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Google Cloud Spanner vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Customer Service

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
8.6
Microsoft Azure SQL Database offers knowledgeable support but faces criticism for slow response times and accessibility issues.
The customer support is hard to reach, with Microsoft’s technical support being difficult to get in touch with.
 

Room For Improvement

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
5.3
Microsoft Azure SQL Database needs enhanced security, cost-efficiency, better integration, improved automation, and comprehensive documentation for user satisfaction.
I could not get an accurate quote on what my monthly costs would be based on my needs.
 

Scalability Issues

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
7.6
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is highly scalable, flexible, and reliable, easily handling varying demands and adjusting resources efficiently.
Scaling the solution is incredibly simple and involves just clicking a button or dragging a slider.
 

Setup Cost

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Azure SQL Database pricing varies by usage, offering flexibility, but can be complex with regional and subscription factors.
While the pricing of Microsoft Azure SQL Database is good, obtaining an estimate of monthly costs based on specific needs was challenging.
 

Stability Issues

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is highly reliable and stable, with excellent performance and security features, despite concerns about future scalability.
 

Valuable Features

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
8.3
Microsoft Azure SQL Database offers scalability, high availability, seamless Microsoft integration, robust security, and ease of use with automatic backups.
Some of the best features of Microsoft Azure SQL Database are its scalability, pricing, and ease of setup.
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Cloud Spanner
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
8th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
93
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Spanner is 3.9%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure SQL Database is 17.5%, down from 19.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database as a Service (DBaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Ethan Lo - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable and scalable relational database that ensures a return on investment for its users
The most valuable feature of the solution is its scalability. Scalability comes with two options, among which Google Cloud Spanner can scale horizontally, compared to other relational databases that scale vertically. You can change Google Cloud Spanner's resource configuration, which is done through processing units. Suppose you set up Google Cloud Spanner initially with a hundred processing units, and then you run out of resources since your database used too much CPU. In the aforementioned scenario, you can scale up or down and face no downtime in the production phase. The solution's features are important when running a company twenty-four hours, seven days a week.
DineshKumar27 - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers high-availability features with different price points and licensing models for users
There are certain shortcomings when it comes to the stability of the product, especially if I consider the fact that there can always be some bug-related issues in the tool. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement in the product. I am sure that the tool does all sorts of quality checks before releasing the product in the market, but there are thousands of different environments today where users use the solution for their own purposes and customize it to fit their business requirements. In some cases, there may be some bugs that users need to fix, and many of them might even fix it as well. As SQL Azure is available as a cloud-based tool, it helps to maintain uniformity in the environment, so the number of issues is reduced significantly.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
14%
Retailer
11%
Government
9%
Educational Organization
70%
Computer Software Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
4%
Government
2%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Google Cloud Spanner?
Google Cloud Spanner has all the features of a traditional relational database, including schemas, SQL queries, ACID transactions, and provides excellent integration and monitoring tools as well as...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud Spanner?
Price-wise, I heard that Google Cloud Spanner is on the higher side. I am not sure if this is a rumor or if it's fake news, but I believe that having BigQuery and GCP together could be a little cos...
What do you like most about SQL Azure?
The automated scalability feature of SQL Azure has proven to be highly beneficial, particularly when deployed in the cloud.
What needs improvement with SQL Azure?
The solution’s pricing needs improvement because it is too high.
 

Also Known As

Google Spanner
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Streak, Optiva, Mixpanel
adnymics GmbH, LG CNS, Centrebet, netfabb GmbH, MedPlast, Accelera Solutions, Sochi Organizing Committee, realzeit GmbH
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud Spanner vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.