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Google Cloud Spanner vs MongoDB Atlas 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Cloud Spanner
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
9th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MongoDB Atlas
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
Managed NoSQL Databases (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Spanner is 4.4%, up from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MongoDB Atlas is 14.5%, down from 14.6% 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.
Laksiri Bala - PeerSpot reviewer
Room for improvement in data handling leads to enhanced cost-effective data management performance
It would be beneficial if MongoDB Atlas could better support OLTP aspects and data frames, as well as enhance its capabilities for data pipelines and visualization dashboards. Furthermore, supporting the medallion architecture could be a valuable addition, and incorporating improved spatial and vector handling for geographical data could make it more competitive. Enhancing vector processing for AI capabilities would also be critical.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"The application deployment in the cloud is the best feature of the infrastructure."
"It is a very scalable solution."
"Google Cloud Spanner is stable."
"We can scale the solution if we need to."
"The initial setup of MongoDB Atlas is straightforward...It is a scalable solution."
"MongoDB Atlas is a database that is quite fast, stable, and reliable."
"The solution is easy to use, the console is user-friendly, and overall a well-designed solution. It takes a complex system and makes it easy to understand. Additionally, the solution is always advancing and they provide a roadmap into what is coming in the future."
"Being schemaless is what I like best about MongoDB Atlas."
"The cloud-based nature of this solution makes it flexible and scalable."
"The auto-scaling feature is the most valuable aspect."
"It's flexible. We don't need to have a solid upstream availability failover, and everything is seamless in Atlas."
"I find MongoDB Atlas highly scalable and easy to use, with very good support."
 

Cons

"The tool needs to improve horizontal scaling."
"The tool lacks to offer AI features."
"The cost can be a bit high."
"I want to improve the deployment of cameras and surveillance infrastructure."
"Google came up with something called Cloud Spanner Emulator, which fails to work like the real product if I want to develop some code and run a database locally on my machine."
"We had some bad trainers when we first came onboard and would rate them fairly low. They did not seem staffed properly to fulfill the training services that they offered."
"The UI is not currently designed in a manner to make it possible for a non-technical person or a layman to update the database easily."
"The cost needs improvement."
"It would be great if it were easier to integrate MongoDB Atlas with AWS services. Technical support for MongoDB Atlas could be better."
"The installation was straightforward except for the network hardware because it was a little complicated to make the connection with our VPC on AWS."
"The speed when combining two documents is concerning."
"If it could be cheaper, that would make us happy."
"The product's file storage documentation needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."
"Price-wise, I heard that Google Cloud Spanner is on the higher side."
"Google Cloud Spanner is an expensive solution."
"It is expensive."
"The solution is expensive overall. It does not require a license but if you want the support then you will need to purchase the license. They use a pay-as-you-go model and you are able to receive some discounts by making longer usage commitments."
"The price of MongoDB Atlas is highly affordable."
"The pricing and licensing is great."
"It is an open-source platform."
"I am using the free version of the solution."
"The pricing is acceptable for enterprise tier."
"We pay for a license."
"Pricing could always be better."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
14%
Retailer
9%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

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 MongoDB Atlas?
There are many valuable features, but scalability stands out. It can scale across zones. You can define multiple nodes. They have also partnered with AWS, offering great service with multiple featu...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MongoDB Atlas?
The price of MongoDB Atlas is reasonable, which is why many organizations, including mine, are opting for it.
What needs improvement with MongoDB Atlas?
It would be beneficial if MongoDB Atlas could better support OLTP aspects and data frames, as well as enhance its capabilities for data pipelines and visualization dashboards. Furthermore, supporti...
 

Also Known As

Google Spanner
Atlas
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Streak, Optiva, Mixpanel
Wells Fargo, Forbes, Ulta Beauty, Bosch, Sanoma, Current (a Digital Bank), ASAP Log, SBB, Zebra Technologies, Radial, Kovai, Eni, Accuhit, Cognigy, and Payload.
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud Spanner vs. MongoDB Atlas and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
847,646 professionals have used our research since 2012.