vs

ArangoDB vs ArcadeDB

ArangoDB: Native multi-model database: documents, graphs, search and vectors behind one query language. ArcadeDB: Multi-model Java database speaking SQL, Cypher, Gremlin, MongoDB and Redis protocols.

key differences

  • Licensing: ArangoDB is source-available (Business Source License 1.1; ArangoDB Community License for binaries); ArcadeDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • ArangoDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than ArcadeDB (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is native in ArangoDB and none in ArcadeDB.
  • Transactions: ArangoDB offers limited ACID; ArcadeDB offers full.
  • Only ArangoDB has joins, ttl / expiry, compression, encryption at rest.
  • ArcadeDB can run embedded in your application process.

choose arangodb for

  • +Knowledge graphs and GraphRAG pipelines
  • +Fraud and network analysis mixed with document data
  • +Recommendation engines
  • +Identity and access graphs

best at · Traversal, Knowledge graph, OLTP

choose arcadedb for

  • +Migrating off OrientDB
  • +Mixed graph and document app backends
  • +Embedded multi-model storage in Java
  • +Graph plus vector retrieval

best at · OLTP, Traversal, Vector search

overview
Primary model
Graph
Graph
Also supports
Document, Key-Value, Search Engine, Vector, Spatial
Document, Key-Value, Vector, Time-Series
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Arango (ArangoDB Inc.)
Arcade Data Ltd.
First release
2012
2021
Latest version
3.12.12.1 (Sep 29, 2026)
26.10.2 (Oct 15, 2026)
License
Source-availableBusiness Source License 1.1; ArangoDB Community License for binaries
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
40.0
13.9
Rank
#43
#240
GitHub stars
14.3K
1.2K
Stack Overflow questions
2K
22
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Single node, Distributed, Client server
Single node, Primary replica, Embedded, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
✓
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
–
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
—
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
✓
✓
Vector search
✓
✓
Geospatial
✓
✓
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
✓
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
—
Encryption at rest
✓
—
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
✓
✓
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
AQL
SQL, Cypher, Gremlin, GraphQL, MongoDB query language
Client languages
JavaScript, Java, Go, Python, C#
Java, Any PostgreSQL driver, Python, JavaScript
Best for
Traversal, Knowledge graph, OLTP, Search
OLTP, Traversal, Vector search, Embedded

ArangoDB vs ArcadeDB: FAQ

What is the difference between ArangoDB and ArcadeDB?

ArangoDB: Native multi-model database: documents, graphs, search and vectors behind one query language. ArcadeDB: Multi-model Java database speaking SQL, Cypher, Gremlin, MongoDB and Redis protocols. Licensing: ArangoDB is source-available (Business Source License 1.1; ArangoDB Community License for binaries); ArcadeDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). ArangoDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than ArcadeDB (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is native in ArangoDB and none in ArcadeDB.

When should I choose ArangoDB over ArcadeDB?

Choose ArangoDB for knowledge graphs and GraphRAG pipelines; fraud and network analysis mixed with document data; and recommendation engines. Choose ArcadeDB for migrating off OrientDB; mixed graph and document app backends; and embedded multi-model storage in Java.

Is ArangoDB or ArcadeDB more popular?

ArangoDB ranks #43 on the WhichDB Score (40.0/100) and ArcadeDB ranks #240 (13.9/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are ArangoDB and ArcadeDB open source?

Not in the OSI sense. ArangoDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: Business Source License 1.1; ArangoDB Community License for binaries. Yes. ArcadeDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.