Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs PostgreSQL comparison

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 5, 2025

PostgreSQL and Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB are significant contenders in the database management sector. Cosmos DB excels in scalability and global distribution, making it preferable for enterprises requiring rapid data access worldwide. Meanwhile, PostgreSQL’s extensive feature set and cost-effectiveness make it highly attractive for organizations prioritizing robust functionality and budget efficiency.

Features: PostgreSQL is valued for its SQL standard compliance, flexibility in data handling with key-value stores and arrays, and its ability to connect various data sources using foreign data wrappers. It is considered reliable, offering disaster recovery solutions and features like streaming replication and JSON support. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB highlights its scalability and support for multiple data models, along with seamless integration with Microsoft products. It facilitates real-time data access and offers global distribution capabilities.

Room for Improvement: PostgreSQL users suggest enhancements in multi-master replication, partitioning options, and monitoring tools. There is also a demand for more user-friendly interfaces and better JSON manipulation support. For Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, users express concerns about cost and integration complexities, alongside the need for improved analytics and simplified cross-partition queries. Simplified pricing models and better API documentation are also desired.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PostgreSQL benefits from a strong online community, providing significant support and resources, although lacking formal customer service. Its open-source nature results in varied deployment experiences depending on user expertise. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, supported by Microsoft’s cloud services, offers easy deployment in the public cloud with professional support, suiting Azure ecosystem users.

Pricing and ROI: PostgreSQL offers outstanding value as open-source software, where most costs are infrastructure and expertise-related, rather than licensing, ensuring a rapid ROI. Conversely, Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, with a pay-as-you-go model, is perceived as costly for specific workloads due to complex request unit pricing. However, its flexibility and seamless scalability justify the expense for enterprises utilizing its capabilities extensively.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs. PostgreSQL Report (Updated: March 2025).

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs. PostgreSQL

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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:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Ranking in Vector Databases

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Database as a Service (DBaaS) (6th), NoSQL Databases (3rd), Managed NoSQL Databases (1st)

PostgreSQL

Ranking in Vector Databases

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Open Source Databases (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Vector Databases category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is 2.5%. The mindshare of PostgreSQL is 4.8%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Vector Databases

Featured Reviews

MichaelJohn

Director | Data & AI at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

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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AdityaSharma3

Vice President Business at Techmagnate: Digital Marketing Agency

Transaction processes are fast and good replication capability

Use cases include querying data warehouses and databases to fetch data for clients already working on PostgreSQL. We also use Postgres for building reports It's a transactional database, so we use Postgres for most of our reporting. That's where it's helping. The query speed is fast, and the…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Scaling the workloads is one of the key advantages of Cosmos, preventing the database from becoming a performance bottleneck."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is scalable with multiple master files."

"Azure Cosmos DB's resiliency is valuable. It is available in every Azure region, allowing quick information storage and retrieval. We can partition it to improve indexing, enabling us to retrieve information and recreate website content quickly."

"Azure Cosmos DB's graph queries are its most valuable feature. Although I have not yet explored vector search, it's coming to Cosmos DB, and I plan to look into it. Having data in a flat file format in a document database speeds up processes, which is the primary purpose. Additionally, Cosmos DB's use of the Mongo platform makes it intuitive and cost-effective."

"I like the scalability. There aren't any constraints for posting in the geolocation. I also like the SQL architecture."

"The availability and latency of Azure Cosmos DB are excellent."

"As a NoSQL database, it offers schema flexibility which simplifies design and reduces initial engineering overhead."

"It's highly scalable and supports consistency, security, and multiple security options."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB pros

"The PostgreSQL database is similar to the SQL Server but has a slightly different technology that has similar resources as well. If the customer has the confidence using SQL Server, they will be fairly comfortable using this solution."

"PostgreSQL is stable. It's available, stable, and reliable."

"What I like is that it's quite powerful in terms of performance."

"We use the solution to store tables. It is stable and performs well."

"Scalable, stable, and easy to manage database system, with a straightforward installation."

"It's a transactional database, so we use Postgres for most of our reporting. That's where it's helping."

"We are able to create many different types of jobs and items with this solution making it one of the most valuable features."

"I like that you can move any relational database from Oracle to PostgreSQL. I also like that it's pretty stable."

Cons

"Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL has a less developed interface and fewer SQL commands than MongoDB, and its community support is also smaller."

"The one thing that I have been working on with Microsoft with regard to this is the ability to easily split partitions and have it do high-performance cross-partition queries. That is the only place where either our data size or our throughput has grown beyond one partition, so being able to do cross-partition queries efficiently would be my number one request."

"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."

"It's still new, and good training resources are harder to find. Even the most recent books on Cosmos DB are several years old, which is ancient in IT terms."

"Currently, it doesn't support cross-container joins, forcing developers to retrieve data from each container separately and combine it using methods like LINQ queries."

