ArcadeDB

ArcadeDB is an open-source database that combines graph, document, key-value, search, vector, and time-series data in one engine. It suits teams building graph-rich, analytics, or AI workloads that want deployment flexibility and control over their database. Its strongest case is a full-featured, uncapped free edition; teams seeking a focused, single-workload database may prefer a narrower option.

Overview

ArcadeDB is led by Arcade Data Ltd, a private company based in London. Its range of data models, graph algorithms, and vector search makes it relevant to projects such as knowledge graphs, GraphRAG, fraud detection, recommendation engines, real-time analytics, customer 360, supply-chain analytics, and AI/ML feature stores. Combining these workloads in one engine can reduce the need to operate separate database types, though the breadth is less valuable when a project needs only one model.

The Apache 2.0 database is free for any usage, with no usage limits or feature gating. Paid plans add support commitments, while the Studio AI Assistant is a separate paid option.

Explore Multimodel Databases, Graph Databases, and Database Software for related choices.

Key features

• Six data models in one engine: ArcadeDB handles graph, document, key-value, full-text search, vector, and time-series data, alongside graph algorithms and vector search. That mix is useful when an application crosses data types, but may be unnecessary overhead for a narrowly defined workload.
• Multiple query interfaces: SQL, OpenCypher 25, Gremlin, GraphQL, MongoDB query language, and a native Java API give teams options for working with different application stacks and data models.
• Flexible deployment and connectivity: It can run embedded in Java applications or as a standalone server, with installation through Docker, a GitHub binary, Maven, or Kubernetes. HTTP/JSON support and compatibility with Postgres wire, Redis, and MongoDB protocols can ease integration with clients using those interfaces.
• Transactions and distributed operation: ArcadeDB states that it provides full ACID transactions on single-node and distributed deployments. It uses Raft to maintain consistency across multiple servers, and describes a persistent write-ahead journal with rollback of uncommitted transactions after a server crash.
• Migration paths: Built-in importers for Neo4j and OrientDB may help teams moving from either database.

Pricing

The Community plan costs nothing, billed forever. It includes the full ArcadeDB feature set, public documentation and tutorials, community forums, and GitHub Issues. This is a strong fit for teams comfortable relying on community support; there are no database usage caps or paid feature gates to trade away.

Paid support is priced per server and billed monthly. Silver costs $299 a month and includes email support, a priority issue queue, backport patches, one Studio AI Assistant license, and a four-hour S1 response during business hours. It fits teams that need a defined response commitment without higher-tier coverage.

Gold costs $599 a month per server. It includes one-hour S1 response, coverage from 8am–8pm CET and 24/7 coverage, guaranteed backport patches, escalation management, and one Studio AI Assistant license. Platinum costs $1,499 a month per server, adding a 30-minute S1 response, 24/7/365 critical coverage, a dedicated technical account manager, root-cause analysis for S1/S2, and an annual architecture and performance audit, as well as one assistant license. These higher tiers are for teams that need stronger escalation and round-the-clock support; the monthly per-server charge matters when supporting multiple servers.

The Studio AI Assistant can also be purchased separately for $19.99 a month per license, billed monthly. It offers natural-language query assistance, schema exploration, query optimization suggestions, and context-aware documentation. It is an optional productivity add-on, not a requirement for using the database.

Platforms

ArcadeDB supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows environments. The latest release page lists version 26.9.1 and downloads for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Who it's for

ArcadeDB is a sensible choice for developers and teams that need multiple data models, graph capabilities, or vector search in a database they can deploy and manage themselves. Its free, unrestricted core also suits experimentation and production use where a support subscription is not essential. Teams without capacity to operate a database themselves, or whose needs center on one specialized workload, should compare more focused products.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The complete database is free under Apache 2.0 without usage limits or feature gating, so cost does not restrict access to its core capabilities.
• Pro: Broad model and query support can serve applications that combine graph, vector, document, and other data without requiring separate engines for each.
• Pro: Embedded and standalone deployment, multiple installation methods, and protocol compatibility give teams several integration paths.
• Con: The breadth may be unnecessary for teams whose needs are limited to one data model or query style.
• Con: Community support is the free plan's support route; guaranteed response targets and stronger coverage require monthly paid subscriptions.

Alternatives

Choose LadybugDB if a free, MIT-licensed option with pre-compiled binaries better fits your licensing or distribution needs. Consider AllegroGraph if its free tier of up to 5 Million Triples fits your graph workload. GraphDB is worth comparing when its free plan's one parallel query and five repositories match the scale and concurrency you need.

Memgraph may suit teams seeking a free, open-source in-memory graph database with ACID transactions and on-disk persistence. Consider NebulaGraph if its Apache 2.0 open-source edition and community collaboration better suit your requirements. OrientDB is another free community database option, with a Basic support plan priced at €1,000 a month.

TypeDB is an alternative to consider if its Explore plan's 10 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, 2 vCPUs, and fully managed dedicated database server fit your needs. Aerospike Database is another option for readers comparing database software.

Verdict

Choose ArcadeDB if your application benefits from several data models, graph or vector capabilities, and a database you can run under a permissive open-source license without usage caps. Its main advantage is the full-featured free core; its main trade-off is that dependable, higher-priority support comes at a recurring per-server cost, while teams with a single specialized workload may be better served elsewhere.