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Alibaba Cloud vs Couchbase

Alibaba Cloud logo

Alibaba Cloud

Software

Asia's leading cloud computing provider

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Couchbase logo

Couchbase

Software

The modern database for enterprise applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Alibaba Cloud technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included; Couchbase the free tier is a single node with 8 GB of storage and forum support only
  • They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Couchbase covers JSON Document Model.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and Couchbase actually diverge.

Attributes where Alibaba Cloud and Couchbase differ
AttributeAlibaba CloudCouchbase
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Api, CliLinux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web
Founded20092011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Alibaba Cloud

  • Elastic Compute Service
  • Object Storage Service
  • RDS Database
  • MaxCompute
  • Function Compute
  • CDN
  • Load Balancer
  • API Gateway

Only in Couchbase

  • JSON Document Model
  • SQL++ Query
  • Full-text Search
  • Eventing
  • Analytics
  • Mobile Sync
  • Multi-dimensional Scaling
  • Kafka

Both cover

  • Kubernetes
  • Linux support
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Alibaba Cloud

  • Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot Couchbase
  • Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot Couchbase
  • Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot Couchbase
  • CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot Couchbase

Couchbase

  • Running a distributed NoSQL document database as a managed servicenot Alibaba Cloud
  • Mobile sync and offline first applications backed by a cloud databasenot Alibaba Cloud

Where each one falls short

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

Alibaba Cloud

  • Technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included
  • Service prices are not shown as a rate card and route through a calculator or sales
  • Committed discounts require savings plans, reserved instances or capacity packages rather than being automatic

Couchbase

  • The free tier is a single node with 8 GB of storage and forum support only
  • Node rates are hourly and quoted as starting figures, from $0.15 an hour on Basic to $0.49 on Enterprise
  • The Developer Pro and Enterprise plans require 3 nodes, so the hourly rate multiplies before any usage
  • Backup storage is billed separately at $0.07 per GB a month, and analytics backups at $0.14
  • Support response time is a plan feature, at 8 hours on Developer Pro against 30 minutes on Enterprise
  • AI and analytics run as separately priced planes at up to $0.86 an hour per node

Pricing, plan by plan

Alibaba Cloud

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Free tier credits
    • ECS instances
    • Cloud storage
  • Pay-as-You-GoFree
    • Flexible billing
    • No commitments
    • Global reach

Couchbase

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Full features
    • Community support
    • Self-managed
  • Capella FreeFree
    • Managed service
    • Limited resources
    • Cloud hosted

Which should you pick?

Choose Alibaba Cloud if

  • You need elastic compute service.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
  • You also want object storage service.
Alibaba Cloud review

Choose Couchbase if

  • You need json document model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
  • You also want sql++ query.
Couchbase review

Questions people ask

Is Alibaba Cloud or Couchbase better?
Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Couchbase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or Couchbase?
Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Couchbase at Free.
Does Alibaba Cloud or Couchbase run on more platforms?
Alibaba Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Couchbase runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
Can I use Alibaba Cloud for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Alibaba Cloud best used for?
Alibaba Cloud is most often used for cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific, pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment, committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloads, cdn and data transfer packages for content delivery. Of those, cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific and pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment are not what Couchbase is typically brought in for.
What can Alibaba Cloud do that Couchbase cannot?
Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Couchbase covers JSON Document Model, SQL++ Query, Full-text Search, Eventing. Both handle Kubernetes, Linux support, Windows support.
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