Recital Software

What Recital Software does

Recital Software is a privately held US company headquartered in Middleton, Massachusetts, that develops server-centric database and application development platforms engineered for transaction-intensive business systems. Founded in 1988 (per firmographic records; other sources reference 2000), the company maintains offices in the USA and the UK (Bracknell), with a registered UK entity (Recital Corporation Ltd.) supporting sales and support across Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Its product family includes Recital (a data-centric scripting language with embedded database for Linux/Unix character-mode and batch applications), Recital Server (a cross-platform SQL database and application server with ODBC/JDBC/.NET client drivers), Recital Web (a server-side scripting environment for Apache and IIS-based web applications), and an xBase Migration Platform targeted at organizations modernizing legacy FoxPro, FoxBASE, Clipper, and other xBase systems.

The platform is differentiated by an integrated architecture combining a scripting language engine, an embedded high-performance database engine with record-level locking, encrypted SSH-based access, and cluster-ready deployment options. Notable proprietary features include SmartQuery caching for SQL performance, database timelines for chronological data versioning and rollback, self-healing indexes, DES3 encryption for table-level security, and compatibility with drbd, heartbeat, glusterfs, and samba for high-availability configurations. The technology is positioned for environments where uptime, control, and durability outweigh framework trends, including financial systems, government and regulated industries, manufacturing and logistics, healthcare, OEM embedded database, and secure private cloud deployments.

Recital generates revenue through commercial software licensing for the core product family, recurring support contracts (Business Hours Premium Support and 24/7 Enterprise Support tiers), and professional services covering custom development, platform migration, database administration, performance tuning, application outsourcing, re-engineering, Linux cluster solutions, and security penetration testing. Pricing is inquiry-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution combines direct sales offices in the USA and UK with a worldwide value-added reseller network that builds applications on Recital for end customers across thousands of sites globally. The customer base skews toward organizations running legacy xBase systems requiring a secure, scalable migration path without full application rewrites.

Name

Recital Software

Legal name

Recital Software Inc.

Website

https://recitalsoftware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Recital Software develops a server-centric database and application development platform for transaction-intensive business systems, offering products for Linux/Unix scripting, cross-platform SQL server, web applications, and FoxPro/xBase migration, sold via direct sales and a global VAR network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: Commercial software licenses for Recital, Recital Server, and Recital Web products. Licenses are sold with inquiry-based pricing. Royalty-free client drivers included (ODBC, JDBC, .NET Data Provider).
2. Support Contracts: Business Hours Premium Support and 24/7 Enterprise Support tiers. Priority ticket handling with guaranteed response times based on severity. Direct access to experienced Recital support engineers.
3. Professional Services: Custom development projects, platform migration services, database administration services, system performance tuning, application development outsourcing, application support outsourcing, application re-engineering, Linux cluster solutions, and security penetration testing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Recital Software develops and licenses a suite of server-centric database and application development products — Recital, Recital Server, Recital Web, and the xBase Migration Platform — that combine a data-centric scripting language, an embedded high-performance database engine, encrypted SSH-based access, and cluster-ready high-availability deployment. Revenue is generated through commercial software licensing, recurring premium support subscriptions (Business Hours and 24/7 Enterprise tiers), and professional services including platform migration, custom development, database administration, and security testing.

Product overview

Recital Software offers a suite of database and application development products centered around its server-centric platform. The core product family consists of Recital (a scripting language with embedded database for Linux desktop/batch applications), Recital Server (cross-platform SQL database and application server), Recital Web (server-side scripting for web applications), and the xBase Migration Platform (for migrating FoxPro/xBase legacy systems). All products share a common architecture: an embedded high-performance database engine, strong FoxPro/xBase compatibility, encrypted SSH-based access, and cluster-ready enterprise deployment options. The products differ in their deployment targets — Recital targets Linux character-mode applications, Recital Server enables distributed SQL client/server environments with ODBC/JDBC connectivity, and Recital Web adds web application capabilities via Apache and IIS integration. Premium support tiers (Business Hours and 24/7 Enterprise) complement the product suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Recital: A powerful data-centric scripting language with an embedded database for developing character-mode desktop and batch database applications on Linux and Unix platforms.
• Recital Server
• Recital Web
• xBase Migration Platform

