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

Google Cloud Spanner vs MongoDB Atlas comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2024

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)
9th
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
48
Ranking in other categories
Managed NoSQL Databases (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Spanner is 4.5%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MongoDB Atlas is 14.2%, down from 15.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database as a Service (DBaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Ethan Lo - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable and scalable relational database that ensures a return on investment for its users
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. You can change Google Cloud Spanner's resource configuration, which is done through processing units. Suppose you set up Google Cloud Spanner initially with a hundred processing units, and then you run out of resources since your database used too much CPU. In the aforementioned scenario, you can scale up or down and face no downtime in the production phase. The solution's features are important when running a company twenty-four hours, seven days a week.
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."
"It is a very scalable solution."
"We can scale the solution if we need to."
"The application deployment in the cloud is the best feature of the infrastructure."
"Google Cloud Spanner is stable."
"I find MongoDB Atlas highly scalable and easy to use, with very good support."
"The product provides quick transaction service, high availability, and efficient scalability features."
"The features that I have found most valuable include the very easy integrations. The integrations are fantastic. I have not faced any challenges from the integration standpoint."
"The speed of it is the most valuable feature."
"For security reasons, I prefer MongoDB Atlas. It supports role-based access control, so you have an entity for each individual."
"The dynamic structures are the most valuable."
"MongoDB Atlas was explicitly designed to support IoT applications. Many databases offer features tailored for IoT use cases."
"The product is simple to use and enterprise-ready. It is also open-source."
 

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 tool needs to improve horizontal scaling."
"The cost can be a bit high."
"The tool lacks to offer AI features."
"Querying a dataset is not very intuitive, so I think that it can be improved."
"The cost needs improvement."
"The speed when combining two documents is concerning."
"The installation was straightforward except for the network hardware because it was a little complicated to make the connection with our VPC on AWS."
"They could explore ways to facilitate deploying MongoDB containers within the platform."
"It would be great if it were easier to integrate MongoDB Atlas with AWS services. Technical support for MongoDB Atlas could be better."
"If it could be cheaper, that would make us happy."
"The product's file storage documentation needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."
"Price-wise, I heard that Google Cloud Spanner is on the higher side."
"It is expensive."
"Google Cloud Spanner is an expensive solution."
"I am using the free version of the solution."
"The purchasing process through the AWS Marketplace was very good."
"The pricing is not that expensive, but it can be, especially when we have deployed it across multiple zones."
"It is an open-source platform."
"In my previous company, the product allowed use to build a database in a highly regulated environment with the ability to get distributed storage. We used MongoDB as a distributed storage to set up this environment for a critical business application with millions of dollars."
"The pricing is good. We originally chose it over DynamoDB because of the pricing."
"The solution is fairly priced. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten."
"We're currently using the Atlas for the night and don't require a license. However, it can be a problem if you want to use their enterprise environment. Then you need to purchase the license."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Database as a Service (DBaaS) solutions are best for your needs.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Computer Software Company
15%
Retailer
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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?
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, supporti...
 

Also Known As

Google Spanner
Atlas
 

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: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.