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Databases · head to head

Amazon RDS vs Dgraph

Amazon RDS logo

Amazon RDS

Databases

Set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dgraph logo

Dgraph

Databases

Apache 2.0 distributed graph database written in Go, maintained by Hypermode, queried through GraphQL or its own DQL language.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon RDS no super-user access or direct host connectivity limits advanced customization; Dgraph sharding is by predicate, so a single very hot predicate lives entirely in one Raft group and cannot be split further; adding nodes does not relieve it and the fix is a data model change.
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon RDS covers Multiple DB Engines, Dgraph covers Apache 2.0 licence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon RDS and Dgraph actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon RDS and Dgraph differ
AttributeAmazon RDSDgraph
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsAWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-regionLinux, Mac, Docker, Web
Founded20062016

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 RDS

  • Multiple DB Engines
  • Automated Backups
  • Multi-AZ Deployment
  • Read Replicas
  • Encryption
  • Performance Insights
  • Automatic Scaling
  • MySQL

Only in Dgraph

  • Apache 2.0 licence
  • Generated GraphQL API
  • DQL query language
  • Predicate sharding
  • Raft replication
  • Distributed ACID transactions
  • Written in Go
  • Full-text and geo indexing

What people use each for

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

Amazon RDS

  • Transaction processingnot Dgraph
  • Data storagenot Dgraph
  • Application backendnot Dgraph
  • Reportingnot Dgraph
  • Data analyticsnot Dgraph

Dgraph

  • An application whose core data is a graph, such as permissions, social connections or product relationships, where the frontend already consumes GraphQLnot Amazon RDS
  • A knowledge graph that outgrew a single machine and needs storage distributed across nodes without a per-core licence negotiationnot Amazon RDS
  • Recommendation or fraud-detection features that traverse several hops at request time, where a relational join chain has become the bottlenecknot Amazon RDS
  • Teams that want a graph database they can read, fork and self-host under a permissive licence rather than a source-available onenot Amazon RDS

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon RDS

  • No super-user access or direct host connectivity limits advanced customization
  • Pricing unpredictable and expensive compared to GCP alternatives with equivalent features
  • Limited access to system procedures and tables requiring advanced permissions
  • No Oracle RAC (Real Application Clusters) support for high-availability Oracle deployments

Dgraph

  • Sharding is by predicate, so a single very hot predicate lives entirely in one Raft group and cannot be split further; adding nodes does not relieve it and the fix is a data model change.
  • Stewardship passed from Dgraph Labs to Hypermode after the original company stopped operating independently, so anyone building on it is betting on a second custodian rather than on the original team's roadmap.
  • The GraphQL layer is generated and opinionated, so anything it does not express drops you into DQL, which is a second language your team must learn and which no other database speaks.
  • The community is a fraction of Neo4j's, so operational answers, tuning experience, hiring and third-party tooling are all thinner, and unusual failure modes in a Zero and Alpha cluster leave you reading source rather than a forum.
  • There is no portable graph standard to migrate to; Cypher, Gremlin and SPARQL are all different query models, so the schema and every query is a rewrite if you later leave, and that cost grows with the application.

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon RDS

Free
  • On-Demand Instances$undefined/per second
  • Reserved Instances$undefined/mo
  • Database Savings Plans$undefined/mo

Dgraph

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Native GraphQL
    • Graph queries
    • Full-text search
  • Cloud$39/month
    • Managed service
    • Auto-scaling
    • Enterprise support

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon RDS if

  • You need multiple db engines.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-region.
  • You also want automated backups.
Amazon RDS review

Choose Dgraph if

  • You need apache 2.0 licence.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Docker, Web.
  • You also want generated graphql api.
Dgraph review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon RDS or Dgraph better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon RDS starts at Free and Dgraph at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon RDS or Dgraph?
Amazon RDS starts at Free and Dgraph at Free.
Does Amazon RDS or Dgraph run on more platforms?
Amazon RDS runs on AWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-region. Dgraph runs on Linux, Mac, Docker, Web.
Can I use Amazon RDS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon RDS best used for?
Amazon RDS is most often used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting. Of those, transaction processing and data storage are not what Dgraph is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon RDS do that Dgraph cannot?
Amazon RDS covers Multiple DB Engines, Automated Backups, Multi-AZ Deployment, Read Replicas. Dgraph covers Apache 2.0 licence, Generated GraphQL API, DQL query language, Predicate sharding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon RDS: What is included in the AWS Free Tier for RDS?

For signups before July 15, 2025: 750 hours per month of single-AZ database instance usage (12 months), 20 GB General Purpose SSD storage monthly, 20 GB automated backup storage monthly, available engines include MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server Express Edition. For signups after July 15, 2025: choice between Free Plan or Paid Plan, $100 in credits plus up to $100 additional credits for activating foundational services, credits valid 12 months. Free Tier unavailable in AWS GovCloud (US) and China (Beijing) regions.

Source
Dgraph: Is Dgraph open source?

Yes. The current repository is Apache 2.0, which is a permissive OSI licence, and the project is at v25 under Hypermode's maintenance.

Amazon RDS: How is data transfer priced in RDS?

Same Availability Zone (EC2 to RDS) is free. Multi-AZ replication is free. Cross-AZ within same region is 0.01 USD per GB in and out. Cross-region snapshots and backups follow standard data transfer charges.

Source
Dgraph: Is it really GraphQL?

It serves a generated GraphQL API, which is real GraphQL for clients. Its native language, DQL, resembles GraphQL syntactically but is Dgraph's own language and is not the GraphQL specification.

Amazon RDS: What database engines are supported by RDS?

Aurora, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server, and IBM Db2. Pricing varies by engine.

Source
Dgraph: How does it compare to Neo4j?

Neo4j has the larger ecosystem, Cypher, and far more operational precedent. Dgraph distributes storage across nodes by default and gives you a GraphQL endpoint without writing resolvers. The choice usually turns on whether you need horizontal scale and a GraphQL surface more than you need ecosystem depth.

Amazon RDS: What cost components are included in RDS monthly pricing?

DB instance hours (billed in 1-second increments, 10-minute minimum), storage per GB per month, I/O requests (Aurora and magnetic storage only), provisioned IOPS per month, backup storage, and data transfer fees.

Source
Dgraph: What does a production cluster look like?

At minimum a set of Zero nodes for coordination and a replicated set of Alpha nodes for data, typically three of each for fault tolerance, which is a meaningfully larger operational footprint than a single graph server.

Dgraph: Who maintains it now?

Hypermode. Dgraph Labs, the original company, no longer operates it, and that change of custodian is the main non-technical risk to weigh.

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