Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Oracle Database as a Service comparison

Microsoft and Oracle are both solutions in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category. Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7, while Oracle is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.7. Microsoft holds a 16.2% mindshare in DS, compared to Oracle’s 9.0% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Read 116 Microsoft Azure SQL Database reviews

7,798 Views
3,250 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Oracle Database as a Service

Read 67 Oracle Database as a Service reviews

1,839 Views
1,537 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Oracle Database as a Service

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 12, 2024

Microsoft Azure SQL Database and Oracle Database as a Service are competitors in cloud-based database solutions. Users find Azure SQL more economical but note Oracle's advanced features.

Features: Microsoft Azure SQL Database is praised for integration with Microsoft products, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Oracle Database as a Service is valued for advanced analytics, robust security, and comprehensive feature set.

Room for Improvement: Azure SQL could improve in advanced data analytics, enhanced security features, and user interface. Oracle could streamline the setup process, simplify management, and improve user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Azure SQL users like straightforward deployment and effective customer support. Oracle users face a steeper learning curve initially but benefit from strong customer service and personalized support.

Pricing and ROI: Azure SQL Database is cost-effective with quicker ROI, suitable for smaller budgets. Oracle Database as a Service is more expensive but offers better long-term ROI due to advanced capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs. Oracle Database as a Service Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs. Oracle Database as a Service

January 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:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

116

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

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 Microsoft Azure SQL Database is 16.2%, down from 18.8% 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

Charley Hanania

Data Platform Specialist at QS2 AG - Quality Software Solutions

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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Duy AnhMai

Product Owner at Heineken

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.

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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

"SQL is a simpler database. We use it more than other databases."

"We have used SQL for a long time. Azure SQL has helped teams across the organization to use SQL's full potential. I can't say what the cost savings were precisely, but I believe it has reduced the total cost of ownership."

"The tool set is familiar since I've used SQL Server on-premises for quite a few years."

"The most valuable aspects of this solution are the integration with the darknet stack especially Microsoft, table groups, supports major capability requirements, and SQL always-on feature."

"The backup features are the most valuable."

"The ability to maintain different environments, such as development and production databases, is valuable."

"We primarily and generally use it only for DB purposes. When it comes to the Azure part, we can easily provision, scale up, and scale down the generator machine. This kind of flexibility is the USP of SQL Azure. Its interface and ease of use are also valuable. It is very easy to use and integrate with multiple databases. If I need to pull in or import some data from my on-premises database, the ease with which you can connect and pull the data, not only from SQL Server but also from other flavors of MySQL or even Oracle, is very good."

"We appreciate that Microsoft Azure SQL Database supplies reliability and efficiency with its infrastructure, which is very beneficial to our organization."

More Microsoft Azure SQL Database pros

"We have the ability to build several solutions to according to the requirements of our users."

"I would rate customer service ten out of ten."

"The most valuable features of Oracle Database as a Service are configuration and troubleshooting."

"The functionality is good."

"The most valuable features of Oracle Database as a Service are the power, security, and performance."

"The solution is fast and easy."

"It effortlessly hosts applications for months and exhibits exceptional reliability."

"You can be up and running the same day."

More Oracle Database as a Service pros

Cons

"Its price could be better. It is expensive. I am not sure if Microsoft Master Data Services is included in this. If not, Master Data Services can be integrated with Azure SQL. I have only used Master Data Services on-premises."

"The managed SQL MI does not allow us to control the zone it runs in, which affects latency."

"Microsoft Azure SQL Database would benefit from enhanced documentation, along with ongoing improvements to scalability and cost-effectiveness."

"They should include more accessible functions for image tooling."

"What would make SQL Azure better is users having the capability of managing the database solution from the cloud, instead of having to do it from an actual machine because currently, database management via SQL Azure is done on a virtual machine or a PC. The solution should have the data functionality of managing SQL databases inside the cloud."

"The only problem we have with Azure is regarding the price."

"Although the solution integrates well into Azure’s ecosystem, it has limited capability and is incompatible with many third-party applications or tools."

"Microsoft Azure SQL Database could be improved by offering an easier way to view all existing roles in the database without needing complex queries found online."

More Microsoft Azure SQL Database cons

"Pricing for Oracle Database as a Service could be cheaper, so this is an area for improvement."

