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Google Cloud SQL vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
7.4
Azure SQL Database offers cost savings, scalability, and positive ROI, with users saving 30-50% via hybrid licensing and reservations.
It is ensuring we receive what we pay for through the blend of price, performance, and features.
If you're managing your own data center, you always have to overprovision your systems and pay for storage space you're not using.
We've reduced costs by about 20 percent after two or three years.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
Google Cloud SQL support is responsive but inconsistent, with mixed feedback on resolution times and reliance on AI responses.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Azure SQL Database support is well-regarded, especially for larger clients, despite some challenges in speed and access.
They don't have a dedicated technical team; mostly AI is handling that now.
Microsoft played a significant role, even from a training perspective, and provided resources that directed us toward the right deployment path.
Microsoft provides excellent service and is always available to support us.
there's so much information online that you can troubleshoot your issues without getting support involved
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Google Cloud SQL offers scalability and flexibility, efficiently handling traffic spikes, ideal for medium to large enterprises.
Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is praised for seamless scalability and adaptability, handling heavy loads efficiently despite cost considerations.
Google Cloud SQL offers automated scaling, which helps meet the growth demands when there's an increase in traffic or performance requirements.
Scaling the solution is incredibly simple and involves just clicking a button or dragging a slider.
Azure's scalability features like Elasticity are essential.
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is cloud-based, so it's great for scaling workloads.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Google Cloud SQL is stable and reliable, with occasional minor issues in specific configurations, generally resolved quickly.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is praised for reliability and stability, with some concerns about size limits and connectivity issues.
The stability of Google Cloud SQL is rated eight out of ten.
We can't tell the difference between running on-prem or Azure because we no longer have those latency issues.
SQL never crashes or suddenly becomes unavailable.
Therefore, it is preferable to provision an instance local to the connection point to optimize performance and minimize latency.
 

Room For Improvement

Google Cloud SQL users seek enhancements in integration, documentation, security, pricing, scalability, and overall performance compared to competitors.
Microsoft Azure SQL Database requires enhancements in security, integration, pricing, performance, and user experience for improved database management.
The technical support could be better as they don't have a dedicated team, but mostly AI handles the support now.
I would appreciate more flexibility with specific extensions applicable to engines like PostgreSQL.
It would be helpful if CPU performance were not pinned to the amount of storage you're using, and we could scale different properties of the Azure SQL database independently.
I could not get an accurate quote on what my monthly costs would be based on my needs.
To overcome this, we collaborated with the network team to develop alternative solutions.
 

Setup Cost

Google Cloud SQL offers competitive pricing, cheaper than Azure and comparable to AWS, but documentation is lacking.
Microsoft Azure SQL Database offers flexible, complex pricing with mixed affordability feedback, benefiting from Azure Hybrid Benefits for cost reduction.
The pricing will fall on the lower side, slightly, almost equal to AWS, and cheaper than Azure.
Google Cloud SQL is competitively priced compared to other services like RDS from Amazon.
Azure Hybrid Benefit reduced costs by facilitating an easy transition of on-premises databases to the cloud.
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is not cheap.
It greatly reduces the total cost of ownership through efficient licensing depending on the client, the cost savings, and hybrid benefits.
 

Valuable Features

Google Cloud SQL is scalable and cost-effective, offering easy management, robust security, and high availability with multi-database support.
Microsoft Azure SQL Database provides scalable, cost-effective, and secure cloud solutions with seamless Microsoft integration, enhancing usability and accessibility.
From a database management perspective, it provides services without the need for me to worry about backups, scaling, or other operational issues.
Google Cloud SQL provides complete customization options, along with a dashboarding tool and a comprehensive suite of tools that can be used to customize and build any application needed.
The simplicity in usability, along with improved organizational productivity where we no longer need to maintain on-premises SQL servers, is invaluable.
Some of the best features of Microsoft Azure SQL Database are its scalability, pricing, and ease of setup.
Azure SQL helps in reducing the company's total cost of ownership because we don't have to manage on-premises infrastructure.
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Cloud SQL
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
115
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud SQL is 17.2%, down from 19.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure SQL Database is 17.3%, 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

Prathap Sankar - PeerSpot reviewer
Gain control and flexibility with customizable tools but has slower performance
I am majorly working in Google Cloud SQL for building my applications Google Cloud SQL provides complete customization options, along with a dashboarding tool and a comprehensive suite of tools that can be used to customize and build any application needed. The deployment model allows for…
Adam Carlson - PeerSpot reviewer
Integrates with other Microsoft applications very well
Azure SQL had a bit of a learning curve to start, but it was fairly simple once I understood how to develop it. I was using PowerShell to connect to it, and I've never connected to online databases through Azure using PowerShell. Scripting the PowerShell connections could be simpler. The coding is familiar, but figuring out how to use it initially can be easier.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
12%
Retailer
8%
University
6%
Educational Organization
71%
Computer Software Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
4%
Healthcare Company
2%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Cloud SQL?
The implementation part of the product was easy.
What needs improvement with Google Cloud SQL?
When discussing media files, such as images and audio files, stored in Google Cloud, concerns about handling large amounts of data arise. If these files exceed 3 GB, backing them up can be challeng...
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SQL Azure?
While the pricing of Microsoft Azure SQL Database is good, obtaining an estimate of monthly costs based on specific needs was challenging. Initially, Microsoft asked us to sign up and use the servi...
What needs improvement with SQL Azure?
One area for improvement is the need for accurate cost estimates. When I initially tried to set it up, I could not get an accurate quote on what my monthly costs would be based on my needs.
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BeDataDriven, CodeFutures, Daffodil, GenieConnect, KiSSFLOW, LiveHive, SulAm_rica, Zync
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 SQL vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.