# Amazon DocumentDB vs Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) Comparison

---
## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is the difference between Amazon Relational Database... vs Amazon DocumentDB?

Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) is a managed relational database platform supporting multiple SQL engines, while Amazon DocumentDB is a managed NoSQL document database compatible with MongoDB workloads.

| [Amazon Relational Database...](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-relational-database-service-rds/reviews) | [Amazon DocumentDB](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-documentdb/reviews) |
| --- | --- |
| 4.5/5 (909 reviews) | 4.3/5 (44 reviews) |
| Mid-Market | Enterprise |
| 8.9 | 8.5 |
| 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Ease of Use (32 all-time mentions) | Cloud Computing (1 all-time mention) |



### How do the pricing models of Amazon Relational Database... and Amazon DocumentDB compare?

Amazon Relational Database Service receives higher satisfaction scores for value compared to Amazon DocumentDB.

- **Amazon Relational Database Service:** In recent reviews, many reviewers cite high costs and note that pricing can escalate quickly as workloads grow, but also mention cost savings from automation and operational efficiency.
- **Amazon DocumentDB:** Recent reviewers describe Amazon DocumentDB as more expensive than other web services, with cost concerns increasing as data volumes and instance counts rise.



### What are the best alternatives to Amazon Relational Database... and Amazon DocumentDB?

The top three alternatives to Amazon Relational Database Service and Amazon DocumentDB are MongoDB Atlas, Oracle Database, and IBM Db2.

| Product | G2 Rating (reviews) | Largest Segment | Pricing Insight | Top Reviewer-Cited Strength |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Amazon Relational Database...](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-relational-database-service-rds/reviews) | 4.5/5 (909 reviews) | Mid-Market | In recent reviews, many cite high costs but also note operational savings from automation. | Ease of Use (32 all-time mentions) |
| [Amazon DocumentDB](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-documentdb/reviews) | 4.3/5 (44 reviews) | Enterprise | Recent reviewers describe higher costs compared to other DBaaS options. | Cloud Computing (1 all-time mention) |
| [MongoDB Atlas](https://www.g2.com/products/mongodb-atlas/reviews) | 4.5/5 (900 reviews) | Small-Business | — | — |
| [Oracle Database](https://www.g2.com/products/oracle-database/reviews) | 4.3/5 (1020 reviews) | Enterprise | — | — |
| [IBM Db2](https://www.g2.com/products/ibm-db2/reviews) | 4.1/5 (683 reviews) | Enterprise | — | — |



### Which Database as a Service (DBaaS) features should I prioritize when comparing Amazon Relational Database... and Amazon DocumentDB?

Buyers should prioritize scalability, integration capabilities, ease of setup, support quality, and cost management when comparing Amazon Relational Database Service and Amazon DocumentDB.

- **Scalability:** Amazon Relational Database Service has 30 all-time mentions for scalability, while Amazon DocumentDB is described as highly scalable in recent reviews.
- **Integration Capabilities:** Amazon Relational Database Service has 13 all-time mentions for integrations, including AWS Lambda and Amazon Aurora; Amazon DocumentDB is noted for easy integration with AWS tools.
- **Ease of Setup:** Amazon Relational Database Service scores 8.9, Amazon DocumentDB scores 8.5.
- **Support Quality:** Both products score 8.6 for Quality of Support.
- **Cost Management:** Amazon Relational Database Service has 34 all-time mentions for being expensive, while Amazon DocumentDB is described as costly in recent reviews.



### What are the pros and cons of Amazon Relational Database... vs Amazon DocumentDB?

Amazon Relational Database Service is strongest for ease of use and automation, while Amazon DocumentDB is favored for AWS integration and NoSQL document management.

