Database & Data Management · head to head
ClickHouse vs Amazon Aurora
ClickHouse
Database & Data Management
Fast open-source column-oriented database for real-time analytics
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Amazon Aurora
Database & Data Management
MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ClickHouse limited multi-row atomic transactions and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations unsuitable for transactional systems; Amazon Aurora aurora requires AWS ecosystem knowledge and integration with other AWS services
- They diverge on capability: ClickHouse covers Column-oriented Storage, Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ClickHouse and Amazon Aurora actually diverge.
| Attribute | ClickHouse | Amazon Aurora |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | usage-based |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker) | AWS Cloud |
| Founded | 2021 | 2006 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 ClickHouse
- Column-oriented Storage
- Real-time Analytics
- SQL Support
- Linear Scalability
- Data Compression
- Vectorized Query Execution
- Approximate Calculations
- Kafka
Only in Amazon Aurora
- MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible
- 5x MySQL Performance
- Auto-scaling Storage
- Global Database
- Serverless v2
- Multi-master
- Fault Tolerant
- AWS Lambda
Both cover
- S3
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ClickHouse
- Business intelligencenot Amazon Aurora
- Data warehousingnot Amazon Aurora
- Real-time analyticsnot Amazon Aurora
- Reporting
- Machine learningnot Amazon Aurora
Amazon Aurora
- Transaction processingnot ClickHouse
- Data storagenot ClickHouse
- Application backendnot ClickHouse
- Reporting
- Data analyticsnot ClickHouse
Both are used for reporting, 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.
ClickHouse
- Limited multi-row atomic transactions and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations unsuitable for transactional systems
- Requires upfront schema design discipline with MergeTree engine choices and sort/partition keys
- Experimental vector search support, not production-ready for vector operations
- Different query syntax from standard SQL requiring migration planning
- Limited JOIN capabilities compared to traditional relational databases
- Migration complexity with 2-4 weeks estimated for data type mapping and query translation
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
Pricing, plan by plan
ClickHouse
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the ClickHouse review.
Amazon Aurora
Free- Serverless v2$0.12/hour
- Auto-scaling
- Pay per ACU
- Instant scaling
- Provisioned$29/month
- Dedicated instances
- Predictable performance
- Reserved capacity
Which should you pick?
Choose ClickHouse if
- You need column-oriented storage.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker).
- You also want real-time analytics.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is ClickHouse or Amazon Aurora better?
- Neither clearly leads. ClickHouse starts at Free and Amazon Aurora at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ClickHouse or Amazon Aurora?
- ClickHouse starts at Free and Amazon Aurora at Free.
- Does ClickHouse or Amazon Aurora run on more platforms?
- ClickHouse runs on Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker). Amazon Aurora runs on AWS Cloud.
- Can I use ClickHouse for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is ClickHouse best used for?
- ClickHouse is most often used for business intelligence, data warehousing, real-time analytics, reporting. Of those, business intelligence and data warehousing are not what Amazon Aurora is typically brought in for.
- What can ClickHouse do that Amazon Aurora cannot?
- ClickHouse covers Column-oriented Storage, Real-time Analytics, SQL Support, Linear Scalability. Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, 5x MySQL Performance, Auto-scaling Storage, Global Database. Both handle S3, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
ClickHouse: What is ClickHouse best used for?
ClickHouse is optimized for analytical workloads on large datasets. It excels at fast aggregations and queries, being 10-100x faster than PostgreSQL on large aggregations.
SourceAmazon 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.
SourceClickHouse: Does ClickHouse support transactions?
ClickHouse has limited transaction support and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations. It is not suitable for transactional workloads requiring strict ACID guarantees.
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.
SourceClickHouse: How does ClickHouse compare to PostgreSQL?
ClickHouse is 10-100x faster for analytics but PostgreSQL is better for transactional workloads. Many teams use both: PostgreSQL for writes via MaterializedPostgreSQL replication to ClickHouse for analytics.
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.
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.
Source