IBM Db2 on Cloud vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category. IBM is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.2. IBM holds a 1.3% mindshare in DS, compared to Microsoft’s 2.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IBM Db2 on Cloud

Read 2 IBM Db2 on Cloud reviews

222 Views
220 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Read 102 Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reviews

6,178 Views
494 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 on Cloud

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 13, 2025

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB and IBM Db2 on Cloud compete in the cloud database market, both offering distinct advantages. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB seems to have the upper hand with higher scores in ease of use and flexible pricing options, appealing to businesses prioritizing quick scalability.

Features: Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is known for its globally distributed capabilities, multi-model database support, and seamless integration across regions. Its ability to handle diverse applications makes it versatile. IBM Db2 on Cloud offers advanced analytical tools, support for complex queries, and comprehensive data processing, suitable for enterprises focusing on in-depth analysis.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB provides straightforward deployment and minimal setup time with extensive documentation and accessible customer service. It integrates well with other Azure services. IBM Db2 on Cloud delivers a robust deployment model with strong security protocols, addressing enterprises' data protection needs.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB has a competitive pricing model with cost-effective scaling, ensuring a favorable ROI for growing businesses. Its flexible pricing plans cater to companies with varying workloads. IBM Db2 on Cloud involves higher initial setup costs but offers substantial returns with its sophisticated data management capabilities, targeting enterprises willing to invest in powerful analytical tools.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Db2 on Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 on Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

July 2025

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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

IBM Db2 on Cloud

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

13th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

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

7.0

Number of Reviews

102

Ranking in other categories

NoSQL Databases (3rd), Managed NoSQL Databases (1st), Vector Databases (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 on Cloud is 1.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is 2.8%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Featured Reviews

FarhanFarhan

Database Engineer at Meezan Bank

Multi-node architecture and it is good from a security point of view

I would rate the stability a seven out of ten. Most of the issues we faced during troubleshooting were due to specific bugs in the environment, and the only solution was to upgrade the database environment or services. But it is not easy to upgrade the database level when third-party applications are involved, as they are not always comfortable with upgrading. There should be some cumulative solution provided by IBM for their customers, just like other vendors. Upgrading to a certain version doesn't always resolve the issue. It might get resolved at the database level, but what about the other applications integrated with that database that are only compatible with older versions?

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MichaelJohn

Director | Data & AI at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The reliability is the most valuable feature. It is also user-friendly."

"Multiple business departments rely on reports and predictive analysis to make decisions for future business based on their data warehouse and Db2 network analytics tool. It helps our business department make decisions."

"Switching to the cloud significantly improved scalability, flexibility, and uptime."

"Cosmos DB is stable and easy to use."

"As a NoSQL database, it offers schema flexibility which simplifies design and reduces initial engineering overhead."

"The most valuable features of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB include the TTL, the ability to scale up and down as needed, and geo-replication, which comes out of the box."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Cosmos DB is its scalability. That is the biggest reason I use Azure Cosmos DB."

"The solution is highly scalable."

"For example, we have people spread across multiple locations; if they update data in Australia, we can access it in another location within a fraction of a second."

"Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB's most valuable feature is latency."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB pros

Cons

"I would give their support a ten if they had more tutorials available."

"In other environments like Oracle or Teradata, they provide their own solutions for troubleshooting issues. They provide built-in AI services or autonomous databases, which I don't see in the Db2 environment."

"The challenge for us is always scale."

"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."

"Currently, it doesn't support cross-container joins, forcing developers to retrieve data from each container separately and combine it using methods like LINQ queries."

"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."

"Continuing to educate customers on how they can take better advantage of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB without having to completely rewrite their entire application paradigm would be beneficial. They can help them understand that there are multiple options to interact with it. They do not necessarily have to start from scratch. They can refactor their existing application to be able to use it better."

"The first one is the ability to assign role-based access control through the Azure portal for accounts to have contributor rights."

"In Microsoft manufacturing, managers really need to know about the product."

"The integration of the on-premise solution with the cloud can be difficult sometimes."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"Pricing, at times, is not super clear because they use the request unit (RU) model. To manage not just Azure Cosmos DB but what you are receiving for the dollars paid is not easy. It is very abstract. They could do a better job of connecting Azure Cosmos DB with the value or some variation of that."

"The pricing model of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is a bit complex."

"The tool is not expensive."

"Cost isn’t a big hurdle for us right now. The solution is not costly."

"Cosmos DB gave us three accounts for $400. We pay according to the usage."

"Azure Cosmos DB's pricing is competitive, though there is a need for more personalized pricing models to accommodate small applications without incurring high charges. A suggestion is to implement dynamically adjustable pricing that accounts for various user needs."

"Cosmos DB is cost-effective when starting but requires careful management."

"The RU's use case determines our license fees."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Legal Firm

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM Db2 on Cloud?

In other environments like Oracle or Teradata, they provide their own solutions for troubleshooting issues. They provide built-in AI services or autonomous databases, which I don't see in the Db2 e...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering IBM Db2 on Cloud?

Since I have worked with almost every product, including IBM, Teradata is far better than any other data warehouse product. It's a separate database with its own features, architecture, and working...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Db2 on Cloud?

It's a multi-node logical database clustered in three physical nodes. We use a lot of services already provided in our private cloud environment. It's a multi-node architecture.

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?

The pricing for Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is good, but there is a developer factor to consider. It could be economical or expensive depending on usage. Guidance about query consumption of Request U...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?

The only area Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB can improve on is its documentation; while it is solid and very useful, enhancements in the indexing documentation would help users save costs and make it mo...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 56% of the time

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs IBM Db2 on Cloud

Compared 44% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

MongoDB Enterprise Advanced vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Compared 6% of the time

Neo4j Graph Database vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Compared 6% of the time

Amazon DynamoDB vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

August 2025

Download IBM Db2 on Cloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

August 2025

Download Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB product report

Also Known As

No data available

Microsoft Azure DocumentDB, MS Azure Cosmos DB

Overview

A fully-managed cloud SQL database. Powered by a turbo-charged Db2 engine.

IBM

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

Owens-Illinois, KONE Corp., Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, Canon Europe, Delhaize America, Wimbledon

TomTom, KPMG Australia, Bosch, ASOS, Mercedes Benz, NBA, Zero Friction, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Kinectify

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 on Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

July 2025

Free Report: IBM Db2 on Cloud vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

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