- **Amazon Relational Database Service strengths:** Ease of use (32 all-time mentions), scalability (30), security (19), setup ease (18), backup services (16), high availability (13), integrations (13), managed services (12), reliability (14).
- **Amazon Relational Database Service trade-offs:** Expensive (34 all-time mentions), limited customization, lack of root access, and cost issues (10).
- **Amazon DocumentDB strengths:** Integration with AWS tools, cloud computing, high scalability, and compatibility with MongoDB workloads.
- **Amazon DocumentDB trade-offs:** Higher cost compared to other DBaaS, limited community, not serverless, and only compatible with MongoDB API.



### Is Amazon Relational Database... or Amazon DocumentDB better for small businesses?

Amazon Relational Database Service is a better fit for small businesses based on segment share and reviewer sentiment.

- **Amazon Relational Database Service:** Largest segment is Mid-Market, but recent reviews highlight ease of setup, automation, and operational savings that benefit small businesses.
- **Amazon DocumentDB:** Largest segment is Enterprise, and recent reviews focus on scalability and AWS integration, with less emphasis on small-business use cases.



### Which Database as a Service (DBaaS) platform has better integrations?

Amazon Relational Database Service is favored for integrations, with more reviewer-cited integrations and higher all-time mention counts.

- **Amazon Relational Database Service:** Integrates with Amazon Aurora (9 all-time mentions) and AWS Lambda (7 all-time mentions), with 13 all-time mentions for integrations overall.
- **Amazon DocumentDB:** Reviewers note integration with AWS tools for data management and monitoring, with qualitative mentions of easy integration.



### How do Amazon Relational Database... and Amazon DocumentDB compare on customer support?

Amazon Relational Database Service and Amazon DocumentDB are rated at parity for Quality of Support, both scoring 8.6.

- **Amazon Relational Database Service:** Reviewers describe support as responsive and helpful, with 10 all-time mentions for customer support.
- **Amazon DocumentDB:** Reviewers consistently rate support highly, with multiple recent reviews citing positive support experiences.



### Which is easier to implement, Amazon Relational Database... or Amazon DocumentDB?

Amazon Relational Database Service scores higher on Ease of Setup (8.9 vs 8.5), indicating it is easier to implement than Amazon DocumentDB.

- **Amazon Relational Database Service:** Reviewers highlight straightforward setup, automation of administrative tasks, and rapid deployment for production databases.
- **Amazon DocumentDB:** Reviewers note easy setup and configuration, but mention some complexity in understanding AWS technical terms and initial configuration.



### Which product has better Scalability?

Scalability is the most frequently mentioned feature for both Amazon Relational Database Service and Amazon DocumentDB.

- **Amazon Relational Database Service:** Scalability has 30 all-time mentions, with reviewers citing immediate scalability from small workloads to enterprise databases and features like read replicas and Multi-AZ deployments.
- **Amazon DocumentDB:** Reviewers describe it as highly scalable, with built-in replication, minimal replica lag, and the ability to handle millions of requests during peak periods.



| | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.3 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 44 | 909 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (33.3% of reviews) | Mid-Market (37.6% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | $0.10 GB/month (prices may vary across AWS regions)   GB | No pricing available | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### Amazon DocumentDB

Pros:
- Cloud Computing (1 reviews)
- Easy Integrations (1 reviews)

Cons:
- Complexity (1 reviews)
- Dependency Issues (1 reviews)

### Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)

Pros:
- Ease of Use (15 reviews)
- Scalability (13 reviews)

Cons:
- Expensive (18 reviews)
- Complexity (7 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 8.6 (38 reviews) | 9.0 (745 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 8.6 (37 reviews) | 8.8 (753 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.5 (11 reviews) | 8.9 (529 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 8.2 (10 reviews) | 8.7 (436 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 8.6 (37 reviews) | 8.6 (717 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 8.5 (10 reviews) | 8.8 (424 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 7.9 (33 reviews) | 9.5 (705 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Amazon DocumentDB

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: Amazon DocumentDB Pricing

Price: $0.10 GB/month (prices may vary across AWS regions)   GB

Description: Amazon DocumentDB is priced in four dimensions: 1) On-demand instances The amount of compute instances for a cluster (pricing per second with a 10-minute minimum); 2) Database I/O: The amount of I/O used when reading and writing data to your cluster’s storage volume (pricing per million I/Os); 3) Database storage: The amount of data stored in your cluster's storage volume (pricing per GB/month); 4) Backup storage: The amount of backup storage used in excess of your cluster’s database storage usage (pricing per GB/month). Other AWS-wide costs (such as data transfer between applications and DocumentDB across Availability Zones) may also apply.


