Is Cockroach Labs or Remote better?

Neither clearly leads. Cockroach Labs starts at Free and Remote at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Cockroach Labs or Remote?

Cockroach Labs starts at Free and Remote at Free.

Does Cockroach Labs or Remote run on more platforms?

Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure. Remote runs on Web, Ios, Android.

Can I use Cockroach Labs for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

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 Remote is typically brought in for.

What can Cockroach Labs do that Remote cannot?

Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning. Remote covers Global Payroll, EOR Services, Contractor Management, Compliance.

Database & Data Management · head to head

Cockroach Labs vs Remote

Cockroach Labs

Database & Data Management

The cloud-native distributed SQL database

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Remote

Payroll & Benefits

The new standard for global employment

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Cockroach Labs basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only); Remote employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, charged per head with no volume tier published
They diverge on capability: Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Remote covers Global Payroll.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Cockroach Labs and Remote differ
Attribute	Cockroach Labs	Remote
Pricing model	freemium	subscription
Platforms	AWS, GCP, Azure	Web, Ios, Android
Category	Database & Data Management	Payroll & Benefits
Founded	2015	2019

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 Cockroach Labs

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

Only in Remote

Global Payroll
EOR Services
Contractor Management
Compliance
Benefits
Equity Management
HRIS
BambooHR

What people use each for

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

Cockroach Labs

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

Remote

Employing staff in countries where you have no legal entity through an employer of recordnot Cockroach Labs
Paying and managing international contractors with compliant agreementsnot Cockroach Labs
Running payroll and HR records for a distributed workforcenot 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

Remote

Employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, charged per head with no volume tier published
Global Payroll carries an implementation fee to set up entities plus a recurring payroll delivery fee on top of the $29 per employee per month rate
Contractor Management Plus is $99 per contractor per month against $29 for the standard tier
The Equity product is limited to Delaware C-Corps
The PEO product bills in USD only and requires a US bank account
Remote states it collects reserve payments in high risk circumstances, so an upfront deposit is possible

Pricing, plan by plan

Cockroach Labs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.

Remote

Free

Contractor Management$29/month
- Contractor Payments
- Compliance
- Contracts
Employer of Record$599/month
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits

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 Remote if

You need global payroll.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want eor services.

Remote review

Questions people ask

Is Cockroach Labs or Remote better?: Neither clearly leads. Cockroach Labs starts at Free and Remote at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cockroach Labs or Remote?: Cockroach Labs starts at Free and Remote at Free.
Does Cockroach Labs or Remote run on more platforms?: Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure. Remote runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Cockroach Labs for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Remote is typically brought in for.
What can Cockroach Labs do that Remote cannot?: Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning. Remote covers Global Payroll, EOR Services, Contractor Management, Compliance.

Cockroach Labs vs Remote

Cockroach Labs

Remote

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Cockroach Labs

Only in Remote

What people use each for

Cockroach Labs

Remote

Where each one falls short

Cockroach Labs

Remote

Pricing, plan by plan

Cockroach Labs

Remote

Which should you pick?

Choose Cockroach Labs if

Choose Remote if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Cockroach Labs

More on Remote

Keep looking

Other head to heads