Database & Data Management · head to head
Amazon Aurora vs Timescale
Amazon Aurora
Database & Data Management
MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Timescale
Database & Data Management
PostgreSQL platform for time-series and analytical workloads
- From
- $30/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Amazon Aurora has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Amazon Aurora aurora requires AWS ecosystem knowledge and integration with other AWS services; Timescale it is built on Postgres, so it inherits Postgres's vertical-scaling limits compared to purpose-built distributed time-series systems.
- They diverge on capability: Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, Timescale covers Hypertables.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Amazon Aurora and Timescale actually diverge.
| Attribute | Amazon Aurora | Timescale |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $30/month |
| Pricing model | usage-based | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | AWS Cloud | web, api |
| Founded | 2006 | Unknown |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Database & Data Management).
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 Timescale
- Hypertables
- Native compression
- Continuous aggregates
- Point-in-time recovery
- Read replicas
- Private networking
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Amazon Aurora
- Transaction processingnot Timescale
- Data storagenot Timescale
- Application backendnot Timescale
- Reportingnot Timescale
- Data analyticsnot Timescale
Timescale
- IoT and sensor data storagenot Amazon Aurora
- Operational and infrastructure metricsnot Amazon Aurora
- Time-series analytics dashboardsnot Amazon Aurora
- Financial and market tick datanot 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
Timescale
- It is built on Postgres, so it inherits Postgres's vertical-scaling limits compared to purpose-built distributed time-series systems.
- The free trial is time-limited (30 days) rather than a permanent free tier.
- Enterprise features like HIPAA compliance and cross-region backups require custom-priced Enterprise plans, not available on entry tiers.
- Multi-node horizontal scaling and read replicas are gated behind the higher-priced Scale plan.
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
Timescale
$30/month- Performance$30/month
- 4 database services
- Up to 8 CPU / 32GB memory per service
- Up to 16TB disk per service
- Scale$36/month
- Unlimited database services
- Up to 32 CPU / 128GB memory per service
- Up to 64TB disk per service
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Up to 64 CPU / 256GB memory per service
- Cross-region backups
- SAML SSO, HIPAA compliance
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 Timescale if
- You need hypertables.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want native compression.
Questions people ask
- Is Amazon Aurora or Timescale better?
- Neither clearly leads. Amazon Aurora starts at Free and Timescale at $30/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Amazon Aurora or Timescale?
- Amazon Aurora has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amazon Aurora and $30/month for Timescale.
- Does Amazon Aurora or Timescale run on more platforms?
- Amazon Aurora runs on AWS Cloud. Timescale runs on web, api.
- Can I use Amazon Aurora for free?
- Yes. Amazon Aurora has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Timescale starts at $30/month.
- 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 Timescale is typically brought in for.
- What can Amazon Aurora do that Timescale cannot?
- Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, 5x MySQL Performance, Auto-scaling Storage, Global Database. Timescale covers Hypertables, Native compression, Continuous aggregates, Point-in-time recovery.
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.
SourceTimescale: What does Timescale (Tiger Data) cost?
Tiger Cloud starts at $30/month for the Performance plan (4 database services, up to 8 CPU/32GB RAM), $36/month for Scale (unlimited services, multi-node HA), and custom Enterprise pricing for larger deployments.
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.
SourceTimescale: Is there a free trial and what does it include?
New users get a 30-day trial of the Performance plan with no credit card required, letting them test hypertables, compression and continuous aggregates before paying.
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.
SourceTimescale: How is usage billed?
Billing is monthly in arrears with hourly-metered compute and storage based on average GB consumed per hour; mid-month plan changes are pro-rated and customers can cancel anytime.
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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