[Learn more about Amazon DocumentDB](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-documentdb/reviews)

#### Free Trial

No

### Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

Yes

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Relational Databases

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Amazon DocumentDB** | N/A | N/A |
| **Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)** | 8.8/10 | 468 |

#### Management 

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Data Schema** | Not enough data | 8.8 (306 reviews) | 
| **Query Language** | Not enough data | 8.9 (310 reviews) | 
| **ACID - Complaint** | Not enough data | 8.8 (295 reviews) | 
| **Data Replication** | Not enough data | 8.9 (304 reviews) | 

#### Support 

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Text Search** | Not enough data | 8.3 (300 reviews) | 
| **Data Types** | Not enough data | 8.7 (312 reviews) | 
| **Languages** | Not enough data | 8.6 (306 reviews) | 
| **Operating Systems** | Not enough data | 8.8 (310 reviews) | 

#### Security

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Database Locking** | Not enough data | 8.6 (299 reviews) | 
| **Access Control** | Not enough data | 8.7 (315 reviews) | 
| **Encryption** | Not enough data | 8.9 (309 reviews) | 
| **Authentication** | Not enough data | 8.8 (312 reviews) | 

#### Performance 

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Disaster Recovery** | Not enough data | 8.8 (305 reviews) | 
| **Data Concurrency** | Not enough data | 8.6 (299 reviews) | 
| **Workload Management** | Not enough data | 8.7 (307 reviews) | 
| **Advanced Indexing** | Not enough data | 8.5 (293 reviews) | 
| **Query Optimizer** | Not enough data | 8.5 (297 reviews) | 

#### Database Features

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Storage** | Not enough data | 9.0 (438 reviews) | 
| **Availability** | Not enough data | 9.2 (438 reviews) | 
| **Stability** | Not enough data | 9.0 (435 reviews) | 
| **Scalability** | Not enough data | 9.2 (425 reviews) | 
| **Security** | Not enough data | 9.1 (432 reviews) | 
| **Data Manipulation** | Not enough data | 8.5 (403 reviews) | 
| **Query Language** | Not enough data | 8.8 (420 reviews) | 

### Document Databases

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Amazon DocumentDB** | 9.2/10 | 11 |
| **Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)** | N/A | N/A |

#### Data Management

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Data Model** | 9.4 (6 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Data Types** | 9.0 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Built - In Search** | 9.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Event Triggers** | 9.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Semantic Search** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Availability

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Auto Sharding** | 8.6 (6 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Auto Recovery** | 9.5 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Data Replication** | 9.0 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Backup and Recovery** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Real-Time Data** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Performance

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Query Optimization** | 8.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Ad hoc Query** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Security

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Role-Based Authorization** | 9.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Authentication** | 9.2 (6 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Audit Logs** | 10.0 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Encryption** | 10.0 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Support

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Multi-Model** | 8.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Operating Systems** | 8.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **BI Connectors** | 8.0 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Data Connectors** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Additional Functionality

