Software · head to head
ArangoDB vs Cassandra
ArangoDB
Software
Multi-model database for graph, document, and search
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Cassandra
Software
Manage massive amounts of data with linear scalability
- 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; Cassandra no support for joins across tables
- They diverge on capability: ArangoDB covers Multi-model Support, Cassandra covers Linear Scalability.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ArangoDB and Cassandra 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 Cassandra
- Linear Scalability
- Fault Tolerance
- Multi-datacenter Replication
- Tunable Consistency
- CQL Query Language
- Distributed Architecture
- No Single Point of Failure
- DataStax
Both cover
- Linux support
- Windows support
- Mac support
- Docker 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 Cassandra
- Vector and full-text search alongside graph traversalnot Cassandra
- Avoiding separate stores for related and unstructured datanot Cassandra
- Backing AI applications needing both graph context and vectorsnot Cassandra
Cassandra
- Real-time applicationsnot ArangoDB
- Content managementnot ArangoDB
- User profilesnot ArangoDB
- Mobile backendsnot ArangoDB
- Cachingnot 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
Cassandra
- No support for joins across tables
- No ACID transactions across multiple rows
- Data model must be designed around query patterns upfront, making schema evolution difficult
- Partition key misconfigurations can cause uneven data distribution and hotspots that degrade performance
Pricing, plan by plan
ArangoDB
Free- CommunityFree
- All data models
- AQL queries
- Full-text search
- ArangoGraph$99/month
- Managed service
- Graph analytics
- Enterprise support
Cassandra
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Cassandra review.
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 Cassandra if
- You need linear scalability.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
- You also want fault tolerance.
Questions people ask
- Is ArangoDB or Cassandra better?
- Neither clearly leads. ArangoDB starts at Free and Cassandra at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ArangoDB or Cassandra?
- ArangoDB starts at Free and Cassandra at Free.
- Does ArangoDB or Cassandra run on more platforms?
- ArangoDB runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web. Cassandra runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
- 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 Cassandra is typically brought in for.
- What can ArangoDB do that Cassandra cannot?
- ArangoDB covers Multi-model Support, AQL Query Language, Graph Traversals, Full-text Search. Cassandra covers Linear Scalability, Fault Tolerance, Multi-datacenter Replication, Tunable Consistency. Both handle Linux support, Windows support, Mac support, Docker support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Cassandra: Does Cassandra support joins between tables?
No. Cassandra does not support joins or foreign keys. The data model requires denormalization, meaning data must be duplicated across tables to support different query patterns.
SourceCassandra: Does Cassandra offer ACID transactions?
No. Cassandra provides only row-level atomicity and isolation, not full ACID transactions across multiple rows or tables. It uses lightweight transactions via Paxos for per-row compare-and-set operations.
SourceCassandra: What programming languages can connect to Cassandra?
Cassandra supports official drivers for multiple languages including Python, Java, Node.js, and Go, allowing applications to communicate via the native Cassandra protocol.
SourceCassandra: Can I deploy Cassandra in the cloud?
Yes. Cassandra can run on any cloud platform (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) via Docker, virtual machines, or managed services like DataStax Astra DB, which provides a fully managed DBaaS option.
SourceCassandra: Does Cassandra have a free option?
The open source Apache Cassandra is free. DataStax also offers Astra DB with a free tier providing up to 25GB storage and 25 million read/write operations per month.
Source