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Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database comparison

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB and Microsoft Azure SQL Database are both solutions in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.2, while Microsoft Azure SQL Database is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB holds a 1.4% mindshare in DS, compared to Microsoft Azure SQL Database’s 15.9% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft Azure SQL Database users who would recommend it.
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Read 86 Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reviews
  • 224 Views
  • 82 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
Read 117 Microsoft Azure SQL Database reviews
  • 6,648 Views
  • 2,858 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Microsoft Azure SQL Database and Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB compete in the cloud database category, offering distinct advantages based on user needs. For enterprises focused on traditional SQL environments, Azure SQL Database might be preferable due to its integration and elasticity, while Cosmos DB stands out for NoSQL operations with its global distribution capabilities.

Features: Microsoft Azure SQL Database provides strong scalability, high availability, and seamless integration with other Microsoft products. It includes advanced security features and elastic licensing, making it ideal for web and enterprise applications. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB features multi-model data support, low-latency data access, and efficient global distribution, tailored for diverse data storage needs and rapid ingest capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Azure SQL Database users have highlighted the need for enhanced security, improved support for distributed transactions, and better documentation. They desire a more flexible pricing model and streamlined integration processes. Azure Cosmos DB users often cite high costs and complex pricing models, requesting better API compatibility and expanded developer tools for improved query functionality.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Azure SQL Database provides extensive deployment flexibility in public, private, and hybrid cloud environments, combined with robust technical support. Users note occasional delays in commercial support responsiveness. Azure Cosmos DB is mainly deployed in public cloud environments, appreciated for its proactive support and comprehensive documentation, though complex issues occasionally challenge support accessibility.

Pricing and ROI: Azure SQL Database is known for cost-effective, flexible pricing plans based on resource consumption, beneficial for traditional SQL applications, reducing infrastructure costs. Azure Cosmos DB's pricing is perceived as higher due to features like global distribution; however, its scalability and performance justify the investment for diverse environments. ROI effects vary, often reducing traditional system costs significantly.

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To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database
April 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Azure Cosmos DB's ROI varies with benefits in scaling and maintenance but challenges in cost and complexity affect outcomes.
Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Azure SQL Database reduces total cost with pay-per-use, hybrid licensing, enhancing ROI through scalability and security.
Getting an MVP of that project would have taken six to eight months, but because we had an active choice of using Azure Cosmos DB and other related cloud-native services of Azure, we were able to get to an MVP stage in a matter of weeks, which is six weeks.
You can react quickly and trim down the specs, memory, RAM, storage size, etc. It can save about 20% of the costs.
When I have done comparisons or cost calculations, I have sometimes personally seen as much as 25% to 30% savings.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
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.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure SQL Database report
MichaelJohn - PeerSpot reviewer
BP
AH
Michael Hamlett - PeerSpot reviewerMaanda Ambani - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2595777 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB offers good customer service, though support delays and inconsistent quality are noted, with strong community assistance.
Sentiment score
6.9
Microsoft Azure SQL Database provides comprehensive support, but service quality varies by support tier and client size.
Premier Support has deteriorated compared to what it used to be, especially for small to medium-sized customers like ours.
The response was quick.
I would rate customer service and support a nine out of ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
Microsoft played a significant role, even from a training perspective, and provided resources that directed us toward the right deployment path.
Once I reach the right people, the support is incredibly knowledgeable and thorough.
Microsoft provides excellent service and is always available to support us.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure SQL Database report
reviewer2595951 - PeerSpot reviewerJoel Hulen - PeerSpot reviewerMichaelJohn - PeerSpot reviewerMaanda Ambani - PeerSpot reviewer
TG
reviewer2595303 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Azure Cosmos DB offers dynamic scalability and efficiency, ideal for diverse environments with adjustable resource settings and robust architecture.
Sentiment score
7.3
Microsoft Azure SQL Database offers flexible scalability, handling large data environments and adapting easily to varying workloads.
The system scales up capacity when needed and scales down when not in use, preventing unnecessary expenses.
We like that it can auto-scale to demand, ensuring we only pay for what we use.
We have had no issues with its ability to search through large amounts of data.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
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.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure SQL Database report
Hashir Ali Shuja - PeerSpot reviewerTiago Duarte - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2678751 - PeerSpot reviewerMichael Hamlett - PeerSpot reviewer
KC
reviewer2595312 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB offers reliable 99.95% uptime, with strong stability, scalability, and seamless integration despite minor challenges.
Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is highly reliable and stable, with minimal latency issues, especially in well-designed, cloud-utilized systems.
We have multiple availability zones, so nothing goes down.
Azure Cosmos DB would be a good choice if you have to deploy your application in a limited time frame and you want to auto-scale the database across different applications.
I would rate it a ten out of ten in terms of availability and latency.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
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.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure SQL Database report
reviewer2596239 - PeerSpot reviewerHarshitGaur - PeerSpot reviewerAroosh Kumar - PeerSpot reviewerMaanda Ambani - PeerSpot reviewer
FW
Jason McCullagh - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Room For Improvement

