We compared Amazon DynamoDB and Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB based on our user's reviews across parameters. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Amazon DynamoDB and Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, while both providing robust cloud database solutions, exhibit distinct features tailored to diverse user needs. DynamoDB, embedded within the AWS ecosystem, excels in managed scalability, security, and high availability but faces criticism over cost predictability and the steep learning curve for new users. Azure Cosmos DB stands out with its multi-model support and global distribution, offering flexibility and performance optimization across geographically dispersed areas. However, it also presents challenges with its complex pricing structure and steep learning curve. Both platforms indicate potential areas for improvement in cost transparency and user-friendly documentation, but they also maintain solid reputations for enhancing data management through their respective unique strengths.
The summary above is based on 53 interviews we conducted recently with Amazon DynamoDB and Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"Speed is the most valuable feature. The speed to store and retrieve data from it."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. I've never faced any problems."
"The most valuable features are the flexibility and the compatibility options without needing to use any additional services or software. It is an independent solution that doesn't need other solutions to operate."
"The ability to store multiple data attributes is crucial. For example, in a contact flow, if a customer calls, we can integrate DynamoDB dynamically. We need only the customer's mobile number as the primary key, which is stored in the DynamoDB table."
"The best feature of the solution is that it is a NoSQL database."
"We don't have to administer the tool."
"Its scalability is really good. I can go up to a petabyte of data. It is more of an on-demand use case. I can go from 100 MB to 1 PB if I want, which is very good. Most of the other databases would want you to stick to a specific data allocation. Its subscription cost is lower than similar databases offered by other vendors."
"We switched to DynamoDB from a relational database that would've had scale problems and would've cost a lot of money to run at scale. DynamoDB allows us to match expense to usage. When not many people are using and it's a quiet day, there is a low cost. On a busy day, there is a higher cost. We get good performance along the way and less maintenance on the database."
"The product has a lot of useful features that are there and ready to use, it's also very easy to use."
"The best feature is the velocity to make a query."
"It is non-SQL and helps to manage and manipulate data from the coding, rather than direct data and complex queries."
"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."
"The solution is stable."
"Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB's most valuable feature is latency."
"It is a scalable product."
"Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is easy to use and implement for application programmers."
"Data integrity across availability zones would be a valuable addition. Currently, DynamoDB provides eventual consistency across availability zones, but strong consistency would be beneficial for certain use cases."
"The primary key is quite slow."
"In future releases, I would like a feature that lets us store information about public holidays or weekends. When customers call during those closed periods, we could use DynamoDB to trigger an automatic message. So this would eliminate the need for agents to manually inform customers."
"The solution's efficiency and performance should be faster than other databases."
"Having an import option, whether through browsing or local file uploads, would significantly improve the efficiency of data migration, enabling users to swiftly transfer large volumes of data into DynamoDB."
"The pricing for larger databases is higher."
"They could provide more information or training programs to deliver knowledge to the engineers about the components of relational databases similar to popular vendors."
"Currently, there is no option for a scheduled refresh in this solution. We want the data to be populated into DynamoDB on a timely basis. Currently, you have to go to the DynamoDB table and hit the refresh button to populate it with the new data. If you have connected DynamoDB to a BI application for creating visualizations with charts, graphs, or other things, you would want it to get updated as per the schedule so that you have updated visualizations in your BI application."
"There is room for improvement in their customer support services."
"The solution cannot join two databases like Oracle or SQL Server."
"There is room for improvement in terms of stability."
"A further simple application is required for Brazil."
"The initial setup was difficult."
"I hope they improve the service. Before last year, improvements on Cosmos DB were very slow."
"It is not as easy to use as DynamoDB."
"We should have more freedom to tweak it and make our own queries for non-traditional use-cases."
Amazon DynamoDB is ranked 2nd in Managed NoSQL Databases with 31 reviews while Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is ranked 1st in Managed NoSQL Databases with 38 reviews. Amazon DynamoDB is rated 8.4, while Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Amazon DynamoDB writes "Manages our contact center dynamically and allows us to store multiple data attributes in tables". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB writes "Removes bottlenecks related to databases in our application and works quickly because of reference keys". Amazon DynamoDB is most compared with Amazon DocumentDB, Google Cloud Bigtable, Amazon Neptune, Amazon Timestream and Oracle NoSQL Database Cloud, whereas Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is most compared with Amazon Neptune, Neo4j AuraDB, Google Cloud Bigtable, Amazon DocumentDB and Amazon Timestream. See our Amazon DynamoDB vs. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB report.
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We monitor all Managed NoSQL Databases reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.
