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Databases · head to head

Amazon Aurora vs Apache Doris

Amazon Aurora logo

Amazon Aurora

Databases

MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apache Doris logo

Apache Doris

Databases

MPP analytical database with a MySQL wire protocol and sub-second aggregation on wide tables

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Aurora aurora requires AWS ecosystem knowledge and integration with other AWS services; Apache Doris two competing commercial vendors, VeloDB and SelectDB, were founded by overlapping core contributors, which makes the long-term governance and roadmap of the project harder to predict than a single-sponsor project.
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, Apache Doris covers MySQL wire protocol.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Aurora and Apache Doris actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Aurora and Apache Doris differ
AttributeAmazon AuroraApache Doris
Pricing modelusage-basedOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsAWS CloudLinux, Docker, Kubernetes
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

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 Amazon Aurora

  • MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible
  • 5x MySQL Performance
  • Auto-scaling Storage
  • Global Database
  • Serverless v2
  • Multi-master
  • Fault Tolerant
  • AWS Lambda

Only in Apache Doris

  • MySQL wire protocol
  • Aggregate and unique key models
  • Materialised views
  • Multi-catalogue federation
  • Routine load from Kafka
  • Compute storage separation
  • Inverted indexes
  • Workload groups

What people use each for

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

Amazon Aurora

  • Transaction processingnot Apache Doris
  • Data storagenot Apache Doris
  • Application backendnot Apache Doris
  • Reportingnot Apache Doris
  • Data analyticsnot Apache Doris

Apache Doris

  • A team whose MySQL read replica can no longer serve reporting queries and wants an OLAP engine its existing drivers already speaknot Amazon Aurora
  • A real-time dashboard backend needing sub-second aggregation over billions of rows with hundreds of concurrent usersnot Amazon Aurora
  • An ad or ecommerce platform that needs updates and deletes on analytical tables, which append-only OLAP engines handle badlynot Amazon Aurora
  • A data team that wants one SQL endpoint over both internal tables and existing Hive or Iceberg tables in the lakenot Amazon Aurora

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon Aurora

  • Aurora requires AWS ecosystem knowledge and integration with other AWS services
  • Pricing can become expensive with high-traffic applications using many read replicas
  • Limited support for non-relational data types compared to NoSQL alternatives

Apache Doris

  • Two competing commercial vendors, VeloDB and SelectDB, were founded by overlapping core contributors, which makes the long-term governance and roadmap of the project harder to predict than a single-sponsor project.
  • A large share of design discussion, issue reports and documentation detail originates in Chinese, so teams that do not read it get a thinner picture of known problems and workarounds.
  • Operating a cluster means managing frontend and backend node roles, tablet balancing and compaction tuning, and compaction backlogs under heavy upsert load are a recurring production complaint.
  • The MySQL protocol compatibility is at the wire level, not full MySQL semantics, so queries and functions still need porting and the familiarity can mislead.
  • Managed cloud availability outside China and major clouds is limited compared with ClickHouse or Snowflake, so many Western adopters end up self-hosting whether they wanted to or not.

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Aurora

Free
  • Serverless v2$0.12/hour
    • Auto-scaling
    • Pay per ACU
    • Instant scaling
  • Provisioned$29/month
    • Dedicated instances
    • Predictable performance
    • Reserved capacity

Apache Doris

Free
  • Apache DorisFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence with no usage restrictions
    • All engine features included
    • Community support via mailing list and Slack

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Aurora if

  • You need mysql/postgresql compatible.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS Cloud.
  • You also want 5x mysql performance.
Amazon Aurora review

Choose Apache Doris if

  • You need mysql wire protocol.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want aggregate and unique key models.
Apache Doris review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Aurora or Apache Doris better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Aurora starts at Free and Apache Doris at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Aurora or Apache Doris?
Amazon Aurora starts at Free and Apache Doris at Free.
Does Amazon Aurora or Apache Doris run on more platforms?
Amazon Aurora runs on AWS Cloud. Apache Doris runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use Amazon Aurora for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon Aurora best used for?
Amazon Aurora is most often used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting. Of those, transaction processing and data storage are not what Apache Doris is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Aurora do that Apache Doris cannot?
Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, 5x MySQL Performance, Auto-scaling Storage, Global Database. Apache Doris covers MySQL wire protocol, Aggregate and unique key models, Materialised views, Multi-catalogue federation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon Aurora: Is Amazon Aurora compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL?

Yes, Amazon Aurora offers MySQL and PostgreSQL compatibility with full compatibility to their open-source counterparts, allowing you to migrate existing databases with standard tools.

Source
Apache Doris: Is Apache Doris really free?

Yes, it is Apache 2.0 with no usage restrictions. The commercial products are managed services from VeloDB and SelectDB.

Amazon Aurora: What uptime SLA does Amazon Aurora provide?

Aurora is designed for up to 99.99% single-region uptime and 99.999% multi-region uptime with automatic failover.

Source
Apache Doris: Can I use my MySQL tools with it?

Yes, it implements the MySQL wire protocol, so clients and BI connectors attach without a new driver, though SQL semantics differ.

Amazon Aurora: How much does Amazon Aurora cost?

Aurora uses serverless, usage-based pricing where you pay only for consumed capacity. Typical pricing ranges from $50-70 per month for minimal setups to $400-600 per month for small production clusters.

Source
Apache Doris: How does it compare with ClickHouse?

Doris handles updates and high concurrency more comfortably; ClickHouse is generally faster on raw single-query scan throughput and has far wider Western support.

Amazon Aurora: Can Amazon Aurora scale automatically?

Yes, Aurora automatically scales to match workload demands without performance degradation, supporting both read and write scaling.

Source
Apache Doris: Who maintains it?

The Apache Software Foundation project, with most committers employed by VeloDB or SelectDB.

Amazon Aurora: How many read replicas does Aurora support?

Aurora supports up to 15 low-latency read replicas for distributing read traffic across your application.

Source
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