Users of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB experience challenges with query complexity, pricing, integration, indexing, UI, APIs, and documentation.
Azure SQL Database needs better security, pricing, documentation, integration, support, and scalability, with enhanced analytics and management tools.
We must ensure data security remains the top priority.
You have to monitor the Request Units.
The first one is the ability to assign role-based access control through the Azure portal for accounts to have contributor rights.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
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.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure SQL Database report
Mohamed Ait Salah - PeerSpot reviewer
BP
Joel Hulen - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2595777 - PeerSpot reviewerMichael Hamlett - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2595303 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB pricing, seen as expensive, offers scalable reliability with a complex RU model but allows cost optimization.
Azure SQL Database pricing is complex, perceived as costly, but offers elasticity and cost-saving via Azure Hybrid Benefit.
Initially, it seemed like an expensive way to manage a NoSQL data store, but so many improvements that have been made to the platform have made it cost-effective.
Cosmos DB is expensive, and the RU-based pricing model is confusing.
Cosmos DB is great compared to other databases because we can reduce the cost while doing the same things.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
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.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure SQL Database report
Joel Hulen - PeerSpot reviewerChristian Gomez Rua - PeerSpot reviewer
RC
Charley Hanania - PeerSpot reviewerFabricio Noriega - PeerSpot reviewer
FW
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB excels in scalability, global distribution, multi-API integration, and usability, with robust performance and flexible data management.
Microsoft Azure SQL Database offers scalable, cost-effective database management with seamless integration, global accessibility, security, and efficient automation.
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is its real-time analytics capabilities, which allow for turnaround times in milliseconds.
Performance and security are valuable features, particularly when using Cosmos DB for MongoDB emulation and NoSQL.
The performance and scaling capabilities of Cosmos DB are excellent, allowing it to handle large workloads compared to other services such as Azure AI Search.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report
The simplicity in usability, along with improved organizational productivity where we no longer need to maintain on-premises SQL servers, is invaluable.
The Software as a Service model is more effective and easier to access in terms of security, as Azure provides security at the security layer, reducing the risk of breach.
Some of the best features of Microsoft Azure SQL Database are its scalability, pricing, and ease of setup.
For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure SQL Database report
reviewer2227599 - PeerSpot reviewerChristian Gomez Rua - PeerSpot reviewerTiago Duarte - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2596431 - PeerSpot reviewerFatai Akinwande - PeerSpot reviewerMichael Hamlett - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
NoSQL Databases (3rd), Managed NoSQL Databases (1st), Vector Databases (3rd)
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
117
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is 1.4%. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure SQL Database is 15.9%, down from 18.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database as a Service (DBaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

