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RAD Studio vs SingleStore

RAD Studio logo

RAD Studio

Developer Tools

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

From
$2000/perpetual
Free plan
No
SingleStore logo

SingleStore

Databases

The real-time distributed SQL database for data-intensive applications

From
Free
Free plan
Yes

The short version

  • RAD Studio is a cross-platform IDE.
  • SingleStore has a free plan, then $0.99/mo; RAD Studio starts at $2000/mo.
  • 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.
  • Where SingleStore falls short: high licensing costs that increase with data scale and cluster size.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where RAD Studio and SingleStore differ
AttributeRAD StudioSingleStore
Starting price$2000/perpetualFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Self-Managed
CategoryDeveloper ToolsDatabases

Not yet recorded: pricing model for SingleStore, 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 RAD Studio

Nothing recorded that SingleStore does not also cover.

Only in SingleStore

  • Real-time Analytics
  • Fast Data Ingest
  • In-memory Processing
  • Distributed Architecture
  • MySQL Compatible
  • Columnar Storage
  • Vector Search
  • Kafka

What people use each for

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

RAD Studio

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

SingleStore

  • Transaction processingnot RAD Studio
  • Data storagenot RAD Studio
  • Application backendnot RAD Studio
  • Reportingnot RAD Studio
  • Data analyticsnot RAD Studio

Where each one falls short

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

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

SingleStore

  • High licensing costs that increase with data scale and cluster size
  • Eventual consistency in replication: secondary replicas may lag during high write loads
  • Complex operational setup requiring specialized knowledge for optimization
  • Vendor lock-in due to proprietary technology without open-source alternatives
  • Disorganized documentation and lack of online training resources

Pricing, plan by plan

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

SingleStore

Free
  • Free Tier$0.99/mo
    • Usage-based pricing
    • Limited resources

Which should you pick?

Choose RAD Studio if

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

Choose SingleStore if

  • You need real-time analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-Managed.
  • You also want fast data ingest.

Questions people ask

Is RAD Studio or SingleStore better?
Neither clearly leads. RAD Studio starts at $2000/perpetual and SingleStore at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, RAD Studio or SingleStore?
SingleStore has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2000/perpetual for RAD Studio and Free for SingleStore.
Does RAD Studio or SingleStore run on more platforms?
RAD Studio runs on Web. SingleStore runs on Web, Self-Managed.
Can I use SingleStore for free?
Yes. SingleStore has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RAD Studio starts at $2000/perpetual.
What is RAD Studio best used for?
RAD Studio is most often used for building windows desktop applications with vcl components, creating ios and android apps from shared delphi codebase, connecting to oracle databases through firedac connectivity, building rest web services that run on linux servers. Of those, building windows desktop applications with vcl components and creating ios and android apps from shared delphi codebase are not what SingleStore is typically brought in for.
What can RAD Studio do that SingleStore cannot?
SingleStore covers Real-time Analytics, Fast Data Ingest, In-memory Processing, Distributed Architecture.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
SingleStore: Does SingleStore offer a free tier?

Yes, SingleStore offers a free tier starting from $0.99/month with usage-based pricing. The free tier allows developers to evaluate the platform with limited resources before scaling to production workloads.

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
SingleStore: Can SingleStore handle both transactional and analytical workloads?

Yes, SingleStore is a hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP) database that combines operational (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) workloads in a single unified engine, eliminating the need for separate systems.

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
SingleStore: Does SingleStore integrate with Apache Spark?

Yes, SingleStore provides the Spark Connector 3.0 for bidirectional data integration with Apache Spark. The connector supports SQL, Python, Scala, Java, and R for data loading and extraction.

Source
SingleStore: Can SingleStore ingest data from Kafka?

Yes, SingleStore supports high-throughput streaming ingestion from Apache Kafka and other sources, enabling millions of events per second without requiring ETL pipelines or data movement.

Source
SingleStore: Is SingleStore available as cloud or self-managed?

SingleStore offers both deployment options: SingleStoreDB Cloud (managed service) and SingleStore Self-Managed for on-premises or private cloud deployments. The managed service handles infrastructure, scaling, and maintenance automatically.

Source
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