DataStax Astra DB vs ApsaraDB for Cassandra

DataStax Astra DB9.3Visit ApsaraDB for Cassandra6.9Visit

Higher score DataStax Astra DB #1 in Cassandra Hosting 9.3/10 Free plan · paid from $1 Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Astra DB

vs

ApsaraDB for Cassandra #7 in Cassandra Hosting 6.9/10 From $36.06/mo ✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Alibaba Cloud

• DataStax Astra DB fits best

  Cassandra apps needing a flexible managed platform

• ApsaraDB for Cassandra fits best

  Teams deploying Cassandra across Asian regions

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Side by side

Feature	DataStax Astra DB 9.3/10 Visit ↗	ApsaraDB for Cassandra 6.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	6.9
Ranking	#1 in Cassandra Hosting	#7 in Cassandra Hosting
Best for	Cassandra apps needing a flexible managed platform	Teams deploying Cassandra across Asian regions
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	Not published	$36.06/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not published
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Support	Tickets, Docs	Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features DataStax Astra DB 1/3 · ApsaraDB for Cassandra 2/3
Automated backups	Not published	Not published
Multi-region clusters	✓	✓
Private networking	Not published	✓ (best)
Specs
Cassandra versions	Not published	Not published
Node scaling	Not published	Not published
Storage per node	Not published	Not published
Deployment regions	Not published	China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), China (Shenzhen), China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Hong Kong), Japan (Tokyo), Singapore, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta), UK (London), Germany (Frankfurt), US (Virginia), US (Silicon Valley)
Our review
Pros	CQL, HTTP Data API, drivers, and client libraries Configurable consistency with multi-region replication Free tier plus usage pricing from $1 per resource unit	Multi-node clusters with replicas and multiple data centers Separate compute and cloud-disk scaling and billing Private and public endpoints across listed regions
Cons	Free plan excludes multi-region databases Subscription pricing is $83.3 per month Not open source	Alibaba Cloud documentation labels the service deprecated Compute and storage costs are billed separately Platform access is listed through the API, with limited integrations
Our verdict	DataStax Astra DB is a fully managed, serverless database service powered by Apache Cassandra. It is designed for developers building distributed applications, real-time workloads, and generative-AI or retrieval-augmented-generation… Read the review →	ApsaraDB for Cassandra is Alibaba Cloud’s managed Apache Cassandra service for teams running high-concurrency, low-latency workloads. It supports multi-node clusters, data replicas, multiple data centers, cloud disks, and internal or… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• DataStax Astra DB — where it wins

  • CQL, HTTP Data API, drivers, and client libraries
  • Configurable consistency with multi-region replication
  • Free tier plus usage pricing from $1 per resource unit

  Where it doesn't

  • Free plan excludes multi-region databases
  • Subscription pricing is $83.3 per month
  • Not open source

• ApsaraDB for Cassandra — where it wins

  • Multi-node clusters with replicas and multiple data centers
  • Separate compute and cloud-disk scaling and billing
  • Private and public endpoints across listed regions

  Where it doesn't

  • Alibaba Cloud documentation labels the service deprecated
  • Compute and storage costs are billed separately
  • Platform access is listed through the API, with limited integrations

• DataStax Astra DB9.3/10 · Free plan · paid from $1

  A flexible managed Cassandra platform with multiple APIs, scaling, and a free tier.

  Visit Astra DBFull verdict →
• ApsaraDB for Cassandra6.9/10 · From $36.06/mo

  Managed multi-node Cassandra with regional coverage, but the service is deprecated.

  Visit Alibaba CloudFull verdict →