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Cassandra vs Timescale

Cassandra logo

Cassandra

Software

Manage massive amounts of data with linear scalability

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Timescale logo

Timescale

Software

PostgreSQL platform for time-series and analytical workloads

From
$30/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; Timescale it is built on Postgres, so it inherits Postgres's vertical-scaling limits compared to purpose-built distributed time-series systems.
  • They diverge on capability: Cassandra covers Linear Scalability, Timescale covers Hypertables.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cassandra and Timescale actually diverge.

Attributes where Cassandra and Timescale differ
AttributeCassandraTimescale
Starting priceFree$30/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetesweb, api
Founded2008Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Cassandra

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

Only in Timescale

  • Hypertables
  • Native compression
  • Continuous aggregates
  • Point-in-time recovery
  • Read replicas
  • Private networking

What people use each for

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

Cassandra

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

Timescale

  • IoT and sensor data storagenot Cassandra
  • Operational and infrastructure metricsnot Cassandra
  • Time-series analytics dashboardsnot Cassandra
  • Financial and market tick datanot 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

Timescale

  • It is built on Postgres, so it inherits Postgres's vertical-scaling limits compared to purpose-built distributed time-series systems.
  • The free trial is time-limited (30 days) rather than a permanent free tier.
  • Enterprise features like HIPAA compliance and cross-region backups require custom-priced Enterprise plans, not available on entry tiers.
  • Multi-node horizontal scaling and read replicas are gated behind the higher-priced Scale plan.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cassandra

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cassandra review.

Timescale

$30/month
  • Performance$30/month
    • 4 database services
    • Up to 8 CPU / 32GB memory per service
    • Up to 16TB disk per service
  • Scale$36/month
    • Unlimited database services
    • Up to 32 CPU / 128GB memory per service
    • Up to 64TB disk per service
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Up to 64 CPU / 256GB memory per service
    • Cross-region backups
    • SAML SSO, HIPAA compliance

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 Timescale if

  • You need hypertables.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want native compression.
Timescale review

Questions people ask

Is Cassandra or Timescale better?
Neither clearly leads. Cassandra starts at Free and Timescale at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cassandra or Timescale?
Cassandra has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cassandra and $30/month for Timescale.
Does Cassandra or Timescale run on more platforms?
Cassandra runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Timescale runs on web, api.
Can I use Cassandra for free?
Yes. Cassandra has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Timescale starts at $30/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 Timescale is typically brought in for.
What can Cassandra do that Timescale cannot?
Cassandra covers Linear Scalability, Fault Tolerance, Multi-datacenter Replication, Tunable Consistency. Timescale covers Hypertables, Native compression, Continuous aggregates, Point-in-time recovery.

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
Timescale: What does Timescale (Tiger Data) cost?

Tiger Cloud starts at $30/month for the Performance plan (4 database services, up to 8 CPU/32GB RAM), $36/month for Scale (unlimited services, multi-node HA), and custom Enterprise pricing for larger deployments.

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
Timescale: Is there a free trial and what does it include?

New users get a 30-day trial of the Performance plan with no credit card required, letting them test hypertables, compression and continuous aggregates before paying.

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
Timescale: How is usage billed?

Billing is monthly in arrears with hourly-metered compute and storage based on average GB consumed per hour; mid-month plan changes are pro-rated and customers can cancel anytime.

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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