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Google Cloud Spanner vs Oracle Database as a Service 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)
8th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Database as a Service
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
67
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Spanner is 4.0%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Database as a Service is 9.0%, up from 8.3% 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.
Duy AnhMai - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers security and good performance
Price-wise, the tool is expensive, and I feel it is an area where improvements are needed. Oracle Database as a Service is not as popular as other tools because we use AWS and GCP. Oracle is okay in terms of performance for banking businesses and some big companies. As I use the tool in Heineken, I know Oracle is an okay security solution. We use and deploy some applications and features from Oracle that are better than what others offer. The data in the tool is actually stored in the production part, so it is always kept a secret. I don't think that AI has been integrated into the tool. The AI used by Oracle is not as strong as that used by AWS. I recommend the tool to others, especially banking, finance, and insurance companies where the security needs to be better. There is maintenance for the tool required, but I don't know which company does it for our organization. I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is a very scalable solution."
"Google Cloud Spanner is stable."
"We can scale the solution if we need to."
"The application deployment in the cloud is the best feature of the infrastructure."
"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 solution's scalability and flexibility are very good and implementation is easy."
"I like the tool’s database services. I like the system’s performance, replication, active data, etc. which are all good."
"The most valuable feature of Oracle Database as a Service is its use as a provisioning database."
"Scalability is very easy. If you want to, you can make it onto two or three servers, racks, or whatever you want. It's easy."
"I like the solution's performance and ease of development."
"I would rate this solution as an eight out of ten because the stability and performance are good and the solution does not need to be maintained a lot."
"Oracle has helped our organization by being a reliable solution that is stable with zero crashes. The differentiation between Oracle's database and other databases is that Oracle needs more attention. It's not a click here, click there solution, it needs more time put in, but once you do that, it's ready to go and you can forget about it."
"If the solution is installed in your environment correctly, you are not going to have any issues whatsoever. It's problem-free."
 

Cons

"I want to improve the deployment of cameras and surveillance infrastructure."
"The cost can be a bit high."
"The tool needs to improve horizontal scaling."
"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."
"The tool lacks to offer AI features."
"For many companies, the standard version is not enough. They need to move to the enterprise version. However, there is a large price jump between the two."
"The product must improve its performance."
"The price of the solution is an area of concern. From an improvement perspective, the price of the solution should be lowered."
"The product is very expensive."
"I would like to see improvements in the license cost. The solution is subscription-based for PaaS services. You need to buy your own authorized license."
"The ROI has not been good."
"Earlier, the interface was continuously changing. Features you used would be moved somewhere else, so it was a little challenging to navigate, but now I think it's stable."
"Some bugs could be fixed. There have been some internal software bugs, just like any other newly released software. These bugs gets fixed by patch updates from Oracle on regular basis."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is expensive."
"Price-wise, I heard that Google Cloud Spanner is on the higher side."
"The solution is expensive."
"Google Cloud Spanner is an expensive solution."
"The solution is based on an annual fee."
"Oracle Database is less expensive than the previous solution we used."
"There should be a standard way to license the database in a virtual environment (e.g. VMware) and there should be a low-end version (like Standard Edition One) again."
"Oracle Database as a Service has a yearly licensing fee, which is expensive."
"The solution is on the expensive side, but I recommend it because it's a good database."
"The pricing is a little bit expensive."
"What has been done is that an annual subscription model has been launched, which includes the payment of both the AML (Annual Maintenance Fee) and the subscription fee, paid on a yearly basis."
"Oracle Database as a Service's pricing is good."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
14%
Retailer
11%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
23%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
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 Oracle Database as a Service?
It has significantly enhanced our application development process by introducing substantial time savings and streamlining routine tasks.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Database as a Service?
Prices are high. Technical support from Oracle tends to be high in quality.
What needs improvement with Oracle Database as a Service?
It would be beneficial if Oracle could offer features similar to those provided by open-source platforms like Postgres, such as a multi-core-based platform and a shared node database. While Oracle ...
 

Also Known As

Google Spanner
Oracle DBaaS, Oracle Database Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Streak, Optiva, Mixpanel
Solution-Soft, DX Marketing, Suredell and Partners, Frontiers, SettleOurEstate.com, Demand Analysis Ltd, endlich IT & Projekt Service OHG
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud Spanner vs. Oracle Database as a Service and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.