AWS RDS for PostgreSQL vs CockroachDB Cloud

AWS RDS for PostgreSQL is cheaper across every workload modelled here.

List prices checked

Rate cards side by side

Only the axes at least one of them bills on. A dash means that provider does not charge for it.

Billing axisAWS RDS for PostgreSQLCockroachDB CloudDifference
Entry plan$12.40/mo$25.00/mo2× AWS RDS for PostgreSQL
Storage$0.115/GB-mo$0.500/GB-mo4.3× AWS RDS for PostgreSQL
Free tierYesYes—

Source: Amazon Web Services pricing (May 2026) · Cockroach Labs pricing (May 2026). Published list prices only — committed-use discounts, regional variation, and per-request charges are not included. Not yet independently re-checked against the vendor’s page.

Monthly cost for three real workloads

The rate cards applied to identical usage. This is where the winner changes.

WorkloadAWS RDS for PostgreSQLCockroachDB CloudCheaper
Side projectA personal site or small app with modest traffic, a few gigabytes of assets, and one small always-on process.$15$35AWS RDS for PostgreSQLsaves $20/mo (58%)
Growing SaaSA funded product serving a few thousand daily users, with an image-heavy frontend and two application servers.$70$275AWS RDS for PostgreSQLsaves $205/mo (75%)
Media-heavy siteA publisher or video product where delivery dominates the bill and compute is almost an afterthought.$242$1,025AWS RDS for PostgreSQLsaves $783/mo (76%)

Workload definitions are identical on every comparison page, so figures here can be read against any other pair in the same category.

What each one is for

AWS RDS for PostgreSQL

by Amazon Web Services

Provisioned Postgres billed per instance-hour whether or not it serves a query, plus storage and backup. Predictable, and the most expensive way to run an idle database.

Free tier: 750 hours per month of a db.t-class instance for 12 months

CockroachDB Cloud

by Cockroach Labs

Distributed SQL with Postgres wire compatibility and multi-region strong consistency, billed on request units. Priced for workloads that genuinely need survivability across regions.

Free tier: $0 basic tier with monthly request-unit and storage allowances

Common questions

Is AWS RDS for PostgreSQL or CockroachDB Cloud cheaper in 2026?
AWS RDS for PostgreSQL is cheaper in all 3 modelled workloads.
Which has the better free tier, AWS RDS for PostgreSQL or CockroachDB Cloud?
Both publish one. AWS RDS for PostgreSQL: 750 hours per month of a db.t-class instance for 12 months. CockroachDB Cloud: $0 basic tier with monthly request-unit and storage allowances.
What do these estimates not include?
Committed-use and reserved discounts, regional price variation, per-request API charges, support plans, and minimum retention periods. All of those move real invoices, sometimes by a lot. These figures compare published list prices for the same workload, which is the comparison the rate cards alone cannot give you.

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