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Databases · head to head

Cassandra vs RAD Studio

Cassandra logo

Cassandra

Databases

Manage massive amounts of data with linear scalability

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CassandraFull review
RAD Studio logo

RAD Studio

Developer Tools

Cross-platform native app development with Delphi and C++Builder

From
$2000/perpetual
Free plan
No
Visit RAD StudioFull review

The short version

  • RAD Studio is a cross-platform IDE.
  • Cassandra is free; RAD Studio starts at $2000/mo.
  • Where Cassandra falls short: no support for joins across tables.
  • Where RAD Studio falls short: professional edition costs $2,000 for the perpetual license plus $599 for year one maintenance, totaling $2,599 before tax.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cassandra and RAD Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Cassandra and RAD Studio differ
AttributeCassandraRAD Studio
Starting priceFree$2000/perpetual
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Self-hostedWeb
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Cassandra, founded for RAD Studio.

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 RAD Studio

Nothing recorded that Cassandra does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Cassandra

  • Real-time applicationsnot RAD Studio
  • Content managementnot RAD Studio
  • User profilesnot RAD Studio
  • Mobile backendsnot RAD Studio
  • Cachingnot RAD Studio

RAD Studio

  • Building Windows desktop applications with VCL componentsnot Cassandra
  • Creating iOS and Android apps from shared Delphi codebasenot Cassandra
  • Connecting to Oracle databases through FireDAC connectivitynot Cassandra
  • Building REST web services that run on Linux serversnot 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

RAD Studio

  • Professional edition costs $2,000 for the perpetual license plus $599 for year one maintenance, totaling $2,599 before tax
  • Enterprise edition steps up to $3,400 license plus $1,199 maintenance, and Architect edition to $4,416 license plus $2,183 maintenance
  • The perpetual license only entitles the buyer to updates for one year; continued access to new updates and upgrades requires an annually renewable Update Subscription

Pricing, plan by plan

Cassandra

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cassandra review.

RAD Studio

$2000/perpetual
  • Professional Edition$2,000 one-off
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $599
    • Total $2,599 + Tax
  • Enterprise Edition$3,400 one-off
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $1,199
    • Total $4,599 + Tax
  • Architect Edition$4,416 one-off
    • Perpetual License
    • First year maintenance $2,183
    • Total $6,599 + Tax

Which should you pick?

Choose Cassandra if

  • You need linear scalability.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted.
  • You also want fault tolerance.
Cassandra review

Choose RAD Studio if

Nothing in the data separates RAD Studio from Cassandra on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

RAD Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Cassandra or RAD Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Cassandra starts at Free and RAD Studio at $2000/perpetual, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cassandra or RAD Studio?
Cassandra has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cassandra and $2000/perpetual for RAD Studio.
Does Cassandra or RAD Studio run on more platforms?
Cassandra runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted. RAD Studio runs on Web.
Can I use Cassandra for free?
Yes. Cassandra has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RAD Studio starts at $2000/perpetual.
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 RAD Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Cassandra do that RAD Studio cannot?
Cassandra covers Linear Scalability, Fault Tolerance, Multi-datacenter Replication, Tunable Consistency.

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
RAD Studio: How much does RAD Studio cost?

RAD Studio uses perpetual licensing: Professional Edition $2,000 perpetual license + $599 first year maintenance ($2,599 total + tax). Enterprise Edition $3,400 license + $1,199 maintenance ($4,599 total + tax). Architect Edition $4,416 license + $2,183 maintenance ($6,599 total + tax).

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
RAD Studio: What is the difference between RAD Studio editions?

Professional Edition ($2,599 total + tax) targets individual developers. Enterprise Edition ($4,599 total + tax) adds multi-tier app capabilities. Architect Edition ($6,599 total + tax) includes advanced database and cloud features. All three include perpetual licenses.

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
RAD Studio: Does RAD Studio offer Kai AI integration and discounts?

Yes, adding Kai AI to any edition provides discounts: 25% off Professional ($2,136 + tax), 30% off Enterprise ($3,394 + tax), and 40% off Architect ($4,109 + tax). This promotion is active through August 31, 2026.

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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