Software · alternatives
Alternatives to Amazon RDS
3 software tools sit alongside Amazon RDS in this directory. Below is what separates each from Amazon RDS on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 3
- With a free tier
- 3
- Cheaper to start
- -
- Amazon RDS starts at
- On request
Why people look past Amazon RDS
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Amazon RDS entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is no free tier
The record for Amazon RDS carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 3 of the 3 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Intelligent, scalable cloud database service from Microsoft
- Can be used without paying; Amazon RDS cannot.
- Publishes an entry price of Free, where Amazon RDS does not.
Fully managed relational database service for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server
- Can be used without paying; Amazon RDS cannot.
- Publishes an entry price of Free, where Amazon RDS does not.
MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud
- Can be used without paying; Amazon RDS cannot.
- Publishes an entry price of Free, where Amazon RDS does not.
Every Amazon RDS alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon RDS (this page) | On request | - | - | |
| Azure SQLMicrosoft's managed SQL database service with similar features and often lower costs for enterprises | Free | - | - | vs Amazon RDS |
| Google Cloud SQLGoogle's managed relational database service with integrated backup and high availability | Free | Usage-based | 2 | vs Amazon RDS |
| Amazon AuroraAWS's high-performance MySQL and PostgreSQL compatible database with automatic scaling | Free | Usage-based | 2 | vs Amazon RDS |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Amazon RDS badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (3)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Azure SQL , Free
- Google Cloud SQL , Free
- Amazon Aurora , Free
What you would be giving up
Amazon RDS is most often brought in for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting, data analytics. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Amazon RDS is broadly right and the question is cost, the Amazon RDS pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the full directory lists everything.
Amazon RDS runs on aws cloud, multi-az, multi-region. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Amazon RDS alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Amazon RDS?
- 3 other software tools are listed in this directory, led by Azure SQL, Google Cloud SQL, Amazon Aurora. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Amazon RDS?
- 3 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Azure SQL, Google Cloud SQL, Amazon Aurora.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Amazon RDS?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Amazon RDS?
- Amazon RDS is most often brought in for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting, data analytics. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Amazon RDS?
- None of the software tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Amazon RDS alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Software, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored slot runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Amazon RDS against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Amazon RDS covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every software tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Software category, 3 tools beside Amazon RDS. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.