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Databases · head to head

ArangoDB vs RavenDB

ArangoDB logo

ArangoDB

Databases

Multi-model database for graph, document, and search

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RavenDB logo

RavenDB

Databases

The fully transactional NoSQL document database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; RavenDB the free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • They diverge on capability: ArangoDB covers Multi-model Support, RavenDB covers Auto-indexing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ArangoDB and RavenDB actually diverge.

Attributes where ArangoDB and RavenDB differ
AttributeArangoDBRavenDB
Founded20142010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

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
  • Kafka

Only in RavenDB

  • Auto-indexing
  • Graph Queries
  • Distributed Counters
  • Time Series
  • Document Compression
  • .NET
  • Node.js
  • Java

Both cover

  • Full-text Search
  • ACID Transactions
  • 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 RavenDB
  • Vector and full-text search alongside graph traversalnot RavenDB
  • Avoiding separate stores for related and unstructured datanot RavenDB
  • Backing AI applications needing both graph context and vectorsnot RavenDB

RavenDB

  • Running a distributed document database with ACID transactionsnot ArangoDB
  • Self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardwarenot ArangoDB
  • Replicating operational data out to analytics systems through ETLnot 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

RavenDB

  • The free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • The free Community licence caps a customer at 60 cores and forces you to stay on the latest major version
  • The Professional licence is limited to a single database, a 5 node cluster, 40 cores and 240 GB RAM
  • Sharding across nodes, ETL to OLAP, Elasticsearch and Kafka, and data archival are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise and AI licence pricing is contact us only with no published rate

Pricing, plan by plan

ArangoDB

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • All data models
    • AQL queries
    • Full-text search
  • ArangoGraph$99/month
    • Managed service
    • Graph analytics
    • Enterprise support

RavenDB

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • 3 cores
    • 6GB RAM
    • Community support
  • Professional$499/year
    • Production use
    • Professional support
    • Advanced 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.
ArangoDB review

Choose RavenDB if

  • You need auto-indexing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
  • You also want graph queries.
RavenDB review

Questions people ask

Is ArangoDB or RavenDB better?
Neither clearly leads. ArangoDB starts at Free and RavenDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ArangoDB or RavenDB?
ArangoDB starts at Free and RavenDB at Free.
Does ArangoDB or RavenDB 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 RavenDB is typically brought in for.
What can ArangoDB do that RavenDB cannot?
ArangoDB covers Multi-model Support, AQL Query Language, Graph Traversals, SmartGraphs. RavenDB covers Auto-indexing, Graph Queries, Distributed Counters, Time Series. Both handle Full-text Search, ACID Transactions, Linux support, Windows support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ArangoDB: How is ArangoDB priced?

ArangoDB offers Community Edition (free) and Enterprise Edition. Pricing is customized based on deployment model (self-managed, managed cloud AWS/GCP, or OEM/embedded) and customer requirements. Contact Arango for a quote.

Source
RavenDB: Is RavenDB free or open source?

RavenDB is open source under the AGPLv3 license and available on GitHub. It also offers a free developer license with enterprise-level features limited to 9 cores, 36GB max RAM, 3 nodes, and non-commercial use.

Source
ArangoDB: What deployment options does ArangoDB offer?

ArangoDB can be deployed self-managed on customer infrastructure, as managed cloud (Arango Managed Platform on AWS/GCP), or as OEM/embedded solutions.

Source
RavenDB: Can I use RavenDB commercially for free?

RavenDB offers a free Community License that permits commercial deployment with unlimited databases and sizes, subject to a 60-core maximum per customer and requirement to run the latest major version.

Source
RavenDB: What commercial licensing options does RavenDB offer?

RavenDB offers Professional, Enterprise, and AI tiers for commercial use. Pricing for these tiers requires contacting their sales team at [email protected].

Source
RavenDB: Does RavenDB offer a cloud hosting option?

RavenDB Cloud provides a fully managed cloud database with maintenance, failover, and backups included. Pricing is available at cloud.ravendb.net/pricing.

Source
RavenDB: Is there a refund window if I purchase RavenDB?

RavenDB offers a 30-day refund window for purchased licenses.

Source
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