Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Amazon RDS vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft are both solutions in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.3. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 24.0% mindshare in DS, compared to Microsoft’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
Amazon RDS
Read 56 Amazon RDS reviews
  • 4,390 Views
  • 3,675 Comparison Views
98% willing to recommend
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Read 93 Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reviews
  • 279 Views
  • 105 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Amazon RDS and Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB provide cloud database solutions with unique advantages. Azure Cosmos DB stands out for its global distribution and flexibility, making it a suitable choice for modern applications with diverse requirements.

Features: Amazon RDS supports multiple database engines including Aurora and MySQL, offering features like deployment agility and automated maintenance. It ensures high availability with a multi-availability zone feature. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB excels in global distribution, multi-model NoSQL capabilities, and supports APIs such as SQL and MongoDB. It offers robust data models like key-value, graph, and document, enhancing its flexibility for various applications.

Room for Improvement: Amazon RDS is limited by a lack of shell access, making feature accessibility challenging for non-enterprise users. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB faces high costs and pricing complexity, which could deter users. It also needs improvements in query functionalities and cross-container data handling for enhanced enterprise usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Amazon RDS is primarily deployed in public cloud environments, and its customer service quality can vary based on service level. Azure Cosmos DB offers similar flexibility but might face inconsistent support. Both have comprehensive documentation, though timely support can sometimes be an issue.

Pricing and ROI: Amazon RDS offers competitive pay-as-you-go pricing with effective scaling, often ensuring a quick ROI. Azure Cosmos DB's costs are linked to resource consumption, but its high usage costs can impact ROI, despite offering value with extensive features.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed Amazon RDS vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Amazon RDS vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
June 2025
Download the complete report
Helped 857,688 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.8
Amazon RDS reduces costs and enhances agility with scalable pay-as-you-go solutions, offering varied ROI based on usage.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB offers dynamic scaling benefits but presents cost and complexity challenges, especially for smaller organizations.
No quotes available
For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon RDS report
Getting an MVP of that project would have taken six to eight months, but because we had an active choice of using Azure Cosmos DB and other related cloud-native services of Azure, we were able to get to an MVP stage in a matter of weeks, which is six weeks.
You can react quickly and trim down the specs, memory, RAM, storage size, etc. It can save about 20% of the costs.
When I have done comparisons or cost calculations, I have sometimes personally seen as much as 25% to 30% savings.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
MichaelJohn - PeerSpot reviewer
BP
AH
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
Amazon RDS support varies; premium users receive better service, while free-tier users face limitations and slower response times.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB support is generally efficient, with varying responsiveness and quality, and valuable community resources aid users.
The documentation is quite good.
The official AWS technical support for Amazon RDS is helpful, providing 24/7 assistance for all business support cases with tools such as the health dashboard and AWS trusted advisor.
For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon RDS report
Premier Support has deteriorated compared to what it used to be, especially for small to medium-sized customers like ours.
The response was quick.
I would rate customer service and support a nine out of ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
Kenan Çiftçi - PeerSpot reviewer
BS
reviewer2595951 - PeerSpot reviewerJoel Hulen - PeerSpot reviewerMichaelJohn - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Amazon RDS is praised for scalable performance, though some users note limitations with large datasets and prefer alternative features.
Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB offers efficient scalability, dynamic resource adjustment, and robust data integration for handling large workloads.
Its automated scaling, both in storage and instances, is vital as it eliminates manual interventions.
Despite being a strong feature, scalability could be improved due to the lack of full functionality in autoscaling.
For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon RDS report
The system scales up capacity when needed and scales down when not in use, preventing unnecessary expenses.
We like that it can auto-scale to demand, ensuring we only pay for what we use.
We have had no issues with its ability to search through large amounts of data.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
Samuel Ebite - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2668191 - PeerSpot reviewerHashir Ali Shuja - PeerSpot reviewerTiago Duarte - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2678751 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Amazon RDS is praised for its stability and reliability, with effective failure handling and strong backup features.
Sentiment score
8.0
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is highly stable, with 99.9% availability, low latency, and reliable features ensuring continuous operation.
Amazon RDS is very stable when deployed correctly across different zones with the right configurations.
It is a stable product overall, with very few issues.
For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon RDS report
We have multiple availability zones, so nothing goes down.
Azure Cosmos DB would be a good choice if you have to deploy your application in a limited time frame and you want to auto-scale the database across different applications.
I would rate it a ten out of ten in terms of availability and latency.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
Samuel Ebite - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2668191 - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2596239 - PeerSpot reviewerHarshitGaur - PeerSpot reviewerAroosh Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Room For Improvement

