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Databases · head to head

Cockroach Labs vs Instaclustr

Cockroach Labs logo

Cockroach Labs

Databases

The cloud-native distributed SQL database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Instaclustr logo

Instaclustr

Databases

NetApp-owned managed service for Cassandra, Kafka, OpenSearch, PostgreSQL and Cadence with a bring-your-own-cloud model

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); Instaclustr pricing is only obtainable through a configurator or sales conversation, so comparing against AWS MSK or Confluent list prices requires several rounds of quotes rather than a spreadsheet.
  • They diverge on capability: Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Instaclustr covers Unmodified open source.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Cockroach Labs and Instaclustr differ
AttributeCockroach LabsInstaclustr
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsAWS, GCP, AzureCloud, Linux
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Cockroach Labs

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

Only in Instaclustr

  • Unmodified open source
  • Bring your own cloud
  • Multi technology platform
  • 24/7 operations
  • Managed backups
  • Terraform provider
  • SOC 2 and compliance
  • Consulting and support

What people use each for

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

Cockroach Labs

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

Instaclustr

  • An enterprise running Cassandra and Kafka that cannot hire and retain specialists for bothnot Cockroach Labs
  • A company with cloud committed spend that wants managed data infrastructure to draw down that commitment through the bring-your-own-cloud modelnot Cockroach Labs
  • A team that left Elastic over the licence change and wants OpenSearch operated by someone else without another proprietary forknot Cockroach Labs
  • An organisation migrating off Amazon MSK or Keyspaces that wants the same open source software with vendor operations but portability intactnot Cockroach Labs

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

Instaclustr

  • Pricing is only obtainable through a configurator or sales conversation, so comparing against AWS MSK or Confluent list prices requires several rounds of quotes rather than a spreadsheet.
  • It manages infrastructure, not data modelling, so a poor Cassandra partition key or a mis-sized Kafka topic still causes outages that the managed service will not prevent.
  • NetApp ownership since 2022 has put the roadmap inside a large storage vendor, and the product is now one line in a portfolio rather than the whole company.
  • The catalogue is broad but each technology is served at a general level, so teams needing deep, vendor-specific tuning often find a specialist provider goes further on their one technology.
  • Bring your own cloud reduces lock-in but shifts networking, IAM and VPC peering complexity onto the customer, which needs cloud engineering capacity the managed service was meant to save.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cockroach Labs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.

Instaclustr

On request
  • Instaclustr Managed Platform$undefined/month
    • Priced per node size, technology, cloud provider and region
    • Interactive calculator requires configuration before a figure appears
    • Discounts on 12 month commitment

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 Instaclustr if

  • You need unmodified open source.
  • You work on Cloud, Linux.
  • You also want bring your own cloud.
Instaclustr review

Questions people ask

Is Cockroach Labs or Instaclustr better?
Neither clearly leads. Cockroach Labs starts at Free and Instaclustr at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cockroach Labs or Instaclustr?
Cockroach Labs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cockroach Labs and On request for Instaclustr.
Does Cockroach Labs or Instaclustr run on more platforms?
Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure. Instaclustr runs on Cloud, Linux.
Can I use Cockroach Labs for free?
Yes. Cockroach Labs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Instaclustr 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 Instaclustr is typically brought in for.
What can Cockroach Labs do that Instaclustr cannot?
Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning. Instaclustr covers Unmodified open source, Bring your own cloud, Multi technology platform, 24/7 operations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cockroach Labs: What does the free Basic tier include?

The Basic tier is free and includes 50 million RUs and 10 GiB storage per month, with a maximum compute of 30K RU/sec. No credit card is required to start.

Source
Instaclustr: Does Instaclustr modify the open source software?

No. Its stated commitment is one hundred per cent open source with no proprietary extensions, which is the main reason licence-averse buyers choose it.

Cockroach Labs: How much do the paid tiers cost?

Standard tier starts at $0.18 per hour for 2 vCPUs, and Advanced tier starts at $0.60 per hour for 4 vCPUs. Both tiers support additional resources with higher costs for increased compute and storage.

Source
Instaclustr: Who owns Instaclustr?

NetApp, which acquired the company in 2022. It is now branded NetApp Instaclustr.

Cockroach Labs: What are the storage limits for each tier?

Basic plan supports up to 3 TiB storage, Standard tier up to 3 TiB, and Advanced tier up to 10 TiB per node with unlimited total storage.

Source
Instaclustr: Is pricing published?

No. There is an interactive calculator, but figures depend on technology, node size, cloud and region, and commitments are negotiated.

Cockroach Labs: Can I get trial credits before paying?

Yes, new users can try CockroachDB free with $400 in credits. The Basic and Standard plans do not require a credit card to start.

Source
Instaclustr: Can clusters run in my own cloud account?

Yes, through the bring-your-own-cloud model, so the infrastructure spend also counts toward your cloud commitment.

Cockroach Labs: Do legacy contracts have different pricing?

Customers with annual or multi-year contracts entered before December 1, 2024 can view legacy pricing terms on a separate page, which apply until their contract renewal date.

Source
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