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Amazon Aurora vs YugabyteDB

Amazon Aurora logo

Amazon Aurora

Software

MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
YugabyteDB logo

YugabyteDB

Software

Open source distributed SQL database for cloud native apps

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; YugabyteDB missing PostgreSQL functions and extensions despite claiming compatibility
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, YugabyteDB covers PostgreSQL Compatible.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Aurora and YugabyteDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Aurora and YugabyteDB differ
AttributeAmazon AuroraYugabyteDB
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
PlatformsAWS CloudCloud, On-premises, Kubernetes
Founded20062016

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 Amazon Aurora

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

Only in YugabyteDB

  • PostgreSQL Compatible
  • Distributed SQL
  • Geo-distribution
  • Linear Scalability
  • High Availability
  • ACID Transactions
  • CDC Support
  • PostgreSQL

Both cover

  • Web support

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

YugabyteDB

  • 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

YugabyteDB

  • Missing PostgreSQL functions and extensions despite claiming compatibility
  • Not a true PostgreSQL replacement requiring schema and query compatibility testing before migration
  • Requires careful isolation level management or risk data corruption in production
  • Lacks built-in OLAP capabilities, requiring external systems for analytics
  • Coupled compute and storage scaling reduces optimization flexibility

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

YugabyteDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the YugabyteDB 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 YugabyteDB if

  • You need postgresql compatible.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premises, Kubernetes.
  • You also want distributed sql.
YugabyteDB review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Aurora or YugabyteDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Aurora starts at Free and YugabyteDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Aurora or YugabyteDB?
Amazon Aurora starts at Free and YugabyteDB at Free.
Does Amazon Aurora or YugabyteDB run on more platforms?
Amazon Aurora runs on AWS Cloud. YugabyteDB runs on Cloud, On-premises, 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.
What can Amazon Aurora do that YugabyteDB cannot?
Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, 5x MySQL Performance, Auto-scaling Storage, Global Database. YugabyteDB covers PostgreSQL Compatible, Distributed SQL, Geo-distribution, Linear Scalability. Both handle Web support.

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
YugabyteDB: Is YugabyteDB a true drop-in replacement for PostgreSQL?

No, YugabyteDB is PostgreSQL-compatible but not a zero-change drop-in replacement. It requires compatibility testing with queries, stored procedures, and ORM configurations before migration.

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
YugabyteDB: What isolation levels does YugabyteDB support?

YugabyteDB allows per-query selection between serializable isolation for critical operations and read-committed for analytics. However, this flexibility requires careful management to avoid accidental data corruption.

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
YugabyteDB: Does YugabyteDB support both SQL and NoSQL workloads?

Yes, YugabyteDB offers YSQL for PostgreSQL-compatible SQL and YCQL for Cassandra-like NoSQL workloads, using the same DocDB storage engine to support both simultaneously.

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
YugabyteDB: Can YugabyteDB scale compute and storage independently?

No, YugabyteDB couples compute and storage scaling, unlike TiDB which separates them. This means scaling decisions are less flexible and optimization is more complex.

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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