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Amazon Aurora vs Oracle Database

Amazon Aurora logo

Amazon Aurora

Databases

MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Oracle Database logo

Oracle Database

Databases

The world's most complete, reliable, and secure database

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; Oracle Database high licensing costs for Enterprise Edition with option packs potentially doubling the effective per-processor cost
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, Oracle Database covers PL/SQL.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Aurora and Oracle Database actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Aurora and Oracle Database differ
AttributeAmazon AuroraOracle Database
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
PlatformsAWS CloudOn-premises, Oracle Cloud, Linux, Windows, Unix
Founded20061977

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 Oracle Database

  • PL/SQL
  • Real Application Clusters
  • Data Guard
  • Advanced Compression
  • Partitioning
  • In-memory Database
  • Multitenant Architecture
  • Oracle Cloud

What people use each for

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

Amazon Aurora

  • Transaction processing
  • Data storage
  • Application backend
  • Reporting
  • Data analytics

Oracle Database

  • Transaction processing
  • Data storage
  • Application backend
  • Reporting
  • Data analytics

Both are used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting, data analytics, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

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

Oracle Database

  • High licensing costs for Enterprise Edition with option packs potentially doubling the effective per-processor cost
  • Requires skilled database administrators for proper setup, configuration, and maintenance
  • High hardware requirements increase infrastructure costs; less suitable for resource-constrained environments

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

Oracle Database

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Oracle Database review.

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 Oracle Database if

  • You need pl/sql.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on On-premises, Oracle Cloud, Linux, Windows, Unix.
  • You also want real application clusters.
Oracle Database review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Aurora or Oracle Database better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Aurora starts at Free and Oracle Database at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Aurora or Oracle Database?
Amazon Aurora starts at Free and Oracle Database at Free.
Does Amazon Aurora or Oracle Database run on more platforms?
Amazon Aurora runs on AWS Cloud. Oracle Database runs on On-premises, Oracle Cloud, Linux, Windows, Unix.
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.
What can Amazon Aurora do that Oracle Database cannot?
Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, 5x MySQL Performance, Auto-scaling Storage, Global Database. Oracle Database covers PL/SQL, Real Application Clusters, Data Guard, Advanced Compression.

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
Oracle Database: What is the licensing cost of Oracle Database Enterprise Edition?

Oracle Database Enterprise Edition is priced at 47,500 USD per processor as of April 2026. Named User Plus licensing costs 950 USD per user. Pricing varies based on licensing metric chosen.

Source
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
Oracle Database: Does Oracle Database offer a free tier or trial?

Oracle Database offers Oracle Database Free Edition, a no-cost version for development and testing. However, no free trial is available for paid editions.

Source
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
Oracle Database: What are the deployment options for Oracle Database?

Oracle Database can be deployed on premises or through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Pricing and features vary based on deployment model selected.

Source
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
Oracle Database: What database management capabilities does Oracle Database provide?

Oracle Database is a converged, multi-model database management system offering in-memory computing, NoSQL, and MySQL database options with comprehensive data management and security features.

Source
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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