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Google Cloud Spanner vs MongoDB Atlas comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 2, 2025

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

Google Cloud Spanner
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
8th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MongoDB Atlas
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Managed NoSQL Databases (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Spanner is 5.1%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MongoDB Atlas is 13.9%, down from 16.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
MongoDB Atlas13.9%
Google Cloud Spanner5.1%
Other81.0%
Database as a Service (DBaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Saurav Krishna - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable but expensive solution that needs to look into the horizontal scaling feature
The tool needs to improve horizontal scaling.  I have been using the product for a year.  Google Cloud Spanner is stable.  My company has 15-20 users for the product.  The tool's deployment is easy.  The solution is expensive.  You need to look at the data set and company requirements. I rate…
Laksiri Bala - PeerSpot reviewer
Room for improvement in data handling leads to enhanced cost-effective data management performance
It would be beneficial if MongoDB Atlas could better support OLTP aspects and data frames, as well as enhance its capabilities for data pipelines and visualization dashboards. Furthermore, supporting the medallion architecture could be a valuable addition, and incorporating improved spatial and vector handling for geographical data could make it more competitive. Enhancing vector processing for AI capabilities would also be critical.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its scalability. Scalability comes with two options, among which Google Cloud Spanner can scale horizontally, compared to other relational databases that scale vertically."
"The application deployment in the cloud is the best feature of the infrastructure."
"It is a very scalable solution."
"We can scale the solution if we need to."
"Google Cloud Spanner is stable."
"MongoDB is a NoSQL tool."
"The solution is easy to use, the console is user-friendly, and overall a well-designed solution. It takes a complex system and makes it easy to understand. Additionally, the solution is always advancing and they provide a roadmap into what is coming in the future."
"It is nice because our developers create tables whenever they need to sync data."
"Its most valuable features are high availability and zero maintenance."
"The most valuable feature is that it's all web-based. So one can browse collections just from the web. MongoDB Atlas is very accessible, quick to understand, and quick to learn. People who have never used CLI can hop into the web interface and browse the database."
"Object-based data storing capability and managing non-structured data capability are the most valuable features of MongoDB Atlas."
"I rate MongoDB Atlas a nine out of ten."
"The price of MongoDB Atlas is reasonable, which is why many organizations, including mine, are opting for it."
 

Cons

"I want to improve the deployment of cameras and surveillance infrastructure."
"Google came up with something called Cloud Spanner Emulator, which fails to work like the real product if I want to develop some code and run a database locally on my machine."
"The cost can be a bit high."
"The tool needs to improve horizontal scaling."
"The tool lacks to offer AI features."
"It would be better if there were more integration capabilities with other products."
"The replica side, like the venue, can be improved."
"A few areas that we have noticed as being problematic with the MongoDB Atlas include user access to the platform. Currently, it is difficult to restrict and control what actions a user can perform within the solution, which poses a challenge from an internal auditing perspective."
"We had some bad trainers when we first came onboard and would rate them fairly low. They did not seem staffed properly to fulfill the training services that they offered."
"The installation was straightforward except for the network hardware because it was a little complicated to make the connection with our VPC on AWS."
"Searching and browsing through the collection must be made easier."
"I would like the solution to offer more integration capabilities since it is an area where the solution lacks."
"I would like a more comprehensive dashboard."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"The purchasing process through the AWS Marketplace was very good."
"The pricing and licensing is great."
"We pay for the license on a monthly basis. It's not cheap or expensive. For smaller companies, it's definitely expensive."
"The pricing is not that expensive, but it can be, especially when we have deployed it across multiple zones."
"Comparing the price between the MongoDB and Microsoft SQL Server, we are using the enterprise edition of Microsoft SQL Server, which is more expensive than MongoDB."
"The solution is fairly priced."
"The solution is expensive overall. It does not require a license but if you want the support then you will need to purchase the license. They use a pay-as-you-go model and you are able to receive some discounts by making longer usage commitments."
"Pricing could always be better."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
25%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise20
 

Questions from the Community

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...
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...
What do you like most about MongoDB Atlas?
There are many valuable features, but scalability stands out. It can scale across zones. You can define multiple nodes. They have also partnered with AWS, offering great service with multiple featu...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MongoDB Atlas?
The price of MongoDB Atlas is reasonable, which is why many organizations, including mine, are opting for it.
What needs improvement with MongoDB Atlas?
There is nothing about MongoDB Atlas I would like to improve or any weak points at this time. I have not thought through what other features I would like to see included in future updates. MongoDB ...
 

Also Known As

Google Spanner
Atlas, MongoDB Atlas (pay-as-you-go)
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Streak, Optiva, Mixpanel
Wells Fargo, Forbes, Ulta Beauty, Bosch, Sanoma, Current (a Digital Bank), ASAP Log, SBB, Zebra Technologies, Radial, Kovai, Eni, Accuhit, Cognigy, and Payload.
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud Spanner vs. MongoDB Atlas and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.