MichaelJohn - PeerSpot reviewer
Very efficient for application-facing scenarios
There are several areas for improvement. Firstly, having a local development emulator or simulator for Azure Cosmos DB would be beneficial. It would be very handy to have a Docker container that developers can use locally. Although, I know there is a free tier and so on and so forth, having a local environment would be nice. For example, SQL Server is very portable. You can even install it on your machine. That is the number one thing that is missing in Azure Cosmos DB. The second improvement area is the IDE of choice. That means how you interact with Azure Cosmos DB. For example, with SQL Server, you have SQL Server Management Studio. I know there is a little bit of support for Azure Cosmos DB in Azure Data Studio, but it is not heavily advertised or it does not feel like first-class citizen support. Developer experience or developer tooling is missing in terms of interacting with the database. Better developer tools or an IDE for interacting with Azure Cosmos DB would enhance the developer experience. Lastly, there is some mixed messaging about what Azure Cosmos DB is, given its multiple APIs. There are so many Azure Cosmos DB APIs available. There is NoSQL. There are MongoDB, Gremlin, and others. There is still some mixed messaging for others who are new to Azure Cosmos DB about what Azure Cosmos DB is. Is this like MongoDB, but then there is also MongoDB in Azure Cosmos DB? I know it well, and I know that the default one is just NoSQL, but others I have interacted with over the last ten years or so get confused.
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Charley Hanania - PeerSpot reviewer
It is very easy to implement, manage, and offers great insights into what is happening inside the engine
Microsoft Azure SQL Database is integrated into other Azure capabilities and has a great foundation being on SQL Server with a long history of security, performance, and usability from a DBA perspective. Once you've set up a server, adding databases is easy. There's a minor challenge with having data in separate databases that you want to connect like we do on premises. I'm looking forward to using some of these new AI-driven functions that have come out around vectorization. Having the data closer to my transactional databases or data makes it easy to augment and enhance the Database and applications I currently use. It's great that Azure SQL now seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Fabric. It's a first-tier service in the cloud that connects to web applications and other databases. The data transformation orchestration capabilities within Database Factory and similar capabilities make it effortless to move that stuff forward.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Legal Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
73%
Computer Software Company
4%
Financial Services Firm
4%
Manufacturing Company
2%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
The initial setup is simple and straightforward. You can set up a Cosmos DB in a day, even configuring things like availability zones around the world.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
Its pricing is not bad. It is good. We have a contract with Microsoft to use their technology. In my opinion, Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is a good option for the total cost of ownership.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
I think Cosmos DB enhanced the benefits of NoSQL databases, offering query flexibility, partition management, and backup and restore options. These aspects are crucial, and perhaps improving the co...
See all answers
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.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SQL Azure?
The pricing of Microsoft Azure SQL Database is not cheap, affecting user uptake. A gradual reduction in price could improve accessibility and user numbers, making it easier for users to adopt the s...
See all answers
What needs improvement with SQL Azure?
Pricing could be improved to make Microsoft Azure SQL Database ( /products/microsoft-azure-sql-database-reviews ) more accessible. A reduction in price might encourage more users and bring more pro...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 6% of the time
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Compared 42% of the time
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Compared 27% of the time
MongoDB Atlas vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database Logo
MongoDB Atlas vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database
Compared 16% of the time
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Compared 7% of the time
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Compared 2% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
March 2025
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reportDownload Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure SQL Database
March 2025
Microsoft Azure SQL Database reportDownload Microsoft Azure SQL Database product report
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Azure DocumentDB, MS Azure Cosmos DB
No data available
 

Overview

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database service providing scalability, user-friendliness, and seamless integration, suitable for managing large volumes of structured and unstructured data across diverse applications.

Azure Cosmos DB is renowned for its scalability, stability, and ease of integration, offering robust support for multiple data models and APIs. Its capacity for handling unstructured data efficiently and providing real-time analytics makes it ideal for applications requiring high performance and global distribution. With features like automatic failover and integration with Microsoft products, users benefit from cost optimization and secure data handling. Enhancement opportunities include simplifying queries, improving documentation, and expanding backup and analytics functionalities.

What are the most important features of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
  • Scalability and Autoscaling: Efficiently handles growing data and user demands.
  • Multi-Model Support: Adapts to different data models seamlessly.
  • Global Distribution: Provides low-latency access across multiple regions.
  • Automatic Failover: Ensures high availability and reliability.
  • Integration with Microsoft Products: Offers seamless connectivity with Azure services.
What benefits should users look for in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reviews?
  • Performance and Speed: Exceptionally fast processing for real-time data analytics.
  • Cost Optimization: Tools for managing expenses effectively.
  • Secure Data Handling: Implements strong data security measures.
  • Flexible Data Ingestion: Supports diverse data ingestion methods.

Azure Cosmos DB is frequently used in sectors like web, mobile, IoT, and analytics. It supports applications as a key-value store, processes real-time data, and enables global scalability with low-latency access. Its big data management capabilities and integration with Azure services enhance its utility across industries.

Microsoft

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is a relational database-as-a-service that delivers predictable performance, scalability, business continuity, data protection, and near-zero administration to cloud developers and solution architects. This is the deep technical library for Azure SQL Database.

Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

TomTom, KPMG Australia, Bosch, ASOS, Mercedes Benz, NBA, Zero Friction, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Kinectify
adnymics GmbH, LG CNS, Centrebet, netfabb GmbH, MedPlast, Accelera Solutions, Sochi Organizing Committee, realzeit GmbH
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs. Microsoft Azure SQL Database
April 2025
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