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Database & Data Management · head to head

Cassandra vs Periscope Data

Cassandra logo

Cassandra

Database & Data Management

Manage massive amounts of data with linear scalability

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Periscope Data logo

Periscope Data

Business Intelligence

SQL and Python analytics platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cassandra has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cassandra no support for joins across tables; Periscope Data the periscopedata.com domain now redirects to sisense.com, so Periscope Data is no longer sold as a standalone product
  • They diverge on capability: Cassandra covers Linear Scalability, Periscope Data covers SQL Editor.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cassandra and Periscope Data actually diverge.

Attributes where Cassandra and Periscope Data differ
AttributeCassandraPeriscope Data
Starting priceFree$1000/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Docker, KubernetesWeb, Cloud
CategoryDatabase & Data ManagementBusiness Intelligence
Founded20082012

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Cassandra

  • Linear Scalability
  • Fault Tolerance
  • Multi-datacenter Replication
  • Tunable Consistency
  • CQL Query Language
  • Distributed Architecture
  • No Single Point of Failure
  • DataStax

Only in Periscope Data

  • SQL Editor
  • Python/R Integration
  • Version Control
  • Caching
  • Dashboards
  • Redshift
  • BigQuery
  • Snowflake

Both cover

  • Presto

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cassandra

  • Real-time applicationsnot Periscope Data
  • Content managementnot Periscope Data
  • User profilesnot Periscope Data
  • Mobile backendsnot Periscope Data
  • Cachingnot Periscope Data

Periscope Data

  • SQL-based analytics and dashboards over a data warehousenot Cassandra
  • Python and R analysis alongside SQL in one workflownot Cassandra
  • Shared dashboards for data teamsnot Cassandra

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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

Periscope Data

  • The periscopedata.com domain now redirects to sisense.com, so Periscope Data is no longer sold as a standalone product
  • No Periscope Data pricing, plan or seat rate remains published at the original domain
  • Buyers must now purchase through Sisense, whose own pricing is not published as a rate card

Pricing, plan by plan

Cassandra

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cassandra review.

Periscope Data

$1000/month
  • Team$1000/month
    • SQL Analytics
    • Python/R
    • Dashboards
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Advanced Features
    • Custom Integrations
    • Premium Support

Which should you pick?

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.
Cassandra review

Choose Periscope Data if

  • You need sql editor.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want python/r integration.
Periscope Data review

Questions people ask

Is Cassandra or Periscope Data better?
Neither clearly leads. Cassandra starts at Free and Periscope Data at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cassandra or Periscope Data?
Cassandra has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cassandra and $1000/month for Periscope Data.
Does Cassandra or Periscope Data run on more platforms?
Cassandra runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Periscope Data runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Cassandra for free?
Yes. Cassandra has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Periscope Data starts at $1000/month.
What is Cassandra best used for?
Cassandra is most often used for real-time applications, content management, user profiles, mobile backends. Of those, real-time applications and content management are not what Periscope Data is typically brought in for.
What can Cassandra do that Periscope Data cannot?
Cassandra covers Linear Scalability, Fault Tolerance, Multi-datacenter Replication, Tunable Consistency. Periscope Data covers SQL Editor, Python/R Integration, Version Control, Caching. Both handle Presto.

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.

Source
Cassandra: 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.

Source
Cassandra: 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.

Source
Cassandra: 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.

Source
Cassandra: 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
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