"The initial setup is complex. This is not a really easy solution. It is very large, so it's hard to install, but it's not impossible."

"Oracle Database as a Service could improve by reducing the price."

"The support provides help based on the same size fits all kinds of approaches, making it an area where improvements are needed."

"The solution uses a large amount of CPU space, which could be improved."

"In the next release, I would like to see a framework for memory management."

"The initial setup could improve."

"The installation process requires improvement as it can be quite complex."

More Oracle Database as a Service cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"With one being expensive and five being competitive, I would give the product a four out of five as it's relatively competitive. It is also important to note that pricing is based on usage."

"In terms of the cost, SQL Azure is a pay-per-use solution, particularly because it's a cloud subscription, so you pay as much as you use it."

"It is expensive for us. We are looking for something less expensive and thinking of migrating the whole system."

"There is no licensing cost for the solution."

"When looking at the long-term expenses associated with running software on an on-premises server, the costs are almost equivalent but when we include insurance for devices, onsite fees for servers, and other related costs, we may find that this is a cost-effective solution."

"If we use a smaller or free-sized Microsoft Azure SQL Database, it is extremely cost-effective and much cheaper than on-premise enterprise licenses, which are expensive."

"I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"It requires a license. As compared to its competitors, such as Oracle, it is affordable and reasonable."

More Microsoft Azure SQL Database pricing and cost advice

"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 is always a bit costly, but it's an excellent service. My company used the on-premises version, and that was costly."

"Pricing for Oracle Database as a Service is expensive."

"Oracle Database as a Service's pricing is good."

"This solution is costly because it saves a lot of data."

"The tool's licensing is on an yearly basis."

"The price of Oracle Database as a Service could be better."

"Oracle Database as a Service is an expensive product."

More Oracle Database as a Service pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

73%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

23%

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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 price for running the server increased more than expected in recent months, and better alignment of pricing expectations is needed. Notably, costs related to IT staff coming into the office on ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SQL Azure?

We're trying to manage our costs better. We've noticed an unexpected increase in the cost of running the server over the past few months. Addressing pricing clarity and alignment would help us. Als...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Google Cloud SQL vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Compared 44% of the time

Amazon RDS vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Compared 27% of the time

MongoDB Atlas vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Compared 15% of the time

vCloud Air vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Compared 2% of the time

IBM Db2 on Cloud vs Microsoft Azure SQL Database

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Azure SQL Database Competitors

Amazon RDS vs Oracle Database as a Service

Compared 46% of the time

Oracle Exadata Cloud at Customer vs Oracle Database as a Service

Compared 21% of the time

Google Cloud SQL vs Oracle Database as a Service

Compared 9% of the time

Redis vs Oracle Database as a Service

Compared 4% of the time

MongoDB Atlas vs Oracle Database as a Service

Compared 3% of the time

More Oracle Database as a Service Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure SQL Database

February 2025

Download Microsoft Azure SQL Database product report

Buyer's Guide

Oracle Database as a Service

February 2025

Download Oracle Database as a Service product report

Also Known As

No data available

Oracle DBaaS, Oracle Database Cloud

Overview

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

Oracle Database Cloud Service combines the power of Oracle Database, with the unique capabilities of the Oracle Cloud. The service provides a secure, automated data management platform that leverages on demand Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services via a simple web based user interface and RESTful API. Oracle Database Cloud Service provides elastic database services for development, test, and production environments of custom and packaged online transaction processing (OLTP), data warehousing, and mixed workload applications. It enables businesses to reap all Oracle Platform as a Service (PaaS) benefits including subscriptionbased, self-service access to reliable, scalable, and elastic cloud environments and accelerates time to value by simplifying the provisioning and administration of Oracle databases.

Oracle

Sample Customers

adnymics GmbH, LG CNS, Centrebet, netfabb GmbH, MedPlast, Accelera Solutions, Sochi Organizing Committee, realzeit GmbH

Solution-Soft, DX Marketing, Suredell and Partners, Frontiers, SettleOurEstate.com, Demand Analysis Ltd, endlich IT & Projekt Service OHG

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs. Oracle Database as a Service

January 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs. Oracle Database as a Service

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