Software · head to head
Amazon Aurora vs SurrealDB
Amazon Aurora
Software
MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
SurrealDB
Software
Multi-model database combining documents, graphs, vectors and time-series
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Amazon Aurora aurora requires AWS ecosystem knowledge and integration with other AWS services; SurrealDB the listed $0.192/node/hr Scale pricing lacks transparent higher-tier rates, requiring a sales conversation for full production sizing.
- They diverge on capability: Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, SurrealDB covers Multi-model engine.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Amazon Aurora and SurrealDB actually diverge.
| Attribute | Amazon Aurora | SurrealDB |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | AWS Cloud | web, api, windows, mac, linux |
| Founded | 2006 | 2022 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), 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 Amazon Aurora
- MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible
- 5x MySQL Performance
- Auto-scaling Storage
- Global Database
- Serverless v2
- Multi-master
- Fault Tolerant
- AWS Lambda
Only in SurrealDB
- Multi-model engine
- ACID transactions
- Hybrid retrieval
- Horizontal scaling
- Multi-region disaster recovery
- FIPS-compliant cryptography
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Amazon Aurora
- Transaction processingnot SurrealDB
- Data storagenot SurrealDB
- Application backendnot SurrealDB
- Reportingnot SurrealDB
- Data analyticsnot SurrealDB
SurrealDB
- AI agent memory and retrieval-augmented generationnot Amazon Aurora
- Applications needing documents, graphs and vectors in one databasenot Amazon Aurora
- Knowledge graph construction from unstructured datanot Amazon Aurora
- Regulated workloads requiring SOC2/ISO27001/HIPAA-eligible hostingnot 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
SurrealDB
- The listed $0.192/node/hr Scale pricing lacks transparent higher-tier rates, requiring a sales conversation for full production sizing.
- As a newer multi-model database, it has a smaller ecosystem of drivers, ORMs and community tooling than established single-model databases.
- HIPAA compliance is only available as an Enterprise add-on rather than included in standard paid tiers.
- Combining multiple data models in one engine can add query-planning complexity compared to purpose-built single-model databases.
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
SurrealDB
Free- StartFree
- 1 free instance, then from $0.021/hr
- 1GB storage free forever
- Vertical scaling to terabytes
- Scale$0.192/month
- $0.192/node/hr
- Production-grade fault tolerance
- Horizontal scaling to petabytes
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Self-hosted, custom pricing
- Clustered fault-tolerant deployments
- FIPS-compliant cryptography
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.
Choose SurrealDB if
- You need multi-model engine.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api, windows, mac, linux.
- You also want acid transactions.
Questions people ask
- Is Amazon Aurora or SurrealDB better?
- Neither clearly leads. Amazon Aurora starts at Free and SurrealDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Amazon Aurora or SurrealDB?
- Amazon Aurora starts at Free and SurrealDB at Free.
- Does Amazon Aurora or SurrealDB run on more platforms?
- Amazon Aurora runs on AWS Cloud. SurrealDB runs on web, api, windows, mac, linux.
- 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 SurrealDB is typically brought in for.
- What can Amazon Aurora do that SurrealDB cannot?
- Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, 5x MySQL Performance, Auto-scaling Storage, Global Database. SurrealDB covers Multi-model engine, ACID transactions, Hybrid retrieval, Horizontal scaling.
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.
SourceSurrealDB: What does SurrealDB cost?
SurrealDB Cloud's Start plan is free with one free instance (then from $0.021/hr), the Scale plan runs $0.192/node/hr for production workloads, and Enterprise self-hosted deployments use custom pricing.
SourceAmazon 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.
SourceSurrealDB: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?
Yes, the Start plan includes one free instance with 1GB of storage free forever and 1GB of outbound data transfer per month, aimed at prototypes and development.
SourceAmazon 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.
SourceSurrealDB: How is billing handled?
Customers are invoiced monthly based on actual usage in a pay-as-you-go model with no long-term commitments, though commitment-based discounts are available.
SourceAmazon Aurora: Can Amazon Aurora scale automatically?
Yes, Aurora automatically scales to match workload demands without performance degradation, supporting both read and write scaling.
SourceAmazon Aurora: How many read replicas does Aurora support?
Aurora supports up to 15 low-latency read replicas for distributing read traffic across your application.
SourceRelated pages
More on Amazon Aurora
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