"One area that could be improved is indexing. Some of the developers struggle with the way the indexing works. We are exploring vector indexing, which we haven't examined fully yet. Indexing is an aspect we're looking to improve upon potentially."

"The query searching functionality has some complexities and could be more user-friendly."

"I would like the speed of transferring data to be improved."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB cons

"When you get a large number of records in a database and start doing various queries, it can adversely impact the performance of the live running systems. That's an area we continue to look at and mean to improve, but it is not only because of PostgreSQL. It is also because of the way the schemas are put together, and certain events are triggered. So, it is because of both parties."

"The user interface could be a bit better."

"I find it difficult to get connectors on the tool. For example, .NET has only one free provider in PostgreSQL. I need to pay the provider if I need something more sophisticated features. Other languages like PHP and Java have good community support. We need community support for .NET."

"They need to have a better graphical interface. There is a tool called pgAdmin 4 that they use, which is free. It is written in Java, and it is slow. They need to have a better product that is similar to Toad for Oracle, but, of course, it is hard to get something that's really great and free. Other than that, it is great."

"It could be more secure."

"I had some issues when I integrated with the Jupyter Notebook."

"I'd like to see better memory management. I think that that's one of the few areas that Postgres does not handle as well as MySQL does or did."

"We often find the solution's datetime datatype challenging."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Right now, I have opted for the student subscription plan, for which Microsoft charges me around 100 USD. The pricing of the solution depends on the solution's usage."

"Cosmos DB is cost-effective when starting but requires careful management."

"Cosmos should be cheaper. We actually intend to stop using it in the near future because the price is too high."

"Cosmos DB is a managed offering, so its cost is understandably higher."

"Its price is in the middle, neither too low nor too high."

"Our experience with the pricing and setup cost is that it aligns with what we expect based on the pricing we see. However, I would absolutely like it to be less if possible."

"Its price is very good for the basic stuff. When you go to a more complicated use case, especially when you need replication and availability zones, it gets a little costly."

"It is cost-effective. They offer two pricing models. One is the serverless model and the other one is the vCore model that allows provisioning the resources as necessary. For our pilot projects, we can utilize the serverless model, monitor the usage, and adjust resources as needed."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB pricing and cost advice

"It is free. There is no license on it."

"The need for our customers to pay for licences is contingent on their projects and budgets."

"Affordable solution."

"This solution can offer a cheaper choice for customers since it is open-source."

"PostgreSQL is a free and open-source database."

"It could be much cheaper. If you would like to build an application on Amazon today, PostgreSQL is the standard database with Redshift. If you want other databases, you can add them, but PostgreSQL is the basis of everything. It's a question of money, that's it."

"The solution requires a license."

"It is open-source. If you use it on-premise, it is free. It also has enterprise or commercial versions. If you go for the cloud version, there will be a cost, but it is lower than Oracle or Microsoft."

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Legal Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

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.

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.

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...

How does Firebird SQL compare with PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL was designed in a way that provides you with not only a high degree of flexibility but also offers you a cheap and easy-to-use solution. It gives you the ability to redesign and audit yo...

What do you like most about PostgreSQL?

It's a transactional database, so we use Postgres for most of our reporting. That's where it's helping.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PostgreSQL?

The tool is free of cost. For now, it's not about making money. But once we perfect it, we can offer it to customers willing to pay for support and other services. Most of my deployments are free.

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More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Competitors

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Compared 37% of the time

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EDB Postgres Advanced Server vs PostgreSQL

Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

Chroma vs PostgreSQL

Compared 7% of the time

Product Reports

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Download Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB product report

Download PostgreSQL product report

Also Known As

Microsoft Azure DocumentDB, MS Azure Cosmos DB

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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

PostgreSQL is a versatile and reliable database management system commonly used for web development, data analysis, and building scalable databases.

It offers advanced features like indexing, replication, and transaction management. Users appreciate its flexibility, performance, and ability to handle large amounts of data efficiently. Its robustness, scalability, and support for complex queries make it highly valuable.

Additionally, PostgreSQL's extensibility, flexibility, community support, and frequent updates contribute to its ongoing improvement and stability.

Sample Customers

TomTom, KPMG Australia, Bosch, ASOS, Mercedes Benz, NBA, Zero Friction, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Kinectify

1. Apple 2. Cisco 3. Fujitsu 4. Instagram 5. Netflix 6. Red Hat 7. Sony 8. Uber 9. Cisco Systems 10. Skype 11. LinkedIn 12. Etsy 13. Yelp 14. Reddit 15. Dropbox 16. Slack 17. Twitch 18. WhatsApp 19. Snapchat 20. Shazam 21. SoundCloud 22. The New York Times 23. Cisco WebEx 24. Atlassian 25. Cisco Meraki 26. Heroku 27. GitLab 28. Zalando 29. OpenTable 30. Trello 31. Square Enix 32. Bloomberg

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs. PostgreSQL