Softwr

Developer Tools · head to head

PartyKit vs RavenDB

P

PartyKit

Developer Tools

Platform for building and deploying realtime multiplayer servers on the edge

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit PartyKitFull review
RavenDB logo

RavenDB

Databases

The fully transactional NoSQL document database

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit RavenDBFull review

The short version

  • RavenDB is an open-source document-oriented database written in C#.
  • PartyKit is free; RavenDB starts at $499/yr.
  • Only PartyKit lists stateful edge servers; only RavenDB lists ACID Transactions.
  • Where PartyKit falls short: documentation and FAQ material on the marketing site is sparse compared to larger realtime platforms.
  • Where RavenDB falls short: the free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PartyKit and RavenDB actually diverge.

Attributes where PartyKit and RavenDB differ
AttributePartyKitRavenDB
PlatformsWeb, APILinux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted, Web
CategoryDeveloper ToolsDatabases

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Freemium), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: founded for PartyKit.

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 PartyKit

  • Stateful edge servers
  • WebSocket-first API
  • CRDT library compatibility
  • Framework integrations
  • Global edge deployment
  • Custom domains

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.

PartyKit

  • Multiplayer collaborative appsnot RavenDB
  • Realtime AI agent backendsnot RavenDB
  • Live cursors and presencenot RavenDB
  • Collaborative whiteboards and documentsnot RavenDB

RavenDB

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

Where each one falls short

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

PartyKit

  • Documentation and FAQ material on the marketing site is sparse compared to larger realtime platforms
  • Commercial free tier requires deploying to the user's own Cloudflare account, adding setup complexity
  • Storage on the free Individual plan clears every 24 hours, limiting it to prototyping rather than persistent production data
  • Smaller ecosystem and community than more established realtime infrastructure providers

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

PartyKit

Free
  • IndividualFree
    • Up to 10 live projects
    • Deploy to the global edge platform
    • Storage clears every 24 hours
  • CommercialFree
    • Unlimited projects
    • Custom domains
    • Runs on your own Cloudflare account; pay only Cloudflare usage

RavenDB

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

Which should you pick?

Choose PartyKit if

  • You need stateful edge servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want websocket-first api.
PartyKit review

Choose RavenDB if

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

Questions people ask

Is PartyKit or RavenDB better?
Neither clearly leads. PartyKit 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, PartyKit or RavenDB?
PartyKit starts at Free and RavenDB at Free.
Does PartyKit or RavenDB run on more platforms?
PartyKit runs on Web, API. RavenDB runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted, Web.
Can I use PartyKit for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is PartyKit best used for?
PartyKit is most often used for multiplayer collaborative apps, realtime ai agent backends, live cursors and presence, collaborative whiteboards and documents. Of those, multiplayer collaborative apps and realtime ai agent backends are not what RavenDB is typically brought in for.
What can PartyKit do that RavenDB cannot?
PartyKit covers Stateful edge servers, WebSocket-first API, CRDT library compatibility, Framework integrations. RavenDB covers ACID Transactions, Auto-indexing, Full-text Search, Graph Queries.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PartyKit: How much does PartyKit cost?

PartyKit is completely free. Both the Individual and Commercial plans have no upfront costs.

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
PartyKit: What is PartyKit's Individual plan?

The Individual plan is free and includes deployment to a global edge platform, support for up to 10 live projects, and is suitable for small projects. Storage is cleared every 24 hours.

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
PartyKit: What is PartyKit's Commercial plan?

The Commercial plan is free but requires deploying to your own Cloudflare account. It includes custom domains, unlimited projects, and you pay only your Cloudflare usage costs.

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
PartyKit: Can I upgrade from Individual to Commercial plan?

Yes, both plans are free but offer different feature sets. The Commercial plan removes project restrictions but requires managing your own Cloudflare infrastructure.

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 PartyKit

More on RavenDB

Keep looking

Other head to heads