head to head · open source
cognee vs arcadedb
cognee has 33,036 GitHub stars, 3,456 forks, 495 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. arcadedb has 1,233 stars, 164 forks, 167 open issues and last shipped yesterday. cognee leads on adoption by 2,579% (33,036 vs 1,233 stars). cognee is written in Python under Apache-2.0; arcadedb is written in Java under Apache-2.0. cognee has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, arcadedb 13%. arcadedb was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| cognee | arcadedb | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 33K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.5K | ⑂ 164 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick cognee if
- You weight community size — 33K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick arcadedb if
- You want the arcadedb feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and arcadedb fits your workflow better
About cognee
Cognee The Open Source AI Memory Platform for Agents Demo . Docs . Learn More · Join Discord · Join r/AIMemory . Community Plugins & Add ons Cognee is the open source AI memory platform that gives AI agents persistent long term memory across sessions. Ingest data in any format, build a self hosted knowledge graph, and let every agent recall, connect, and act with full context 🌐 This README is also available in: Deutsch Español Français 日本語 한국어 Português Русский 中文 📄 Read the research paper: Optimizing the Interface Between Knowledge Graphs and LLMs for Complex Reasoning — Markovic et al., 2025 When to use…
read the full cognee overview →
About arcadedb
Multi Model DBMS Built for Extreme Performance ArcadeDB is a Multi Model DBMS created by Luca Garulli, the same founder of OrientDB, after SAP's acquisition. Written from scratch with a brand new engine made of Alien Technology, ArcadeDB is able to crunch millions of records per second on common hardware with minimal resource usage. ArcadeDB reuses OrientDB's SQL engine (heavily modified) and some utility classes. It's written in LLJ: Low Level Java still Java21+ but only using low level APIs to leverage advanced mechanical sympathy techniques and reduce Garbage Collector pressure. Highly optimized for extreme…
read the full arcadedb overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is cognee or arcadedb more popular?
cognee has 33,036 GitHub stars and arcadedb has 1,233. cognee has the larger community by that measure.
Are cognee and arcadedb free?
Both are open source. cognee is licensed under Apache-2.0 and arcadedb under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between cognee and arcadedb?
cognee is written in Python and arcadedb in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, cognee or arcadedb?
Choose cognee if you want the larger community (33,036 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose arcadedb if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.