Amazon RDS users desire better migration tools, database support, customization, scalability, security, cost management, and user-friendly interfaces.
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB faces challenges with performance, documentation, integration, pricing, and users seek improved query flexibility and support.
Simplifying migration for those transitioning from on-premises to cloud environments.
Having native Change Data Capture (CDC) support would be beneficial, allowing for seamless integration with Kafka without relying on external technologies like Debezium.
Enabling performance insights to view query formats where the bottlenecks occur, identifying the fixes, slow queries, and missing indexes.
For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon RDS report
We must ensure data security remains the top priority.
You have to monitor the Request Units.
The first one is the ability to assign role-based access control through the Azure portal for accounts to have contributor rights.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
Samuel Ebite - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2668191 - PeerSpot reviewer
BS
Mohamed Ait Salah - PeerSpot reviewer
BP
Joel Hulen - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Setup Cost

Amazon RDS offers flexible pricing but requires careful provisioning for cost-effectiveness and improved pricing predictability and alerts.
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB's flexible pricing offers scalability and value but may be costly for large-scale operations.
While Azure provides great services, long-term plans on AWS are 20% to 30% cheaper.
I find the pricing of Amazon RDS fair, as AWS operates on a pay-for-what-you-use model.
I rate the price for Amazon as eight on a scale from one to ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon RDS report
Initially, it seemed like an expensive way to manage a NoSQL data store, but so many improvements that have been made to the platform have made it cost-effective.
Cosmos DB is expensive, and the RU-based pricing model is confusing.
Cosmos DB is great compared to other databases because we can reduce the cost while doing the same things.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
Karthikeyan Katkam - PeerSpot reviewerSamuel Ebite - PeerSpot reviewerKenan Çiftçi - PeerSpot reviewerJoel Hulen - PeerSpot reviewerChristian Gomez Rua - PeerSpot reviewer
RC
 

Valuable Features

Amazon RDS offers a fully managed, scalable service with multiple database support, backup automation, and AWS integration for efficiency.
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB offers scalable, globally-accessible data solutions with robust security, low-latency, and integration with multiple APIs and Azure products.
Amazon RDS provides data encryption using services like KMS, crucial for securing high-sensitive data and meeting compliance requirements such as HIPAA or PCI DSS.
Database management is effective in Amazon RDS because it offers automated backups, high availability, read replicas, and support from multiple database engineers, while also providing security, monitoring and metrics, scalability.
Amazon RDS makes it easier for me to manage databases compared to traditional databases like MongoDB or local host servers.
For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon RDS report
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is its real-time analytics capabilities, which allow for turnaround times in milliseconds.
Performance and security are valuable features, particularly when using Cosmos DB for MongoDB emulation and NoSQL.
The performance and scaling capabilities of Cosmos DB are excellent, allowing it to handle large workloads compared to other services such as Azure AI Search.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
Samuel Ebite - PeerSpot reviewer
BS
Karthikeyan Katkam - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2227599 - PeerSpot reviewerChristian Gomez Rua - PeerSpot reviewerTiago Duarte - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

Amazon RDS
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
93
Ranking in other categories
NoSQL Databases (5th), Managed NoSQL Databases (1st), Vector Databases (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Amazon RDS is 24.0%, down from 27.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is 2.0%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database as a Service (DBaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Samuel Ebite - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensure high availability with robust encryption and seamless backups
Amazon RDS provides data encryption using services like KMS, crucial for securing high-sensitive data and meeting compliance requirements such as HIPAA or PCI DSS. The best practices we've employed with RDS help design a well-architected framework, encompassing security, encryption, scalability with multi-availability zone deployment, and operational excellence with automated backups. RDS features, such as reserved instances, storage auto-scaling, monitoring with technologies like CloudWatch, and proxies, contribute to cost optimization. The solution enhances security with IAM authentication and offers high availability to end users.
Read full review
MichaelJohn - PeerSpot reviewer
Very efficient for application-facing scenarios
There are several areas for improvement. Firstly, having a local development emulator or simulator for Azure Cosmos DB would be beneficial. It would be very handy to have a Docker container that developers can use locally. Although, I know there is a free tier and so on and so forth, having a local environment would be nice. For example, SQL Server is very portable. You can even install it on your machine. That is the number one thing that is missing in Azure Cosmos DB. The second improvement area is the IDE of choice. That means how you interact with Azure Cosmos DB. For example, with SQL Server, you have SQL Server Management Studio. I know there is a little bit of support for Azure Cosmos DB in Azure Data Studio, but it is not heavily advertised or it does not feel like first-class citizen support. Developer experience or developer tooling is missing in terms of interacting with the database. Better developer tools or an IDE for interacting with Azure Cosmos DB would enhance the developer experience. Lastly, there is some mixed messaging about what Azure Cosmos DB is, given its multiple APIs. There are so many Azure Cosmos DB APIs available. There is NoSQL. There are MongoDB, Gremlin, and others. There is still some mixed messaging for others who are new to Azure Cosmos DB about what Azure Cosmos DB is. Is this like MongoDB, but then there is also MongoDB in Azure Cosmos DB? I know it well, and I know that the default one is just NoSQL, but others I have interacted with over the last ten years or so get confused.
Read full review
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Database as a Service (DBaaS) solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
857,688 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
6%
University
6%
Legal Firm
14%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon RDS?
The product's installation phase is easy.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon RDS?
The pricing for Amazon RDS is reasonable.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Amazon RDS?
User interface needs improvement for using IPS and cloud watch to scale and utilize read replicas, enabling performance insights to view query formats where the bottlenecks occur, identifying the f...
See all answers
What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
The initial setup is simple and straightforward. You can set up a Cosmos DB in a day, even configuring things like availability zones around the world.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
We are not consuming so much yet since we are at the beginning of using this solution. I would rate the pricing of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB a six out of ten.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
We are at the beginning of production, and everything is working very well. The price can always be lower, but currently, it's not a problem.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

