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Software · head to head

RavenDB vs Cockroach Labs

RavenDB logo

RavenDB

Software

The fully transactional NoSQL document database

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: RavenDB the free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal; Cockroach Labs basic and Standard tiers limited to AWS and GCP (select regions only)
  • They diverge on capability: RavenDB covers Auto-indexing, Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where RavenDB and Cockroach Labs differ
AttributeRavenDBCockroach Labs
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Mac, Docker, WebAWS, GCP, Azure
Founded20102015

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 RavenDB

  • Auto-indexing
  • Full-text Search
  • Graph Queries
  • Distributed Counters
  • Time Series
  • Document Compression
  • .NET
  • Node.js

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.

RavenDB

  • Running a distributed document database with ACID transactionsnot Cockroach Labs
  • Self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardwarenot Cockroach Labs
  • Replicating operational data out to analytics systems through ETLnot Cockroach Labs

Cockroach Labs

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

Where each one falls short

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

RavenDB

  • The free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • The free Community licence caps a customer at 60 cores and forces you to stay on the latest major version
  • The Professional licence is limited to a single database, a 5 node cluster, 40 cores and 240 GB RAM
  • Sharding across nodes, ETL to OLAP, Elasticsearch and Kafka, and data archival are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise and AI licence pricing is contact us only with no published rate

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

RavenDB

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • 3 cores
    • 6GB RAM
    • Community support
  • Professional$499/year
    • Production use
    • Professional support
    • Advanced features

Cockroach Labs

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cockroach Labs review.

Which should you pick?

Choose RavenDB if

  • You need auto-indexing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
  • You also want full-text search.
RavenDB 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 RavenDB or Cockroach Labs better?
Neither clearly leads. RavenDB 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, RavenDB or Cockroach Labs?
RavenDB starts at Free and Cockroach Labs at Free.
Does RavenDB or Cockroach Labs run on more platforms?
RavenDB runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web. Cockroach Labs runs on AWS, GCP, Azure.
Can I use RavenDB for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is RavenDB best used for?
RavenDB is most often used for running a distributed document database with acid transactions, self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardware, replicating operational data out to analytics systems through etl. Of those, running a distributed document database with acid transactions and self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardware are not what Cockroach Labs is typically brought in for.
What can RavenDB do that Cockroach Labs cannot?
RavenDB covers Auto-indexing, Full-text Search, Graph Queries, Distributed Counters. Cockroach Labs covers Distributed SQL, Automatic Sharding, Multi-region Replication, Geo-partitioning. Both handle ACID Transactions.
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