Softwr

Databases · head to head

OpenSearch vs RavenDB

OpenSearch logo

OpenSearch

Databases

Open-source search and analytics suite forked from Elasticsearch

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: OpenSearch diverged from Elasticsearch since 7.10, so clients, plugins and features no longer map one to one; RavenDB the free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • They diverge on capability: OpenSearch covers Full-text search, RavenDB covers ACID Transactions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenSearch and RavenDB actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenSearch and RavenDB differ
AttributeOpenSearchRavenDB
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence fee; managed services billed separatelyfreemium
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hostedLinux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 OpenSearch

  • Full-text search
  • OpenSearch Dashboards
  • Log analytics
  • Vector search

Only in RavenDB

  • ACID Transactions
  • Auto-indexing
  • Full-text Search
  • Graph Queries
  • Distributed Counters
  • Time Series
  • Document Compression
  • .NET

What people use each for

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

OpenSearch

  • Log and observability storage where an Apache-2.0 licence is a requirementnot RavenDB
  • Replacing Elasticsearch after the licence change without changing architecturenot RavenDB
  • Search plus analytics on one cluster rather than two systemsnot RavenDB

RavenDB

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

Where each one falls short

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

OpenSearch

  • Diverged from Elasticsearch since 7.10, so clients, plugins and features no longer map one to one
  • Operationally heavy in the way Elasticsearch is: cluster sizing, shard strategy and JVM tuning are ongoing work
  • Smaller ecosystem of third-party tooling than Elasticsearch, which most integrations still target first
  • Overkill for plain application search, where a dedicated search engine is far simpler

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

OpenSearch

Free
  • OpenSearchFree
    • Full functionality
    • Self-hosted
    • No usage limits

RavenDB

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

Which should you pick?

Choose OpenSearch if

  • You need full-text search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
  • You also want opensearch dashboards.
OpenSearch review

Choose RavenDB if

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

Questions people ask

Is OpenSearch or RavenDB better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenSearch 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, OpenSearch or RavenDB?
OpenSearch starts at Free and RavenDB at Free.
Does OpenSearch or RavenDB run on more platforms?
OpenSearch runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted. RavenDB runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
Can I use OpenSearch for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is OpenSearch best used for?
OpenSearch is most often used for log and observability storage where an apache-2.0 licence is a requirement, replacing elasticsearch after the licence change without changing architecture, search plus analytics on one cluster rather than two systems. Of those, log and observability storage where an apache-2.0 licence is a requirement and replacing elasticsearch after the licence change without changing architecture are not what RavenDB is typically brought in for.
What can OpenSearch do that RavenDB cannot?
OpenSearch covers Full-text search, OpenSearch Dashboards, Log analytics, Vector search. RavenDB covers ACID Transactions, Auto-indexing, Full-text Search, Graph Queries.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OpenSearch: Is OpenSearch free?

Yes, Apache 2.0 licensed under the Linux Foundation. Amazon OpenSearch Service is a paid managed option.

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
OpenSearch: Why does OpenSearch exist?

Elastic moved Elasticsearch off the Apache 2.0 licence in 2021. AWS forked the last Apache-licensed version, and the project now sits under the Linux Foundation.

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
OpenSearch: Is OpenSearch compatible with Elasticsearch?

It was at the 7.10 fork point. Both have developed independently since, so compatibility weakens with every release and should be verified for the features you use.

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
Share

Related pages

More on OpenSearch

More on RavenDB

Keep looking

Other head to heads