We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
Most buyers should pick PostgreSQL.
Choose PostgreSQL for a free, open-source database with no published seat or usage limits. Choose CockroachDB when you need distributed SQL, automatic rebalancing, and multi-region availability targets; it speaks the PostgreSQL wire protocol and supports most syntax, types, drivers, and ORMs. The trade-off is price: its listed Standard example is $203/month, while Mission Critical is $1,528/month. CockroachDB’s 30-minute P1 response promise applies to Mission Critical; PostgreSQL points users to docs and community resources.
01Side by side
| CockroachDB | PostgreSQL | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Standard example: $203/month; usage-metered | Free of charge; no paid plans |
| Free plan | No free plan listed; 30-day trial with $400 credit | Free open-source software |
| Best for | Resilient, globally scaled applications | Teams seeking an open-source object-relational database |
| Core strength | Distributed resilience and automatic rebalancing | Reliability, performance, and active development |
| Learning curve | Review ease score: 5/10 | Review ease score: 6.5/10 |
| Integrations/data | PostgreSQL protocol; most syntax, types, drivers, ORMs | Object-relational database; official docs and community resources |
| Team/seat costs | Usage-based; storage, backups, and transfer billed separately | No published seat or usage limits |
| Support | Mission Critical: 30-minute P1 response | Official documentation and community resources |
CockroachDB Choose CockroachDB if
- Choose CockroachDB if you need distributed, multi-region resilience.
- Choose CockroachDB if automatic rebalancing matters.
- Choose CockroachDB if PostgreSQL-compatible apps need horizontal scaling.
PostgreSQL Choose PostgreSQL if
- Choose PostgreSQL if free, open-source software is the priority.
- Choose PostgreSQL if you want no published seat or usage limits.
- Choose PostgreSQL if community and official documentation fit your support needs.
02Pricing compared
PostgreSQL is free open-source software under the OSI-approved PostgreSQL License. Its pricing information lists no paid plans and no published seat or usage limits. CockroachDB charges by usage: its Standard example is $203/month for 2 vCPU and 100 GB, while Mission Critical is $1,528/month for 12 vCPU and 100 GB. These are examples, not flat plan prices. The pricing page lists Standard at $0.092 per vCPU-hour, but its feature table separately says pricing starts at $0.057 per vCPU-hour. Mission Critical is listed at $0.162 per vCPU-hour. Usage is metered by the minute; storage, backups, and data transfer are billed separately. A 30-day trial includes $400 in credit. The listed 30-minute P1 response applies to Mission Critical.
03Features and depth
CockroachDB is built around distributed SQL: nodes can read and write, data rebalances as the cluster changes, and Raft consensus keeps data copies in step across nodes, zones, and regions. It also detects hotspots and adjusts data distribution as load grows. The product supports the PostgreSQL wire protocol and most PostgreSQL syntax, data types, drivers, and ORMs, but the source does not promise complete compatibility. It can run as a managed service, in your cloud account, or self-hosted, including on Kubernetes, on-premises, or in a hybrid setup.
PostgreSQL is an open-source object-relational database system. Its homepage highlights reliability, performance, and more than 35 years of active development. Those descriptions do not establish that it provides CockroachDB’s automatic rebalancing or multi-region availability targets. The practical distinction is distributed operation and resilience features versus PostgreSQL’s open-source database and its broad learning resources—not a claim that one has better general-purpose features.
04Ease of use and learning curve
If your application already uses PostgreSQL, CockroachDB’s protocol and broad support for PostgreSQL syntax, types, drivers, and ORMs may make connecting it a smaller change. But “most” is not “all,” so check your application’s specific dependencies before switching. CockroachDB also offers several deployment choices, from managed service to self-hosted, which means the operating model and bill depend on how you run it.
PostgreSQL points new users to official documentation and community resources for installing and using the database. The source does not provide a comparable managed service or support-response promise for PostgreSQL itself. CockroachDB lists a 30-minute P1 response for Mission Critical; that support level is not listed for Standard.
Questions people ask
Is Postgres faster than MSSQL?
The published information does not compare PostgreSQL with Microsoft SQL Server or provide speed benchmarks, so we can’t say which is faster. PostgreSQL’s homepage describes it as having a reputation for performance, but that is not a head-to-head result. Compare your own workload and deployment options before choosing.
What kind of database is CockroachDB?
CockroachDB is a distributed SQL database designed for applications that need to scale and serve users across regions. Its listed features include automatic data rebalancing, Raft-based replication, and PostgreSQL wire-protocol compatibility. It can be managed, run in your cloud account, or self-hosted.
Is PostgreSQL obsolete?
The published information gives no sign that PostgreSQL is obsolete: its homepage describes more than 35 years of active development and points users to current documentation and community resources. That does not answer every question about a particular workload, but age alone is not evidence that the project has stopped developing.
What is the difference between DynamoDB and PostgreSQL?
The published material covers PostgreSQL but does not describe DynamoDB, so it cannot support a full comparison. It identifies PostgreSQL as an open-source object-relational database with no paid plan or published seat or usage limits. Check DynamoDB’s current documentation and pricing before weighing the two.