Cloud · head to head
AWS (Amazon Web Services) vs SingleStore

SingleStore
Databases
The real-time distributed SQL database for data-intensive applications
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: AWS (Amazon Web Services) data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills; SingleStore high licensing costs that increase with data scale and cluster size
- They diverge on capability: AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, SingleStore covers Real-time Analytics.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and SingleStore actually diverge.
| Attribute | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | SingleStore |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web, Api, Cli, Mobile | Cloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed |
| Category | Cloud | Databases |
| Founded | 2006 | 2011 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- EC2 - Virtual Servers
- S3 - Object Storage
- RDS - Managed Database
- Lambda - Serverless Computing
- CloudFront - CDN
- VPC - Virtual Network
- IAM - Access Management
- CloudWatch - Monitoring
Only in SingleStore
- Real-time Analytics
- Fast Data Ingest
- In-memory Processing
- Distributed Architecture
- MySQL Compatible
- Columnar Storage
- Vector Search
- Kafka
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Web hostingnot SingleStore
- Data storage
- Machine learningnot SingleStore
- Big data analyticsnot SingleStore
- Application developmentnot SingleStore
SingleStore
- Transaction processingnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Data storage
- Application backendnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Reportingnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Data analyticsnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Both are used for data storage, 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.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills
- Discounts require one or three year Savings Plan commitments rather than being automatic
- Every service is priced separately, so a working architecture has no single published cost
- The free tier is a promotional allowance rather than an ongoing free plan
SingleStore
- High licensing costs that increase with data scale and cluster size
- Eventual consistency in replication: secondary replicas may lag during high write loads
- Complex operational setup requiring specialized knowledge for optimization
- Vendor lock-in due to proprietary technology without open-source alternatives
- Disorganized documentation and lack of online training resources
Pricing, plan by plan
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Free- AWS Free TierFree
- EC2 750 hours/month
- 5GB S3 storage
- 20GB data transfer
- Pay-As-You-GoFree
- No upfront payment
- No long-term commitments
- Pay only for what you use
SingleStore
Free- Free Tier$0.99/month
- Usage-based pricing
- Limited resources
Which should you pick?
Choose AWS (Amazon Web Services) if
- You need ec2 - virtual servers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile.
- You also want s3 - object storage.
Choose SingleStore if
- You need real-time analytics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed.
- You also want fast data ingest.
Questions people ask
- Is AWS (Amazon Web Services) or SingleStore better?
- Neither clearly leads. AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and SingleStore at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, AWS (Amazon Web Services) or SingleStore?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and SingleStore at Free.
- Does AWS (Amazon Web Services) or SingleStore run on more platforms?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile. SingleStore runs on Cloud (SingleStoreDB Cloud), Self-Managed.
- Can I use AWS (Amazon Web Services) for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is AWS (Amazon Web Services) best used for?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) is most often used for web hosting, data storage, machine learning, big data analytics. Of those, web hosting and machine learning are not what SingleStore is typically brought in for.
- What can AWS (Amazon Web Services) do that SingleStore cannot?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing. SingleStore covers Real-time Analytics, Fast Data Ingest, In-memory Processing, Distributed Architecture.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
AWS (Amazon Web Services): What are AWS's payment options and pricing models?
AWS offers four pricing approaches: pay-as-you-go (you pay only for what you use), flat-rate plans combining multiple services into one monthly price without overages, Savings Plans offering discounts on compute and machine learning with 1- or 3-year commitments, and volume-based tiered pricing where costs decrease as usage increases.
SourceSingleStore: Does SingleStore offer a free tier?
Yes, SingleStore offers a free tier starting from $0.99/month with usage-based pricing. The free tier allows developers to evaluate the platform with limited resources before scaling to production workloads.
SourceAWS (Amazon Web Services): Are there contracts, termination fees, or commitments required for AWS?
No long-term contracts are required for AWS services. No termination fees apply once you stop using the service. Savings Plans provide optional 1- or 3-year commitments with discounted hourly rates, but you can revert to pay-as-you-go pricing anytime.
SourceSingleStore: Can SingleStore handle both transactional and analytical workloads?
Yes, SingleStore is a hybrid transactional/analytical processing (HTAP) database that combines operational (OLTP) and analytical (OLAP) workloads in a single unified engine, eliminating the need for separate systems.
SourceAWS (Amazon Web Services): Does AWS offer a free tier?
AWS provides a free tier that offers hands-on experience with AWS products at no charge. The free tier allows new customers to try eligible services before committing to paid usage.
SourceSingleStore: Does SingleStore integrate with Apache Spark?
Yes, SingleStore provides the Spark Connector 3.0 for bidirectional data integration with Apache Spark. The connector supports SQL, Python, Scala, Java, and R for data loading and extraction.
SourceAWS (Amazon Web Services): How do I estimate my AWS costs?
AWS provides the AWS Pricing Calculator and Cost Explorer tool to estimate costs for single or multiple services. AWS also offers cost optimization recommendations, performance reporting, and budget alerts to help track and control spending.
SourceSingleStore: Can SingleStore ingest data from Kafka?
Yes, SingleStore supports high-throughput streaming ingestion from Apache Kafka and other sources, enabling millions of events per second without requiring ETL pipelines or data movement.
SourceSingleStore: Is SingleStore available as cloud or self-managed?
SingleStore offers both deployment options: SingleStoreDB Cloud (managed service) and SingleStore Self-Managed for on-premises or private cloud deployments. The managed service handles infrastructure, scaling, and maintenance automatically.
SourceRelated pages
More on AWS (Amazon Web Services)
More on SingleStore
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- SingleStore vs Google Cloud Platform
- SingleStore vs Microsoft Azure
- SingleStore vs Oracle Cloud
- SingleStore vs Vultr
- SingleStore vs Wasabi
- SingleStore vs Linode
- SingleStore vs Hetzner Cloud
- SingleStore vs Neon
- SingleStore vs Scaleway
- SingleStore vs Akamai
- SingleStore vs OVHcloud
- SingleStore vs DigitalOcean
- SingleStore vs Fireworks AI
- SingleStore vs Heroku
- SingleStore vs Vault
- SingleStore vs Beam Cloud
- SingleStore vs Caddy
- SingleStore vs Cerebrium
- SingleStore vs Apache Druid
- SingleStore vs ClickHouse
- SingleStore vs DuckDB
- SingleStore vs Elasticsearch
- SingleStore vs TiDB
- SingleStore vs Materialize
- SingleStore vs TimescaleDB
- SingleStore vs Estuary
- SingleStore vs Fivetran HVR
- SingleStore vs Firebolt
- SingleStore vs Nile
- SingleStore vs Ninox
- SingleStore vs Presto
- SingleStore vs Privacera
- SingleStore vs RavenDB
- SingleStore vs Readyset
- SingleStore vs Apache Pinot
- SingleStore vs Apache Flink

