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FaunaDB vs Cockroach Labs

FaunaDB logo

FaunaDB

Software

The distributed serverless database for modern applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Cockroach Labs logo

Cockroach Labs

Software

The cloud-native distributed SQL database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FaunaDB the Internet Archive's capture of FaunaDB's homepage on 5 January 2019 confirmed a free 'Try Cloud' tier alongside a self-hosted download, with a separate Pricing page linked but not itself retrievable from the archive within two attempts.; Cockroach Labs basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only)
  • They diverge on capability: FaunaDB covers Document-relational Model, Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where FaunaDB and Cockroach Labs differ
AttributeFaunaDBCockroach Labs
PlatformsWebAWS, GCP, Azure
Founded20122015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 FaunaDB

  • Document-relational Model
  • GraphQL API
  • Global Distribution
  • Temporal Queries
  • Multi-tenancy
  • Serverless
  • GraphQL
  • Netlify

Only in Cockroach Labs

  • Distributed SQL
  • Automatic Sharding
  • Multi-region Replication
  • Geo-partitioning
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Survivability
  • PostgreSQL Compatibility
  • Kubernetes

Both cover

  • ACID Transactions

What people use each for

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

FaunaDB

  • Serverless applicationsnot Cockroach Labs
  • Rapid prototypingnot Cockroach Labs
  • Mobile backendsnot Cockroach Labs
  • JAMstacknot Cockroach Labs
  • Microservicesnot Cockroach Labs

Cockroach Labs

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

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

FaunaDB

  • The Internet Archive's capture of FaunaDB's homepage on 5 January 2019 confirmed a free 'Try Cloud' tier alongside a self-hosted download, with a separate Pricing page linked but not itself retrievable from the archive within two attempts.

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

Pricing, plan by plan

FaunaDB

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100K read ops
    • 50K write ops
    • 1GB storage
  • Pro$25/month
    • Pay per use
    • Priority support
    • Advanced features

Cockroach Labs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose FaunaDB if

  • You need document-relational model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want graphql api.
FaunaDB review

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

Questions people ask

Is FaunaDB or Cockroach Labs better?
Neither clearly leads. FaunaDB starts at Free and Cockroach Labs at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FaunaDB or Cockroach Labs?
FaunaDB starts at Free and Cockroach Labs at Free.
Does FaunaDB or Cockroach Labs run on more platforms?
FaunaDB runs on Web. Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure.
Can I use FaunaDB for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is FaunaDB best used for?
FaunaDB is most often used for serverless applications, rapid prototyping, mobile backends, jamstack. Of those, serverless applications and rapid prototyping are not what Cockroach Labs is typically brought in for.
What can FaunaDB do that Cockroach Labs cannot?
FaunaDB covers Document-relational Model, GraphQL API, Global Distribution, Temporal Queries. Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning. Both handle ACID Transactions.
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Related pages

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