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Database & Data Management · head to head

Cockroach Labs vs Elastic

Cockroach Labs logo

Cockroach Labs

Database & Data Management

The cloud-native distributed SQL database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
E

Elastic

Log Management

Search AI powered by Elasticsearch

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cockroach Labs has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cockroach Labs basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only); Elastic the 99.95% monthly uptime SLA is only offered on the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers of Hosted deployments, not on lower tiers, per elastic.co, August 2026

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cockroach Labs and Elastic actually diverge.

Attributes where Cockroach Labs and Elastic differ
AttributeCockroach LabsElastic
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsAWS, GCP, AzureWeb
CategoryDatabase & Data ManagementLog Management
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Cockroach Labs

  • Distributed SQL
  • Automatic Sharding
  • Multi-region Replication
  • Geo-partitioning
  • ACID Transactions
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Survivability
  • PostgreSQL Compatibility

Only in Elastic

Nothing recorded that Cockroach Labs does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Cockroach Labs

  • Distributed SQL database for scalable applicationsnot Elastic
  • Multi-region deployment and failovernot Elastic

Elastic

No use cases recorded yet. See the Elastic review.

Where each one falls short

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

Cockroach Labs

  • Basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only)
  • Azure support restricted to Advanced tier only
  • Basic tier limited to 50 million RUs and 10 GiB storage per month
  • Advanced tier starts at $0.60/hour for 4 vCPUs minimum
  • 3 TiB maximum storage on Basic and Standard tiers, 10 TiB per node on Advanced

Elastic

  • The 99.95% monthly uptime SLA is only offered on the Platinum and Enterprise subscription tiers of Hosted deployments, not on lower tiers, per elastic.co, August 2026

Pricing, plan by plan

Cockroach Labs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.

Elastic

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Elastic review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cockroach Labs if

  • You need distributed sql.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS, GCP, Azure.
  • You also want automatic sharding.
Cockroach Labs review

Choose Elastic if

Nothing in the data separates Elastic from Cockroach Labs on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Elastic review

Questions people ask

Is Cockroach Labs or Elastic better?
Neither clearly leads. Cockroach Labs starts at Free and Elastic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cockroach Labs or Elastic?
Cockroach Labs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cockroach Labs and On request for Elastic.
Does Cockroach Labs or Elastic run on more platforms?
Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure. Elastic runs on Web.
Can I use Cockroach Labs for free?
Yes. Cockroach Labs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Elastic starts at On request.
What is Cockroach Labs best used for?
Cockroach Labs is most often used for distributed sql database for scalable applications, multi-region deployment and failover. Of those, distributed sql database for scalable applications and multi-region deployment and failover are not what Elastic is typically brought in for.
What can Cockroach Labs do that Elastic cannot?
Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning.
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Related pages

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