications needing both graph context and vectors. Of those, graph, document and key-value data in one database and vector and full-text search alongside graph traversal are not what BigQuery is typically brought in for.
- What can ArangoDB do that BigQuery cannot?
- ArangoDB covers Multi-model Support, AQL Query Language, Graph Traversals, Full-text Search. BigQuery covers Serverless Architecture, Petabyte Scale, Real-time Analytics, Machine Learning. Both handle Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
BigQuery: How is BigQuery priced?
BigQuery charges $5 per terabyte of data processed in on-demand queries. Storage is billed separately: active storage is charged per GB, and data inactive for 90+ days moves to long-term storage at reduced rates.
SourceBigQuery: What is BigQuery's architecture?
BigQuery separates compute and storage, using Google's Colossus for distributed storage and Borg for computation, allowing independent scaling of each.
Source