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Databases · head to head

Qdrant vs RAD Studio

Qdrant logo

Qdrant

Databases

High-performance vector database for similarity search and embedding-based retrieval

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit QdrantFull 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

  • Qdrant is an open-source vector search engine; RAD Studio is a cross-platform IDE.
  • Qdrant is free; RAD Studio starts at $2000/mo.
  • Where Qdrant falls short: free tier extremely limited (0.5 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 4GB disk); suitable only for experiments.
  • 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 Qdrant and RAD Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Qdrant and RAD Studio differ
AttributeQdrantRAD Studio
Starting priceFree$2000/perpetual
Pricing modelFreemiumOne-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Browser extension, Serverless (coming)Web
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools

What people use each for

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

Qdrant

  • Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) backends for LLM applicationsnot RAD Studio
  • Semantic search across large document corporanot RAD Studio
  • Multimodal retrieval (text, images, video) for recommendation systemsnot RAD Studio
  • Similarity-based product or content recommendationsnot RAD Studio
  • Real-time vector indexing for streaming embedding datanot RAD Studio

RAD Studio

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

Where each one falls short

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

Qdrant

  • Free tier extremely limited (0.5 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 4GB disk); suitable only for experiments
  • Standard and Premium pricing usage-based; specific costs not published; requires calculator or quote
  • Requires understanding of embeddings and vector search concepts; not suitable for SQL-only teams
  • Early-stage serverless offering (coming soon) suggests maturity gaps in that deployment model

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

Qdrant

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Single-node cluster
    • 0.5 vCPU
    • 1GB RAM
  • StandardOn request
    • Dedicated resources
    • Flexible scaling
    • High availability
  • PremiumOn request
    • SSO and SAML
    • Private VPC links
    • 99.9% uptime SLA

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 Qdrant if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Browser extension, Serverless (coming).
Qdrant review

Choose RAD Studio if

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

RAD Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Qdrant or RAD Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Qdrant 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, Qdrant or RAD Studio?
Qdrant has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Qdrant and $2000/perpetual for RAD Studio.
Does Qdrant or RAD Studio run on more platforms?
Qdrant runs on Web, Self-hosted, Browser extension, Serverless (coming). RAD Studio runs on Web.
Can I use Qdrant for free?
Yes. Qdrant has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RAD Studio starts at $2000/perpetual.
What is Qdrant best used for?
Qdrant is most often used for retrieval-augmented generation (rag) backends for llm applications, semantic search across large document corpora, multimodal retrieval (text, images, video) for recommendation systems, similarity-based product or content recommendations. Of those, retrieval-augmented generation (rag) backends for llm applications and semantic search across large document corpora are not what RAD Studio is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Qdrant: Can I use Qdrant for free?

Yes, Qdrant offers a free tier that provides a single node cluster with 0.5 vCPU, 1GB RAM, and 4GB disk space. It includes free cloud inference with selected models and is described as free forever for testing and prototypes.

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
Qdrant: How is Qdrant Cloud billing calculated?

Billing is calculated based on actual resource usage during each billing period. You are charged hourly for compute (vCPU), memory (GB), storage (GB), backups, and any paid inference tokens used.

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
Qdrant: What happens if I scale beyond the free tier?

The Standard Tier uses the same usage-based billing model as the free tier but adds features like dedicated resources with flexible scaling, highly available setups with backup and disaster recovery, and a 99.5% uptime SLA.

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
Qdrant: What SLA does Qdrant offer?

The Standard Tier provides 99.5% uptime SLA. The Premium Tier, which requires a minimum spend for enterprises, offers 99.9% uptime SLA along with single sign-on and private VPC links.

Source
Qdrant: Are there dedicated cloud infrastructure options?

Yes, Qdrant offers Hybrid Cloud (runs on your infrastructure) and Private Cloud (complete isolation) options, both with custom pricing that requires contacting the sales team.

Source
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