Software · head to head
ArangoDB vs Neo4j
ArangoDB
Software
Multi-model database for graph, document, and search
- 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; Neo4j auraDB Free has no service availability SLA, no backups and no point-in-time recovery
- They diverge on capability: ArangoDB covers Multi-model Support, Neo4j covers Native Graph Storage.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ArangoDB and Neo4j actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web), 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
- SmartGraphs
- Satellite Collections
- Foxx Microservices
- Pregel
- Spark
Only in Neo4j
- Native Graph Storage
- Cypher Query Language
- High Availability
- Graph Data Science
- Native Indexes
- GraphQL
- Spring Data
- Apache Spark
Both cover
- Full-text Search
- ACID Transactions
- Kafka
- Linux support
- Windows support
- Mac support
- Docker support
- 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 Neo4j
- Vector and full-text search alongside graph traversalnot Neo4j
- Avoiding separate stores for related and unstructured datanot Neo4j
- Backing AI applications needing both graph context and vectorsnot Neo4j
Neo4j
- Running a managed graph database on AWS, Azure or Google Cloudnot ArangoDB
- Building knowledge graphs and GraphRAG retrieval for AI applicationsnot ArangoDB
- Fraud detection, recommendations and supply chain analysis over connected datanot 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
Neo4j
- AuraDB Free has no service availability SLA, no backups and no point-in-time recovery
- AuraDB Free imposes limits on node and relationship counts and runs single-zone only
- SSO authentication and role-based access control are excluded from AuraDB Free and AuraDB Professional, starting only at Business Critical at $146 per GB per month with a 2GB minimum cluster
- AuraDB Professional starts at $65 per GB per month with a minimum 1GB cluster and caps at 128GB memory per instance
- AuraDB Professional backups are daily with only 7-day retention, against 30 days on Business Critical
- Customer managed keys and private endpoints are available only on AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud, which is quote only with no published price
- Change data capture, query log forwarding, secondaries and access to Neo4j Professional Services are excluded below the Business Critical tier
- Support on AuraDB Free is community only and AuraDB Professional is best effort, with 24x7 one-hour response starting at Business Critical
- AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud is sold on prepaid contract terms with enterprise commercial negotiation rather than self-serve card payment
Pricing, plan by plan
ArangoDB
Free- CommunityFree
- All data models
- AQL queries
- Full-text search
- ArangoGraph$99/month
- Managed service
- Graph analytics
- Enterprise support
Neo4j
Free- CommunityFree
- Single database
- Cypher queries
- APOC library
- AuraDB FreeFree
- 50K nodes
- 175K relationships
- Cloud hosted
- AuraDB Professional$65/month
- Dedicated instance
- Auto-scaling
- Enterprise support
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 Neo4j if
- You need native graph storage.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
- You also want cypher query language.
Questions people ask
- Is ArangoDB or Neo4j better?
- Neither clearly leads. ArangoDB starts at Free and Neo4j at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ArangoDB or Neo4j?
- ArangoDB starts at Free and Neo4j at Free.
- Does ArangoDB or Neo4j run on more platforms?
- Both run on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- 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 Neo4j is typically brought in for.
- What can ArangoDB do that Neo4j cannot?
- ArangoDB covers Multi-model Support, AQL Query Language, Graph Traversals, SmartGraphs. Neo4j covers Native Graph Storage, Cypher Query Language, High Availability, Graph Data Science. Both handle Full-text Search, ACID Transactions, Kafka, Linux support.