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CockroachDB alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave CockroachDB: not every Postgres feature or extension is supported, and higher write latency than single-node databases. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces CockroachDB, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. PlanetScale currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1PlanetScale logoPlanetScalePaidNoWeb3 of 366.5
2Neon logoNeonFree plan + paidNoWeb4 of 462.6
3Amazon RDS logoAmazon RDSPaidNoWeb4 of 459.6
4Aiven logoAivenFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 357.2
5Google Cloud SQL logoGoogle Cloud SQLPaidNoWeb3 of 355.3
  1. PlanetScale logo

    1. PlanetScaleTop pick

    Best for: Engineering teams running demanding MySQL or Postgres workloads in production

    PaidWeb

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from CockroachDB

    Horizontally sharded MySQL or Postgres with a focus on raw performance.

    Pros

    • Horizontal sharding for MySQL via Vitess, and now Postgres
    • Non-blocking schema change workflow
    • High-performance Metal instances on local NVMe

    Cons

    • No free tier
    • Database only, with no auth, storage or API layer
    • Sharding features are overkill for small apps
    Visit PlanetScale Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is PlanetScale a good CockroachDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Starting price
    $5/month (single-node Postgres)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026planetscale.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Metal
    From $50/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026planetscale.com(opens source in a new tab)
    MySQL engine
    Vitess with horizontal sharding
    Checked Oct 25, 2026planetscale.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Neon logo

    2. Neon

    Best for: Developers who want cheap, branchable Postgres for serverless apps and preview environments

    Free plan + paidWeb

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from CockroachDB

    Much cheaper serverless Postgres when multi-region resilience is not required.

    Pros

    • Instant database branches for previews and testing
    • Scales to zero, so idle projects cost little
    • Free plan with no time limit and no card

    Cons

    • Cold starts after scale-to-zero add latency
    • Usage-based billing needs monitoring
    • Direction now depends on Databricks priorities
    Visit Neon Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Neon a good CockroachDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    $0, no time limit
    Checked Oct 25, 2026neon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Compute price (Launch)
    $0.106 per CU-hour
    Checked Oct 25, 2026neon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Owner
    Databricks
    Checked Oct 25, 2026neon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Branching
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026neon.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Amazon RDS logo

    3. Amazon RDS

    Best for: AWS-based teams that want standard SQL databases with managed backups and failover

    PaidWeb

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from CockroachDB

    Conventional managed Postgres on AWS with Multi-AZ failover.

    Pros

    • Choice of six relational engines plus Aurora
    • Automated backups, replicas and Multi-AZ failover
    • Fits into AWS networking and IAM

    Cons

    • Configuring networking and security on AWS is complex
    • More expensive than smaller Postgres hosts for small apps
    • Database only, with no backend layer
    Visit Amazon RDS Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Amazon RDS a good CockroachDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Pricing
    Pay for what you use, no minimum fees
    Checked Oct 25, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Purchase options
    On-Demand or Reserved Instances
    Checked Oct 25, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier engines
    MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server Express
    Checked Oct 25, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Multi-AZ replication transfer
    Free
    Checked Oct 25, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Aiven logo

    4. Aiven

    Best for: Teams that want managed open-source databases on the cloud and region of their choice

    Free plan + paidWeb

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from CockroachDB

    Managed Postgres across clouds with simpler pricing.

    Pros

    • Many open-source data services in one console
    • Runs on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and others
    • Free tier for Postgres, MySQL and Valkey

    Cons

    • Free tier is a single small node with no integrations
    • Costs add up when running many services
    • No built-in backend features such as auth or APIs
    Visit Aiven Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Aiven a good CockroachDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    $0/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026aiven.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Developer plan
    $5/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026aiven.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Hobbyist plan
    From $12/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026aiven.io(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Google Cloud SQL logo

    5. Google Cloud SQL

    Best for: Teams on Google Cloud that need managed Postgres, MySQL or SQL Server

    PaidWeb

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from CockroachDB

    Managed Postgres on Google Cloud with high-availability options.

    Pros

    • Supports MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server
    • Integrates with Cloud Run, GKE and BigQuery
    • High-availability and replica options managed for you

    Cons

    • Smallest instances still cost more than serverless Postgres
    • Cloud networking and IAM add setup work
    • Only runs on Google Cloud
    Visit Google Cloud SQL Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Google Cloud SQL a good CockroachDB alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Engines
    MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server
    Checked Oct 25, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free credits
    $300 for new customers
    Checked Oct 25, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Editions
    Enterprise and Enterprise Plus
    Checked Oct 25, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best CockroachDB alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

PlanetScale logo

Best CockroachDB alternative for most people

PlanetScale

Horizontally sharded MySQL or Postgres with a focus on raw performance.

Neon logo

Best CockroachDB alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Neon

Much cheaper serverless Postgres when multi-region resilience is not required.

Amazon RDS logo

Best CockroachDB alternative for working in the browser

Amazon RDS

Conventional managed Postgres on AWS with Multi-AZ failover.

CockroachDB alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to CockroachDB?

PlanetScale ranks first right now. Horizontally sharded MySQL or Postgres with a focus on raw performance. Neon and Amazon RDS follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to CockroachDB?

Yes. Neon (free plan + paid) and Aiven (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to CockroachDB?

None of the 5 alternatives in this list is open source.

Why do people switch from CockroachDB?

The complaints we hear most: not every Postgres feature or extension is supported; higher write latency than single-node databases; costly compared with simple managed Postgres for small apps.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces CockroachDB, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.