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Software · head to head

Airbrake vs Amazon RDS

Airbrake logo

Airbrake

Software

Error Tracking and Performance Monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Amazon RDS logo

Amazon RDS

Software

Set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Airbrake has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Airbrake data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier; Amazon RDS no super-user access or direct host connectivity limits advanced customization
  • They diverge on capability: Airbrake covers Error tracking, Amazon RDS covers Multiple DB Engines.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbrake and Amazon RDS actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbrake and Amazon RDS differ
AttributeAirbrakeAmazon RDS
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, ApiAWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-region
Founded20082006

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbrake

  • Error tracking
  • Performance monitoring
  • Deploy tracking
  • Custom notifications
  • API
  • Webhooks
  • REST
  • Api support

Only in Amazon RDS

  • Multiple DB Engines
  • Automated Backups
  • Multi-AZ Deployment
  • Read Replicas
  • Encryption
  • Performance Insights
  • Automatic Scaling
  • MySQL

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbrake

  • Error and exception monitoring for web applicationsnot Amazon RDS
  • Performance monitoring alongside error trackingnot Amazon RDS
  • Alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errorsnot Amazon RDS
  • Tracking errors across multiple projects in one accountnot Amazon RDS

Amazon RDS

  • Transaction processingnot Airbrake
  • Data storagenot Airbrake
  • Application backendnot Airbrake
  • Reportingnot Airbrake
  • Data analyticsnot Airbrake

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbrake

  • Data retention is 30 days on every plan, including the $799 a month Business tier
  • The entry plan at $19 a month covers 25,000 errors and 7,500 events
  • Errors beyond the plan quota are billed on demand
  • Audit logs and spike forgiveness require the Pro tier
  • The lowest tier is limited to 1 user and 1 team

Amazon RDS

  • No super-user access or direct host connectivity limits advanced customization
  • Pricing unpredictable and expensive compared to GCP alternatives with equivalent features
  • Limited access to system procedures and tables requiring advanced permissions
  • No Oracle RAC (Real Application Clusters) support for high-availability Oracle deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbrake

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Error tracking
    • Performance monitoring
    • Deploy tracking

Amazon RDS

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Amazon RDS review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbrake if

  • You need error tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want performance monitoring.
Airbrake review

Choose Amazon RDS if

  • You need multiple db engines.
  • You work on AWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-region.
  • You also want automated backups.
Amazon RDS review

Questions people ask

Is Airbrake or Amazon RDS better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbrake starts at Free and Amazon RDS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbrake or Amazon RDS?
Airbrake has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airbrake and On request for Amazon RDS.
Does Airbrake or Amazon RDS run on more platforms?
Airbrake runs on Web, Api. Amazon RDS runs on AWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-region.
Can I use Airbrake for free?
Yes. Airbrake has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amazon RDS starts at On request.
What is Airbrake best used for?
Airbrake is most often used for error and exception monitoring for web applications, performance monitoring alongside error tracking, alerting a team when a deploy introduces a spike in errors, tracking errors across multiple projects in one account. Of those, error and exception monitoring for web applications and performance monitoring alongside error tracking are not what Amazon RDS is typically brought in for.
What can Airbrake do that Amazon RDS cannot?
Airbrake covers Error tracking, Performance monitoring, Deploy tracking, Custom notifications. Amazon RDS covers Multiple DB Engines, Automated Backups, Multi-AZ Deployment, Read Replicas. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon RDS: What databases does Amazon RDS support?

Amazon RDS supports Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle Database, and Microsoft SQL Server as managed database engines.

Source
Amazon RDS: Does Amazon RDS handle backups automatically?

Yes. Amazon RDS automates backup configuration, backing up your database and transaction logs. Blue/Green Deployments allow safer updates by mirroring production in staging before applying changes.

Source
Amazon RDS: How does Amazon RDS Proxy improve performance?

Amazon RDS Proxy is a managed database proxy that makes applications more scalable by reducing database connection overhead, more resilient to database failures, and more secure through built-in authentication.

Source
Amazon RDS: Does Amazon RDS provide read replicas?

Yes. Amazon RDS supports read replicas across availability zones and regions, enabling horizontal scaling of read capacity while maintaining a single write primary.

Source
Amazon RDS: Can I access the host directly via SSH or Remote Desktop?

No. Amazon RDS does not allow direct host access via SSH, Telnet, or Windows Remote Desktop Connection. Database access is limited to database clients and management console.

Source
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