Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs Google Cloud Spanner comparison

Microsoft and Google are both solutions in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category. Microsoft is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.8, while Google is ranked #8 with an average rating of 9.0. Microsoft holds a 3.3% mindshare in DS, compared to Google’s 6.4% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Google users who would recommend it.

Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Read 23 Azure Database for PostgreSQL reviews

2,850 Views
1,824 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Google Cloud Spanner

Read 5 Google Cloud Spanner reviews

1,047 Views
984 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Google Cloud Spanner

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 18, 2026

Google Cloud Spanner and Azure Database for PostgreSQL are cloud database services competing in the domain of cloud computing solutions. Google Cloud Spanner appears to have an advantage in global scalability and performance, while Azure Database for PostgreSQL offers a robust feature set with strong open-source integration.

Features: Google Cloud Spanner's global transactional consistency, automatic sharding, and scalability are key features, suitable for multi-region applications requiring high availability. Azure Database for PostgreSQL provides integration within the Azure ecosystem, advanced data security, and high compatibility with numerous PostgreSQL extensions, appealing to open-source database enthusiasts.

Room for Improvement: Google Cloud Spanner could enhance user training and support for complex deployments, expand its feature set to include more open-source compatibility, and improve cost transparency. Azure Database for PostgreSQL can work on further simplifying migration processes from other database platforms, enhancing performance metrics for extremely large datasets, and providing more options for tuning resource allocations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Azure Database for PostgreSQL offers seamless integration within the Azure environment, simplifying deployment with its rich support documentation and making it particularly attractive for users already invested in Azure services. Google Cloud Spanner provides a robust infrastructure, though it may require additional expertise for optimal deployment, challenging users less familiar with its architecture.

Pricing and ROI: Google Cloud Spanner's pricing is often higher due to its advanced scalability and performance, providing significant ROI for enterprises requiring reliable, global operations. Azure Database for PostgreSQL generally offers a cost-effective solution with appealing ROI, benefiting from a pay-as-you-go model and seamless integration capabilities, which suit various business needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs. Google Cloud Spanner Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs. Google Cloud Spanner

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 881,082 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:

Categories and Ranking

Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

5th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Open Source Databases (5th)

Google Cloud Spanner

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

8th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Azure Database for PostgreSQL is 3.3%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Cloud Spanner is 6.4%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Azure Database for PostgreSQL	3.3%
Google Cloud Spanner	6.4%
Other	90.3%

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Featured Reviews

Sathish Palanisamy

Staff Data Engineer at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees

Improves database performance, supports AI integration, and accelerates customer-focused innovation

Azure Database for PostgreSQL can be improved in the area of elastic capabilities. One of the things we were actively looking for is the elastic feature, which was made a GA at this Ignite event. I am really happy that finally in Azure, we have a product which we can use for elastic clusters. If you are bound with a single server, then you have a vertical limit. Now you do not have any limits. As long as your use case grows, we can grow. The only thing I would maybe be thinking about is we should also allow customers to pick different node sizes for every node inside the elastic eventually. Some nodes do not need that big capacity. So that may be a nice-to-have feature, though it is not a must-have at this point.

Read full review

LijomonJose

System Architect at UST Global EspaÃ±a

Offers good performance to users

The tool lacks to offer AI features. In the future, I would like the product to offer AI features to users. Nowadays, we are creating small acronyms for our SQL Server. We put some templates. If I just put your name and stop it, the entire cloud can be explored, but such features are not there in Google Cloud Spanner. As a layman rather than a developer, if I create a tool or a procedure. If I write a procedure and then when you describe a procedure, a dummy procedure will be written for you, and it will be available for you as a template in SQL Server, but such kind features are not there in Google Cloud Spanner.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Azure Database has become easier to use over time."

"The most valuable features of Azure Database for PostgreSQL for us are reliability, performance, and cost, making it a good cost-benefit for us."

"PostgresSQL is acknowledged as an incredibly powerful industry leader. We've built critical pieces of national infrastructure in the UK that rely on Postgres. A version of Postgres on Azure that's easy to adopt enables us to innovate. The addition of AI extensions is even more exciting. It's a significant opportunity for us."

"Our organization's database uptime has improved after implementing Azure Database for PostgreSQL, particularly with the flexible server's redundant configuration capabilities, which allow for failovers and read-only configurations."

"Backups are easy, resizing is quick, and the query analyzers help me find out what's happening in each of the queries."

"I rate Azure Database for PostgreSQL 10 out of 10."

"With PostgreSQL, the documentation is perfect, and using it on Microsoft is easy because there is documentation for Microsoft PostgreSQL, which I find easy to follow."

Cons

"Currently, most databases will try to use all the CPUs available and use all the memories available. We try to give all the databases one hundred percent of the hardware capacity, but sometimes because the OS layer itself will need some resources."

"I do not know how Azure Database for PostgreSQL can be improved or what additional features I would prefer to see. There may be some pain points that would be valuable to fix."

"Performance is one area that has constraints for our customers. I believe there could be improvements in the mirroring part and Change Data Capture (CDC)."

"Support at best is a five out of ten."

"Microsoft support for Azure Database for PostgreSQL rates about four out of ten based on my experience. You always get the same questions with Microsoft support, and it's not really straightforward."

"I believe Azure Database for PostgreSQL can be improved by allowing features that are only enabled or configured during creation to be configurable without redeploying the entire database, a process which can impact our customers if it involves an application outage."

"While the flexibility of the server for financial reasons is understandable, better switching between primary and backup would make transitions smoother."

