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Database & Data Management · head to head

Amazon Redshift vs CosmosDB

Amazon Redshift logo

Amazon Redshift

Database & Data Management

Fast, scalable cloud data warehouse from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CosmosDB logo

CosmosDB

Database & Data Management

Globally distributed, multi-model database service from Azure

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Redshift on-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery; CosmosDB autoscale provisioned throughput enforces a minimum of 1,000 RU/s, billed hourly whether or not the database is used
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, CosmosDB covers Global Distribution.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Redshift and CosmosDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Redshift and CosmosDB differ
AttributeAmazon RedshiftCosmosDB
PlatformsWebWeb, Azure
Founded20121975

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), 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 Redshift

  • Columnar Storage
  • Massively Parallel
  • Machine Learning
  • AQUA Acceleration
  • Data Sharing
  • Federated Query
  • Concurrency Scaling
  • S3

Only in CosmosDB

  • Global Distribution
  • Multi-model APIs
  • Elastic Scaling
  • Five Consistency Levels
  • SLA-backed Latency
  • Automatic Indexing
  • Serverless
  • Azure Functions

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Amazon Redshift

  • Business intelligencenot CosmosDB
  • Data warehousingnot CosmosDB
  • Real-time analyticsnot CosmosDB
  • Reportingnot CosmosDB
  • Machine learningnot CosmosDB

CosmosDB

  • Running a globally distributed multi model database on Azurenot Amazon Redshift
  • Serving low latency reads and writes from multiple Azure regionsnot Amazon Redshift
  • Storing document, key value and graph data behind a managed servicenot Amazon Redshift

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon Redshift

  • On-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery
  • Requires significant manual tuning including managing concurrency scaling costs and configuring Workload Management queues
  • Performance degrades without proper design of distribution keys and sort keys
  • Limited elastic resize options - can only halve or double current cluster size
  • AWS lock-in makes it unsuitable for multi-cloud architectures

CosmosDB

  • Autoscale provisioned throughput enforces a minimum of 1,000 RU/s, billed hourly whether or not the database is used
  • Provisioned throughput is charged in every region the account is replicated to, so multi region accounts multiply the RU bill
  • Storage charges cover data, indexes and backups in each replicated region
  • Egress out of Azure and between regions is charged, though ingress is free
  • The free allowance is one account per Azure subscription, limited to 1,000 RU/s and 25 GB
  • RU/s rates vary by region and are only shown through the pricing calculator rather than a flat published rate

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Redshift

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • 750 DC2.Large hours
    • 2 months free
    • Full features
  • On-Demand$0.25/hour
    • Pay per node hour
    • All features
    • Standard support

CosmosDB

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 1000 RU/s
    • 25GB storage
    • First 12 months
  • ServerlessFree
    • Pay per request
    • Auto-scaling
    • Event-driven workloads

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Redshift if

  • You need columnar storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want massively parallel.
Amazon Redshift review

Choose CosmosDB if

  • You need global distribution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Azure.
  • You also want multi-model apis.
CosmosDB review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Redshift or CosmosDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Redshift starts at Free and CosmosDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Redshift or CosmosDB?
Amazon Redshift starts at Free and CosmosDB at Free.
Does Amazon Redshift or CosmosDB run on more platforms?
Amazon Redshift runs on Web. CosmosDB runs on Web, Azure.
Can I use Amazon Redshift for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon Redshift best used for?
Amazon Redshift is most often used for business intelligence, data warehousing, real-time analytics, reporting. Of those, business intelligence and data warehousing are not what CosmosDB is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Redshift do that CosmosDB cannot?
Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Massively Parallel, Machine Learning, AQUA Acceleration. CosmosDB covers Global Distribution, Multi-model APIs, Elastic Scaling, Five Consistency Levels. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon Redshift: What deployment options does Amazon Redshift offer?

Redshift offers Provisioned Cluster (with RA3 or DC2 nodes) and Serverless options to match varying workloads. The new Redshift RG instance family, powered by Graviton, delivers 2.4x faster performance than RA3 at 30% lower cost per vCPU.

Source
Amazon Redshift: What does Amazon Redshift cost?

Provisioned cluster pricing: RA3 on-demand starts at $1.086/hour for ra3.xlplus. Serverless costs approximately $0.375 per RPU-hour with 4-RPU minimum (roughly $1.50/hour active workload). Managed storage costs $0.024/GB-month.

Source
Amazon Redshift: Does Redshift work with data lakes?

Yes, Redshift's integrated data lake query engine processes workloads on Apache Iceberg tables and other supported formats in Amazon S3, allowing you to run SQL analytics across your data warehouse and data lake from the same engine.

Source
Amazon Redshift: Is there a free tier for Amazon Redshift?

AWS offers a free trial with $300 USD in Serverless credits valid for 90 days, but Redshift is not part of the permanent AWS Free Tier.

Source
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