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Software · head to head

Cockroach Labs vs LanceDB

Cockroach Labs logo

Cockroach Labs

Software

The cloud-native distributed SQL database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
L

LanceDB

Software

Multimodal Lakehouse for AI

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); LanceDB neither LanceDB Cloud nor LanceDB Enterprise publishes a price; the pricing page is a contact form only, requiring a sales inquiry with a stated 48 hour response time, as of August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Cockroach Labs and LanceDB differ
AttributeCockroach LabsLanceDB
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsAWS, GCP, AzureWeb
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 LanceDB

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 LanceDB
  • Multi-region deployment and failovernot LanceDB

LanceDB

No use cases recorded yet. See the LanceDB 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

LanceDB

  • Neither LanceDB Cloud nor LanceDB Enterprise publishes a price; the pricing page is a contact form only, requiring a sales inquiry with a stated 48 hour response time, as of August 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cockroach Labs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.

LanceDB

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the LanceDB 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 LanceDB if

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

LanceDB review

Questions people ask

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

More on Cockroach Labs

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