Products and services

• Recital A secure, server-centric scripting language and embedded database platform engineered for high-performance Linux environments. Supports full FoxPro, FoxBASE, and xBase language and database compatibility, enabling organizations to modernize without rewriting. Executes entirely on the server with encrypted SSH access.
• Recital Server A secure, cross-platform SQL database and application server combining a powerful SQL engine with an integrated application runtime. Natively accesses Recital, FoxPro, FoxBASE, Clipper, dBase, CISAM, and RMS data formats. Includes royalty-free ODBC, JDBC, and .NET Data Provider drivers for client connectivity.
• Recital Web A server-side scripting language with an embedded database for creating dynamic web pages. Embedded into HTML pages with .rsp file extension, compatible with FoxPro, FoxBASE, and Clipper programming languages. Works with Apache and Microsoft IIS web servers, with Recital Cluster Edition available for high scalability and fault tolerance.
• xBase Migration Platform A FoxPro and xBase migration solution providing a secure, scalable, enterprise-ready pathway to modernize legacy applications without full rewrites. Supports FoxPro, FoxBASE, Clipper, and xBase systems with T-SQL and Visual FoxPro SQL compatibility, encrypted SSH-based access, and cluster-ready deployment options.
• Business Hours Premium Support Priority ticket handling and guaranteed response times during standard business hours (Monday-Friday). Includes direct access to experienced Recital support engineers, configuration and best practices assistance, and optional scheduled remote support sessions.
• 24/7 Enterprise Support Round-the-clock support coverage (24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year) with immediate attention for critical issues, around-the-clock monitoring and response, escalation to senior technical engineers, defined SLA response and resolution targets, and optional quarterly service health checks.
• Recital Services Professional services including custom development projects, platform migration services, database administration services, system performance tuning, application development outsourcing, application support outsourcing, application re-engineering, Linux cluster solutions, and security penetration testing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Scales to thousands of concurrent users while maintaining consistent transactional performance
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• MariaDB: MariaDB is an open-source enterprise SQL database with strong community and cloud adoption that competes with Recital Server for transactional workloads, especially in organizations seeking cloud-native or hybrid SQL alternatives to proprietary embedded databases.
• PostgreSQL: PostgreSQL is the leading open-source enterprise SQL database with broad ecosystem support and cloud distributions (AWS RDS, Azure, Crunchy, etc.). It increasingly competes with Recital Server as the default modernization target for xBase-to-SQL migrations.
• Firebird SQL: Firebird is an open-source, embeddable SQL database derived from the original Borland InterBase codebase, with a strong presence in SMB and ISV deployments. It is an emerging alternative to Recital Server for organizations wanting free, embeddable, high-availability SQL without per-seat licensing.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft SQL Server: Microsoft SQL Server is the incumbent enterprise SQL database for Windows-centric transaction systems and is often the alternative customers weigh against xBase-replacement platforms like Recital. It represents the broadest incumbent threat for both greenfield and modernization workloads.

Direct peers

• Progress OpenEdge: Progress OpenEdge ABL is a xBase-derived application and database platform explicitly positioned for legacy modernization and mission-critical transaction processing. Recital and OpenEdge compete for the same FoxPro/xBase migration and long-lifecycle enterprise database workloads.
• Actian (Ingres / Actian Zen): Actian Zen (formerly Pervasive PSQL) and Actian's Ingres-derived database stack target embeddable, low-overhead SQL for ISVs and embedded deployments. Recital Server competes with this class of embeddable, royalty-free, high-throughput database engines.
• dBASE (dBASE LLC): dBASE is one of the original xBase platforms (ancestral to FoxPro and Clipper) and continues to ship a modern xBase-compatible data-centric development environment. It is a direct competitor to Recital for xBase developer mindshare and migration projects.
• InterBase (by Idera / Embarcadero): InterBase is an embeddable, cross-platform SQL database with a long heritage in desktop and embedded deployments, including data-format compatibility with legacy xBase and similar environments. It competes with Recital Server in the embedded, royalty-free, high-availability database category.
• SAP SQL Anywhere (Sybase): SQL Anywhere is an embedded and mobile SQL database designed for transactional applications running outside the data center, with strong ISV and remote-deployment footprints. It overlaps directly with Recital Server's embedded, high-availability, WAN-tolerant positioning.
• HCL Informix (IBM Informix): IBM Informix (now under HCL) is an embeddable, low-administration OLTP database widely used in transactional, retail, and embedded OEM deployments. Like Recital Server, it competes on embeddability, low TCO, and reliable transaction throughput at the edge and on enterprise servers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/recitalsoftware

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Recital Software