"I do not know how Azure Database for PostgreSQL can be improved or what additional features I would prefer to see. There may be some pain points that would be valuable to fix."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There aren't any notable areas for improvement that I could see. PostgreSQL was self-sufficient with no need for additional database knowledge to maintain it."

"The pay-as-you-go pricing model plays a critical role in managing database-related costs and resource allocation. We build using Infrastructure as Code (IAC) and maintain a focus on FinOps to control Azure service costs. Some clients are pushy on price. It's critical to automate it, so we're just using it when appropriate and switching it off in certain scenarios."

"The pricing experience is positive. Azure Database for PostgreSQL reduces the need for hardware investments, and the pay-as-you-go pricing model positively affects database-related costs by allowing us to start small and scale as needed."

"We do not pay for a full-year subscription because our usage is still at the beginning phase and not much. The pay-as-you-go model works well for us."

"The solution is expensive."

"It is expensive."

"Google Cloud Spanner is an expensive solution."

"Price-wise, I heard that Google Cloud Spanner is on the higher side."

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

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

14%

Marketing Services Firm

12%

Educational Organization

Financial Services Firm

19%

Computer Software Company

13%

Healthcare Company

10%

Media Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	16

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Database for PostgreSQL?

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Azure Database for PostgreSQL is positive; I appreciate it all. The pricing is very cost-effective and stable given that we have many data...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Database for PostgreSQL?

Azure Database for PostgreSQL can be improved in ways I'm very curious to explore with Horizon. I'm interested in seeing how the fully enterprise-hardened features change things and where that blur...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Azure Database for PostgreSQL?

My main use cases for Azure Database for PostgreSQL came from a personal project to scratch an itch, and it was the easiest one to go grab. I appreciate how easy PostgreSQL is to get running locall...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Google Cloud Spanner?

Google Cloud Spanner has all the features of a traditional relational database, including schemas, SQL queries, ACID transactions, and provides excellent integration and monitoring tools as well as...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud Spanner?

Price-wise, I heard that Google Cloud Spanner is on the higher side. I am not sure if this is a rumor or if it's fake news, but I believe that having BigQuery and GCP together could be a little cos...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Cloud Spanner?

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Compared 22% of the time

Amazon RDS vs Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Compared 13% of the time

MySQL vs Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Compared 12% of the time

Oracle Database as a Service vs Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Compared 10% of the time

PostgreSQL vs Azure Database for PostgreSQL

Compared 8% of the time

More Azure Database for PostgreSQL Competitors

Oracle Database as a Service vs Google Cloud Spanner

Compared 18% of the time

Yugabyte Platform vs Google Cloud Spanner

Compared 15% of the time

MongoDB Atlas vs Google Cloud Spanner

Compared 15% of the time

Amazon RDS vs Google Cloud Spanner

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs Google Cloud Spanner

Compared 7% of the time

More Google Cloud Spanner Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Database for PostgreSQL

January 2026

Download Azure Database for PostgreSQL product report

Buyer's Guide

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

January 2026

Download Google Cloud Spanner product report

Also Known As

No data available

Google Spanner

Overview

Azure Database for PostgreSQL offers efficient management, robust networking, and seamless Microsoft integration. Known for its strong performance and high satisfaction in enterprise settings, it provides operational efficiency, security, and monitoring.

With features that facilitate Azure integration, easy configuration, and AI integration, Azure Database for PostgreSQL serves as a valuable choice for businesses requiring operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Users benefit from powerful vector capabilities, seamless Microsoft service integration, straightforward management, and user authentication ensuring high satisfaction. Easy optimization, query analysis, and backup operations make it suitable for varied enterprise applications. However, improvements in flexible scaling, cost-effectiveness of monitoring tools, and enhanced integration with Azure OpenAI would enhance its capabilities further.

What Are the Key Features of Azure Database for PostgreSQL?

Robust Networking: Offers seamless Azure integration to optimize cloud resources.
AI Integration: Simplifies incorporating artificial intelligence into databases.
Monitoring Tools: Provides comprehensive tools for efficient database management.
Security: Ensures user data is protected with high-standard security protocols.
Cost-Effectiveness: Delivers efficient operations with budget-friendly solutions.

What Benefits Should Users Consider?

Operational Efficiency: Streamlines database management tasks, reducing workload.
High Satisfaction: Receives positive feedback for its reliable performance in enterprises.
Enterprise Compatibility: Integrates across various Microsoft services for enhanced productivity.
User-Friendly Management: Facilitates straightforward database administration.
Scalability: Supports businesses with potential growth through flexible solutions.

Industries such as healthcare, retail, and finance leverage Azure Database for PostgreSQL for backend solutions, incident reporting, and public information sharing. Managed service providers utilize its strong performance for client needs, while administrators use it for applications like ControlM. Its flexibility supports containerized applications and disaster recovery, ensuring compatibility with diverse environments.

Microsoft

Cloud Spanner is the first and only relational database service that is both strongly consistent and horizontally scalable. With Cloud Spanner you enjoy all the traditional benefits of a relational database: ACID transactions, relational schemas (and schema changes without downtime), SQL queries, high performance, and high availability. But unlike any other relational database service, Cloud Spanner scales horizontally, to hundreds or thousands of servers, so it can handle the highest of transactional workloads. With automatic scaling, synchronous data replication, and node redundancy, Cloud Spanner delivers up to 99.999% (five 9s) of availability for your mission critical applications. In fact, Google’s internal Spanner service has been handling millions of queries per second from many Google services for years.

Google

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Streak, Optiva, Mixpanel

Buyer's Guide

Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs. Google Cloud Spanner

December 2025

Free Report: Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs. Google Cloud Spanner

Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs. Google Cloud Spanner and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs. Google Cloud Spanner 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.