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Cockroach Labs vs Xata

Cockroach Labs logo

Cockroach Labs

Software

The cloud-native distributed SQL database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
X

Xata

Software

Postgres platform with instant branching and scale-to-zero compute

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); Xata xata Cloud compute is metered per hour by instance size, from $0.012 per hour on Micro up to $1.536 per hour on the 8XLarge instance, separate from the $0.28 per GB monthly storage charge, as of August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Cockroach Labs and Xata differ
AttributeCockroach LabsXata
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
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 Xata

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 Xata
  • Multi-region deployment and failovernot Xata

Xata

No use cases recorded yet. See the Xata 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

Xata

  • Xata Cloud compute is metered per hour by instance size, from $0.012 per hour on Micro up to $1.536 per hour on the 8XLarge instance, separate from the $0.28 per GB monthly storage charge, as of August 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cockroach Labs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.

Xata

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Xata 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 Xata if

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

Xata review

Questions people ask

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