Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs MongoDB Atlas
Neither wins outright: Azure Database for PostgreSQL is cheaper for 2 of 3 workloads and MongoDB Atlas for the rest.
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 axis | Azure Database for PostgreSQL | MongoDB Atlas | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | $12.41/mo | $9.00/mo | 1.4× MongoDB Atlas |
| Storage | $0.115/GB-mo | $0.250/GB-mo | 2.2× Azure Database for PostgreSQL |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | — |
Source: Microsoft pricing (May 2026) · MongoDB 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.
| Workload | Azure Database for PostgreSQL | MongoDB Atlas | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side projectA personal site or small app with modest traffic, a few gigabytes of assets, and one small always-on process. | $15 | $14 | MongoDB Atlassaves $0.71/mo (5%) |
| Growing SaaSA funded product serving a few thousand daily users, with an image-heavy frontend and two application servers. | $70 | $134 | Azure Database for PostgreSQLsaves $64/mo (48%) |
| Media-heavy siteA publisher or video product where delivery dominates the bill and compute is almost an afterthought. | $242 | $509 | Azure Database for PostgreSQLsaves $267/mo (52%) |
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
Azure Database for PostgreSQL
by Microsoft
Microsoft's managed Postgres in flexible-server and burstable configurations, priced close to RDS and integrated with Entra ID for authentication.
Free tier: 750 hours per month of a burstable instance for 12 months
MongoDB Atlas
by MongoDB
The managed service from MongoDB itself, with a permanently free shared tier and dedicated clusters priced per instance size across three clouds.
Free tier: M0 shared cluster with 512 MB, always free
Common questions
- Is Azure Database for PostgreSQL or MongoDB Atlas cheaper in 2026?
- It depends on volume — Azure Database for PostgreSQL wins 2 of the 3 modelled workloads and MongoDB Atlas wins 1. The scenario table above shows where the crossover falls.
- Which has the better free tier, Azure Database for PostgreSQL or MongoDB Atlas?
- Both publish one. Azure Database for PostgreSQL: 750 hours per month of a burstable instance for 12 months. MongoDB Atlas: M0 shared cluster with 512 MB, always free.
- 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.