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Citus Data vs CockroachDB vs MySQL comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Citus Data is 2.5%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of CockroachDB is 4.1%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MySQL is 7.8%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Arucy Lionel - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently handles high-traffic scenarios and compatible with PostgreSQL extensions, offering flexibility in database management
There are many areas of improvement , especially in terms of DDL query routing. Even though it's masterless, DDL queries need to be sent to the coordinator node. Also, setting up a multi-node environment could be more straightforward. Currently, setting up a multi-node environment is challenging. It's a bit tricky. Installation on each PostgreSQL node can lead to communication issues between nodes. An automatic rebalancing feature would be a significant improvement. Currently, I have to manually command the rebalance. It would be more convenient if it was rebalanced automatically. The dashboard and monitoring capabilities are good, but it would be helpful to have an integrated availability dashboard.
Dang Quy Tai - PeerSpot reviewer
Geo-replication benefits with distributed setup and a helpful AI support chatbot
I am studying how to deploy CockroachDB and YugaByteDB, and learning some basic information about them. I am testing these databases as part of my school application to find a suitable database for our applications. Currently, I am using PostgreSQL, however, I want to try some distributed databases…
Muzzamil  Hussain - PeerSpot reviewer
Native encryption ensures secure data management with a simple deployment
The most valuable feature is the on-premises data encryption facilities. By default, we can provide encryption, and this feature in MySQL is why we prefer it over other databases. The native encryption in MySQL encourages us to use this database model more frequently compared to Oracle and other databases. With Oracle, we have to buy another solution for encryption and masking, but MySQL supports native encryption, which enhances our return on investment. It perfectly supports our ROI, and we have no issues with its functionality.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"You can use Citus Data to write complex scripts. I like its version upgrades and disaster recovery as well."
"It's very straightforward to implement the solution. It took us two days to set up everything."
"Its distributed processing capabilities are a standout feature. It requires minimal changes to get up and running if you already have a system on PostgreSQL. Citus can run in its natural state."
"I use CockroachDB to test big data samples and to create the best structure for databases. We have four users and required 10 people for deployment and maintenance."
"The availability and the easy to use feature is the most valuable. The documentation is also good."
"The tool's most valuable feature is node syncing, which takes only 0.54 milliseconds."
"The most valuable features of the solution are its resiliency features and the geo-partitioning capabilities."
"The initial setup and deployment are simple."
"The product has valuable security features."
"The best feature of CockroachDB is the ability to keep the nodes in different locations."
"The most valuable feature is that CockroachDB is a distributed database, which can deploy nodes running in different regions."
"I use MySQL for employee service in an OLTP database."
"Compared to other databases, MySQL is cheaper and we were using the community edition which was free of cost. ML is fully integrated with the database in HeatWave. It has also many other features. MySQL is a far better solution in terms of pricing."
"I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten since it has been running flawlessly."
"The solution is easy to use."
"It has a lot of features. The RDBMS, consistency, and multi-user features are valuable."
"The solution is very stable."
"A lot of the software components have been trialed and tested for often more than 10 years."
"Fully scalable and stable SQL-based RDBMS, with a straightforward and easy setup."
 

Cons

"More features in monitoring and the reporting could make it better."
"There are many areas of improvement , especially in terms of DDL query routing. Even though it's masterless, DDL queries need to be sent to the coordinator node. Also, setting up a multi-node environment could be more straightforward."
"Citus Data needs to improve its stability. Do not consider this product if you have the budget. It is still developing and has a lot of issues."
"The product must improve its disaster recovery features."
"I would like CockroachDB to have more compatibility with PostgreSQL, especially with the connection string and technical integrations."
"The initial setup and pricing could be improved."
"CockroachDB needs to improve store processes."
"The platform could be more extensible."
"We are looking for more features to support distributed high availability and geo-partitioning."
"I think the engine itself could be improved. If you miss a partition key, it should be able to be modeled. This is where AI could be really helpful. For example, if a user is from Australia, the system should know to look for their data there first instead of searching in the US or another continent."
"Cockroach does not support all types of protocols. I need to improve it myself to support a CouchDB on my network."
"I would like to improve the solution’s pricing for licenses."
"The availability of tools could be improved in the MySQL open-source platform. They can provide more analytical tools. I haven't had any particularly difficult issues to troubleshoot on MySQL, but in the past, on Microsoft SQL Server, I had to troubleshoot some difficult issues, and better tools were in place to see what was going on in real-time on the server. So, that's the bit that is lacking on the MySQL open-source platform."
"The auto-tuning and NDB cluster has some limitations regarding foreign keys."
"There should be more tools to manage the on-premises version and more automation features."
"We want high availability and replication features, which are currently missing in this solution. It would be great if they can provide an in-built replication feature, similar to Oracle RAC, in MySQL."
"Security is a concern. MySQL could have better security features."
"The technical support should be more knowledgeable and available worldwide."
"In terms of what I'd like to see in the next release, one thing that's always missing is dash boarding. There's no real BI tool for MySQL, like there is in Yellowfin and all the different tools that you get. They all have MySQL connectors, but there's no specific BI tool for MySQL. These open source projects have sprung up, but they're more general purpose."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Citus Data is an open-source product."
"The product's price depends on the user's company and the contract model they enter into with CockroachDB. Depending on the contract model one enters into with CockroachDB, the product may or may not be expensive."
"I've used CockroachDB at a small scale on the free accounts because we are only testing."
"The platform is affordable even for the enterprise version. It provides value for investment in terms of performance."
"The pricing is good but can be made cheaper. I would rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"The solution's pricing is not cheap. However, the good thing is that customers are willing to pay for it if they want it."
"There is a license for this solution. A lot of the time the solution gets bundled with other hardware or software purchases."
"It is open-source."
"The tool is open source."
"I would rate the solution’s pricing a six out of ten. The solution is not cheap but it’s a fair value. The pricing depends on the use cases of our customers. Some of our customers use the community edition which is license free and a good fit for their use cases. However, we encourage our bigger customers to sign up because of the scalability issues. The paid versions get direct technical support from Oracle."
"The pricing falls within the moderate range."
"When you know the setup will continue to grow, make sure you have the paid support."
"I am not paying, but I am not sure about the exact licensing requirements."
"There is not a license required for this solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Financial Services Firm
33%
Computer Software Company
13%
Educational Organization
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Citus Data?
You can use Citus Data to write complex scripts. I like its version upgrades and disaster recovery as well.
What needs improvement with Citus Data?
Citus Data needs to improve its stability. Do not consider this product if you have the budget. It is still developin...
What do you like most about CockroachDB?
The subset of SQL that my client is using is completely supported.
What needs improvement with CockroachDB?
I would like CockroachDB to have more compatibility with PostgreSQL, especially with the connection string and techni...
What is your primary use case for CockroachDB?
I am studying how to deploy CockroachDB and YugaByteDB, and learning some basic information about them. I am testing ...
Why are MySQL connections encrypted and what is the biggest benefit of this?
MySQL encrypts connections to protect your data and the biggest benefit from this is that nobody can corrupt it. If y...
Considering that there is a free version of MySQL, would you invest in one of the paid editions?
I may be considered a MySQL veteran since I have been using it since before Oracle bought it and created paid version...
What is one thing you would improve with MySQL?
One thing I would improve related to MySQL is not within the product itself, but with the guides to it. Before, when ...
 

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