Software · head to head
Cockroach Labs vs YugabyteDB
YugabyteDB
Software
Open source distributed SQL database for cloud native apps
- 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); YugabyteDB missing PostgreSQL functions and extensions despite claiming compatibility
- They diverge on capability: Cockroach Labs covers Automatic Sharding, YugabyteDB covers PostgreSQL Compatible.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cockroach Labs and YugabyteDB actually diverge.
| Attribute | Cockroach Labs | YugabyteDB |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | Unknown |
| Platforms | AWS, GCP, Azure | Cloud, On-premises, Kubernetes |
| Founded | 2015 | 2016 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
- Automatic Sharding
- Multi-region Replication
- Geo-partitioning
- Horizontal Scaling
- Survivability
- PostgreSQL Compatibility
- Terraform
- Datadog
Only in YugabyteDB
- PostgreSQL Compatible
- Geo-distribution
- Linear Scalability
- High Availability
- CDC Support
- PostgreSQL
- Cassandra
- Spring
Both cover
- Distributed SQL
- ACID Transactions
- Kubernetes
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Cockroach Labs
- Distributed SQL database for scalable applicationsnot YugabyteDB
- Multi-region deployment and failovernot YugabyteDB
YugabyteDB
- Transaction processingnot Cockroach Labs
- Data storagenot Cockroach Labs
- Application backendnot Cockroach Labs
- Reportingnot Cockroach Labs
- Data analyticsnot 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
YugabyteDB
- Missing PostgreSQL functions and extensions despite claiming compatibility
- Not a true PostgreSQL replacement requiring schema and query compatibility testing before migration
- Requires careful isolation level management or risk data corruption in production
- Lacks built-in OLAP capabilities, requiring external systems for analytics
- Coupled compute and storage scaling reduces optimization flexibility
Pricing, plan by plan
Cockroach Labs
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.
YugabyteDB
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the YugabyteDB review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Cockroach Labs if
- You need automatic sharding.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on AWS, GCP, Azure.
- You also want multi-region replication.
Choose YugabyteDB if
- You need postgresql compatible.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, On-premises, Kubernetes.
- You also want geo-distribution.
Questions people ask
- Is Cockroach Labs or YugabyteDB better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cockroach Labs starts at Free and YugabyteDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Cockroach Labs or YugabyteDB?
- Cockroach Labs starts at Free and YugabyteDB at Free.
- Does Cockroach Labs or YugabyteDB run on more platforms?
- Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure. YugabyteDB runs on Cloud, On-premises, Kubernetes.
- 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 YugabyteDB is typically brought in for.
- What can Cockroach Labs do that YugabyteDB cannot?
- Cockroach Labs covers Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning, Horizontal Scaling. YugabyteDB covers PostgreSQL Compatible, Geo-distribution, Linear Scalability, High Availability. Both handle Distributed SQL, ACID Transactions, Kubernetes.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
YugabyteDB: Is YugabyteDB a true drop-in replacement for PostgreSQL?
No, YugabyteDB is PostgreSQL-compatible but not a zero-change drop-in replacement. It requires compatibility testing with queries, stored procedures, and ORM configurations before migration.
SourceYugabyteDB: What isolation levels does YugabyteDB support?
YugabyteDB allows per-query selection between serializable isolation for critical operations and read-committed for analytics. However, this flexibility requires careful management to avoid accidental data corruption.
SourceYugabyteDB: Does YugabyteDB support both SQL and NoSQL workloads?
Yes, YugabyteDB offers YSQL for PostgreSQL-compatible SQL and YCQL for Cassandra-like NoSQL workloads, using the same DocDB storage engine to support both simultaneously.
SourceYugabyteDB: Can YugabyteDB scale compute and storage independently?
No, YugabyteDB couples compute and storage scaling, unlike TiDB which separates them. This means scaling decisions are less flexible and optimization is more complex.
Source