Database & Data Management · head to head
Cockroach Labs vs SurrealDB
Cockroach Labs
Database & Data Management
The cloud-native distributed SQL database
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
SurrealDB
Database & Data Management
Multi-model database combining documents, graphs, vectors and time-series
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Cockroach Labs basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only); SurrealDB the listed $0.192/node/hr Scale pricing lacks transparent higher-tier rates, requiring a sales conversation for full production sizing.
- They diverge on capability: Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, SurrealDB covers Multi-model engine.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cockroach Labs and SurrealDB actually diverge.
| Attribute | Cockroach Labs | SurrealDB |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | usage-based |
| Platforms | AWS, GCP, Azure | web, api, windows, mac, linux |
| Founded | 2015 | 2022 |
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 Cockroach Labs
- Distributed SQL
- Automatic Sharding
- Multi-region Replication
- Geo-partitioning
- ACID Transactions
- Horizontal Scaling
- Survivability
- PostgreSQL Compatibility
Only in SurrealDB
- Multi-model engine
- ACID transactions
- Hybrid retrieval
- Horizontal scaling
- Multi-region disaster recovery
- FIPS-compliant cryptography
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Cockroach Labs
- Distributed SQL database for scalable applicationsnot SurrealDB
- Multi-region deployment and failovernot SurrealDB
SurrealDB
- AI agent memory and retrieval-augmented generationnot Cockroach Labs
- Applications needing documents, graphs and vectors in one databasenot Cockroach Labs
- Knowledge graph construction from unstructured datanot Cockroach Labs
- Regulated workloads requiring SOC2/ISO27001/HIPAA-eligible hostingnot 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
SurrealDB
- The listed $0.192/node/hr Scale pricing lacks transparent higher-tier rates, requiring a sales conversation for full production sizing.
- As a newer multi-model database, it has a smaller ecosystem of drivers, ORMs and community tooling than established single-model databases.
- HIPAA compliance is only available as an Enterprise add-on rather than included in standard paid tiers.
- Combining multiple data models in one engine can add query-planning complexity compared to purpose-built single-model databases.
Pricing, plan by plan
Cockroach Labs
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.
SurrealDB
Free- StartFree
- 1 free instance, then from $0.021/hr
- 1GB storage free forever
- Vertical scaling to terabytes
- Scale$0.192/month
- $0.192/node/hr
- Production-grade fault tolerance
- Horizontal scaling to petabytes
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Self-hosted, custom pricing
- Clustered fault-tolerant deployments
- FIPS-compliant cryptography
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.
Choose SurrealDB if
- You need multi-model engine.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api, windows, mac, linux.
- You also want acid transactions.
Questions people ask
- Is Cockroach Labs or SurrealDB better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cockroach Labs starts at Free and SurrealDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cockroach Labs or SurrealDB?
- Cockroach Labs starts at Free and SurrealDB at Free.
- Does Cockroach Labs or SurrealDB run on more platforms?
- Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure. SurrealDB runs on web, api, windows, mac, linux.
- 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 SurrealDB is typically brought in for.
- What can Cockroach Labs do that SurrealDB cannot?
- Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning. SurrealDB covers Multi-model engine, ACID transactions, Hybrid retrieval, Horizontal scaling.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
SurrealDB: What does SurrealDB cost?
SurrealDB Cloud's Start plan is free with one free instance (then from $0.021/hr), the Scale plan runs $0.192/node/hr for production workloads, and Enterprise self-hosted deployments use custom pricing.
SourceSurrealDB: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?
Yes, the Start plan includes one free instance with 1GB of storage free forever and 1GB of outbound data transfer per month, aimed at prototypes and development.
SourceSurrealDB: How is billing handled?
Customers are invoiced monthly based on actual usage in a pay-as-you-go model with no long-term commitments, though commitment-based discounts are available.
SourceRelated pages
More on Cockroach Labs
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