MongoDB Atlas vs Amazon RDS Logo
MongoDB Atlas vs Amazon RDS
Compared 26% of the time
Google Cloud SQL vs Amazon RDS Logo
Google Cloud SQL vs Amazon RDS
Compared 20% of the time
Oracle Database as a Service vs Amazon RDS Logo
Oracle Database as a Service vs Amazon RDS
Compared 19% of the time
Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Amazon RDS Logo
Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Amazon RDS
Compared 15% of the time
Google Cloud Spanner vs Amazon RDS Logo
Google Cloud Spanner vs Amazon RDS
Compared 6% of the time
More Amazon RDS Competitors
Chroma vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Logo
Chroma vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Compared 13% of the time
Pinecone vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Logo
Pinecone vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Compared 11% of the time
Amazon DynamoDB vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Logo
Amazon DynamoDB vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Compared 6% of the time
Neo4j Graph Database vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Logo
Neo4j Graph Database vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Compared 5% of the time
Amazon Neptune vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Logo
Amazon Neptune vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Compared 5% of the time
More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Amazon RDS
June 2025
Amazon RDS reportDownload Amazon RDS product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
May 2025
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reportDownload Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB product report
 

Also Known As

RDS
Microsoft Azure DocumentDB, MS Azure Cosmos DB
 

Overview

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) is a web service that makes it easier to set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud. It provides cost-efficient, resizeable capacity for an industry-standard relational database and manages common database administration tasks.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database service providing scalability, user-friendliness, and seamless integration, suitable for managing large volumes of structured and unstructured data across diverse applications.

Azure Cosmos DB is renowned for its scalability, stability, and ease of integration, offering robust support for multiple data models and APIs. Its capacity for handling unstructured data efficiently and providing real-time analytics makes it ideal for applications requiring high performance and global distribution. With features like automatic failover and integration with Microsoft products, users benefit from cost optimization and secure data handling. Enhancement opportunities include simplifying queries, improving documentation, and expanding backup and analytics functionalities.

What are the most important features of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
  • Scalability and Autoscaling: Efficiently handles growing data and user demands.
  • Multi-Model Support: Adapts to different data models seamlessly.
  • Global Distribution: Provides low-latency access across multiple regions.
  • Automatic Failover: Ensures high availability and reliability.
  • Integration with Microsoft Products: Offers seamless connectivity with Azure services.
What benefits should users look for in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reviews?
  • Performance and Speed: Exceptionally fast processing for real-time data analytics.
  • Cost Optimization: Tools for managing expenses effectively.
  • Secure Data Handling: Implements strong data security measures.
  • Flexible Data Ingestion: Supports diverse data ingestion methods.

Azure Cosmos DB is frequently used in sectors like web, mobile, IoT, and analytics. It supports applications as a key-value store, processes real-time data, and enables global scalability with low-latency access. Its big data management capabilities and integration with Azure services enhance its utility across industries.

Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

Edmodo
TomTom, KPMG Australia, Bosch, ASOS, Mercedes Benz, NBA, Zero Friction, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Kinectify
Buyer's Guide
Amazon RDS vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
June 2025
Free Report: Amazon RDS vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon RDS vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
DOWNLOAD NOW
857,688 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our Amazon RDS vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report.
See our list of best Database as a Service (DBaaS) vendors.

We monitor all Database as a Service (DBaaS) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.