Amazon Aurora vs IBM Db2 Database comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and IBM are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.2, while IBM is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.3. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 3.4% mindshare in SQL, compared to IBM’s 7.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Amazon Aurora

Read 15 Amazon Aurora reviews

3,317 Views
2,999 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 Database

Read 73 IBM Db2 Database reviews

7,721 Views
4,904 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Amazon Aurora

IBM Db2 Database

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Amazon Aurora and IBM Db2 Database based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Relational Databases Tools solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon Aurora vs. IBM Db2 Database Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Aurora vs. IBM Db2 Database

January 2025

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Helped 838,640 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Amazon Aurora

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

9th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Db2 Database

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Amazon Aurora is 3.4%, down from 4.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 7.0%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

Rajitha Jatothu

Aws Devops Engineer at LTIMindtree

Achieve high performance with fault-tolerant and highly available database management

Aurora is a key pillar for us, offering performance and availability. It is faster than RDS and supports multi-region clusters and scalability. One feature we value is Aurora's ability to provide a reader endpoint, allowing applications to connect without tracking replicas. It supports auto-scaling and offers several options for monitoring and optimizing database performance. Aurora's fault tolerance and ability to handle multiple replicas contribute to its reliability and high performance.

Read full review

SimonHiggins

Mainframe Technical Manager/Service Integration Lead at Saudi Business Machines

Very scalable with high availability and excellent technical support

The good thing is that there are improvements coming with later function levels for the z/OS Db2. I'd like it if, with the operating system that we've got, z/OS, on the mainframe, it would allow us to refresh the hardware to run Linux dockers on the mainframe. This means this might give us opportunities for different ways of coming into the Db2 environment in the future. We just want a bit more integration with Linux. That said, we are already seeing Linux more readily available on the mainframe environment. Not only have we got the premium operating systems on OS. We can run LPARs on the same mainframe footprint that is also supporting Linux. This is what has improved and made the mainframe environment more competitive. We're also looking at AI for Db2 as well, and machine learning for the future. We know that AI has come out, that we're going to get that, and we're going to evaluate that product next year for Db2. That said, I haven't got any real complaints about Db2 on the mainframe. For the most part, a lot of the problems we have nowadays are to do with communication between the various teams that you would class as stakeholders.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"We had better control over the parameters that we could tweak in terms of intermediate storage and better indexing capabilities."

"Aurora is a key pillar for us, offering performance and availability."

"Amazon Aurora stands out for its ease of use in a managed environment, inbuilt security, continuous backups, numerous read replicas, multi-region automated replication, and seamless integration with other AWS services."

"One of the most valuable features is storage scaling."

"Aurora's compatibility with MySQL or PostgreSQL benefited our database management. The migration from on-premise MySQL to Aurora was similar, so we didn't need to change our source code."

"The most valuable feature of Amazon Aurora is SQL standardization, it doesn't have its own syntax which is good. It has a lot of hands-off self-management type of activities, such as log rolling and auto-scaling."

"The most valuable features of Amazon Aurora include the global instance with the global writer endpoint, which allows failovers and instance switches without requiring changes in my code, thanks to the default global Route 53 endpoint."

"The provision of custom read and write endpoints eliminates the need for managing a separate proxy load balancer."

More Amazon Aurora pros

"Db2 database scalability and performance capabilities match our database needs. It covers pretty much everything a database administrator or engineer might need."

"The most valuable feature of IBM Db2 Database is its ability to perform automatic self-management, reducing the need for manual tasks such as managing logs and folders."

"it is very stable and runs smoothly once it is deployed and it is almost maintenance-free."

"The solution helps secure the database."

"We are dealing with millions of transactions a month and the performance is very good."

"It has a good, stable performance."

"The solution has very good data compression of up to 50%. For example, if you have 50 terabytes of data, it can be reduced to 25 terabytes."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the integration with other IBM products."

More IBM Db2 Database pros

Cons

"One of the most valuable features is storage scaling."

"In Oracle, tools like Veridata allow for comparing databases and certifying data accuracy, even offering repair capabilities, which are missing in Aurora. There should be a similar comparison tool in Aurora."

"I would like to see more AI-related features in future releases."

"Room for improvement might be in the UI, integrations, or data working capabilities for better user experience."

"I would like to see performance insights on the database based on the queries. Currently, we use SolarWinds as the monitoring tool. I would like to leverage SolarWinds’ performance insights in AWS services. SolarWinds gives larger insights when we run performance issues."

"The pricing could improve. It should be reduced."

"It is a bit costly. The features are quite good, and I wouldn't say it requires any technical improvements. But from a cost perspective, some clients wouldn't go for Aurora because of that."

"While Amazon Aurora meets your current scaling and storage needs, there is room for improvement in cryptography and scalability compared to other databases."

More Amazon Aurora cons

"IBM's support isn't as strong as it used to be, especially when it comes to providing fixes."

"The vendor should offer a free version"

"The technical support can be faster."

"The only drawback that we see in Db2 Database is the crash recovery. When there is a crash and somebody has to do the recovery, Db2 Database first stops, and then it does any crash recovery. In Oracle Database, crash recovery happens within the database. The database is not shut down."

"The product’s user interface is not easy to use."

"I would like to see better support for advanced analytics."

"We need some time to improve the performance. We have to perform a weekly REORG, or else RUNSTATS for the databases."

"The initial set up was complex."

More IBM Db2 Database cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price could be lower compared to its competitors."

"The tool’s pricing depends on the instance type. For cost optimization purposes, we use the result instance category."

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."

"There is no need to buy a license for the product. We can pay as per the use case."

"It is an expensive solution."

"It is quite expensive."

"The total cost of the solution depends upon the PVU licensing"

"Compared to Oracle, it is so much cheaper."

"The solution costs less than other products."

"We did not buy it. It came with our hardware without any complimentary maintenance. If I compare Db2 Database with Oracle Database, its price is lower than Oracle Database."

"I rate the price of the IBM Db2 Database an eight out of ten."

"The solution's pricing is fine."

"There is a license for this solution and we pay every three years."

"Compared to other databases, Db2 is relatively cheaper."

More IBM Db2 Database pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

27%

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

62%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon Aurora?

Aurora's compatibility with MySQL or PostgreSQL benefited our database management. The migration from on-premise MySQL to Aurora was similar, so we didn't need to change our source code.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon Aurora?

AWS is costlier than self-managed solutions, but this includes the managed service experience. Their pricing is fair and reflects the managed service and additional features AWS offers.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Amazon Aurora?

AWS RDS doesn't provide an option to apply one-off patches, which can be critical for business due to unexpected product bugs. While self-managed systems allow immediate patch application, RDS has ...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Db2 Database?

Db2 database scalability and performance capabilities match our database needs. It covers pretty much everything a database administrator or engineer might need.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Db2 Database?

IBM Db2 is an expensive solution. While I am not heavily involved with pricing, additional companies provide capabilities or products like those from BMC, which many installations might also purchase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Db2 Database?

The usage of Db2 could be simplified, as it is quite complex and requires substantial knowledge of Db2 and zOS. Modern features are being implemented, but further simplification and the inclusion o...

See all answers

Comparisons

SQL Server vs Amazon Aurora

Compared 38% of the time

Oracle Database vs Amazon Aurora

Compared 25% of the time

MariaDB vs Amazon Aurora

Compared 9% of the time

SAP HANA vs Amazon Aurora

Compared 6% of the time

MySQL vs Amazon Aurora

Compared 2% of the time

More Amazon Aurora Competitors

SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 32% of the time

Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 19% of the time

SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 17% of the time

Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 13% of the time

MariaDB vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 1% of the time

More IBM Db2 Database Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Aurora

February 2025

Download Amazon Aurora product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database

February 2025

Download IBM Db2 Database product report

Also Known As

No data available

DB2

Overview

Amazon Aurora is a MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud, that combines the performance and availability of traditional enterprise databases with the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of open source databases.

Amazon Aurora is up to five times faster than standard MySQL databases and three times faster than standard PostgreSQL databases. It provides the security, availability, and reliability of commercial databases at 1/10th the cost. Amazon Aurora is fully managed by Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), which automates time-consuming administration tasks like hardware provisioning, database setup, patching, and backups.

Amazon Aurora features a distributed, fault-tolerant, self-healing storage system that auto-scales up to 64TB per database instance. It delivers high performance and availability with up to 15 low-latency read replicas, point-in-time recovery, continuous backup to Amazon S3, and replication across three Availability Zones (AZs).

Visit the Amazon RDS Management Console to create your first Aurora database instance and start migrating your MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

DB2 Enterprise for Linux, UNIX, and Windows is the ideal data server for the most demanding workloads. New XML support is designed to help firms minimize the time and effort it takes to persist and use their XML data reducing development costs and improving business agility.

IBM

Sample Customers

Dow Jones, Arizona State University, Verizon, Capital One, United Nations, Nielsen, Autodesk, Fanduel

Knorr-Bremse, Mizuho Bank Ltd., Australian Government Department of Defence, SCHWENK Zement, Friedhelm Loh Group, YAZAKI Europe Limited, Ekornes ASA, Baldor Electric, VSN Systemen BV, Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, PLANSEE Group, TE Connectivity, Hansgrohe SE, Openmatics, University of Toronto

Buyer's Guide

Amazon Aurora vs. IBM Db2 Database

January 2025

Free Report: Amazon Aurora vs. IBM Db2 Database

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