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Database Conversion** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Monitoring** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Activity Dashboard** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Extraction** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Reporting/Analytics** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Automatic Backup** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Real-Time Monitoring** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Audit Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Visualization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Ad hoc Reporting** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Compliance Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Indexing** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Search/Filter** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Alerts/Notifications** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Verification** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Performance Testing** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Capture and Transfer** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Security Auditing** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Access Controls/Permissions** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Role-Based Permissions** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Mapping** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Retrieval** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **AI Copilot** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Third-Party Integrations** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Generative AI** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Configuration Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Audit Trail** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **For NoSQL Databases** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Import/Export** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Migration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Synchronization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **API** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Serverless Accessibility** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Multiple Data Sources** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Database as a Service (DBaaS)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Amazon DocumentDB** | 9.3/10 | 19 |
| **Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)** | 8.7/10 | 282 |

#### Configuration

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Application Performance** | 9.3 (16 reviews) | 8.8 (248 reviews) | 
| **Orchestration** | 8.7 (15 reviews) | 8.4 (243 reviews) | 
| **Database Monitoring** | 8.6 (14 reviews) | 8.6 (252 reviews) | 
| **Anomaly Detection** | 8.7 (13 reviews) | 8.1 (228 reviews) | 
| **Network Security** | 9.0 (14 reviews) | 8.9 (245 reviews) | 

#### Database Administration

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Provisioning** | 9.2 (14 reviews) | 8.8 (242 reviews) | 
| **Governance** | 8.8 (13 reviews) | 8.6 (232 reviews) | 
| **Auditing** | 9.4 (13 reviews) | Feature Not Available | 

#### Availability

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Scalability** | 9.4 (14 reviews) | 9.1 (250 reviews) | 
| **Backup** | 9.7 (15 reviews) | 9.1 (253 reviews) | 
| **Archiving** | 9.6 (13 reviews) | Feature Not Available | 
| **Indexing** | 9.0 (15 reviews) | 8.7 (232 reviews) | 

#### Security

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Data Masking** | 9.4 (9 reviews) | 8.4 (171 reviews) | 
| **Authentication And Single Sign-On** | 9.4 (9 reviews) | 8.6 (181 reviews) | 
| **Data Anonymization** | 9.3 (9 reviews) | 8.4 (170 reviews) | 

#### Data Management

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Data Replication** | 9.7 (10 reviews) | 8.8 (188 reviews) | 
| **Advanced Data Analytics** | 9.8 (10 reviews) | 8.6 (175 reviews) | 

### NoSQL Databases

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Amazon DocumentDB** | N/A | N/A |
| **Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)** | N/A | N/A |

#### Database Features

| Feature | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Storage** | Not enough data | 9.0 (438 reviews) | 
| **Availability** | Not enough data | 9.2 (438 reviews) | 
| **Stability** | Not enough data | 9.0 (435 reviews) | 
| **Scalability** | Not enough data | 9.2 (425 reviews) | 
| **Security** | Not enough data | 9.1 (432 reviews) | 
| **Data Manipulation** | Not enough data | 8.5 (403 reviews) | 
| **Query Language** | Not enough data | 8.8 (420 reviews) | 

---
## Categories
**Shared Categories (1):** [Database as a Service (DBaaS) Providers](https://www.g2.com/categories/database-as-a-service-dbaas)

**Unique to Amazon DocumentDB (1):** [Document Databases](https://www.g2.com/categories/document-databases)

**Unique to Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) (1):** [Relational Databases](https://www.g2.com/categories/relational-databases)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Amazon DocumentDB | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) | 
|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 33.3% | 29.0% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 33.3% | 37.6% | 
| **Enterprise** | 33.3% | 33.4% | 

### By Industry

#### Amazon DocumentDB

- **Information Technology and Services:** 23.8%
- **Computer Software:** 19.0%
- **Internet:** 4.8%
- **Banking:** 4.8%
- **Food & Beverages:** 4.8%
- **Entertainment:** 4.8%
- **Accounting:** 2.4%
- **Automotive:** 2.4%
- **Biotechnology:** 2.4%
- **Broadcast Media:** 2.4%
- **Other:** 28.6%

#### Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)

- **Information Technology and Services:** 22.6%
- **Computer Software:** 17.1%
- **Financial Services:** 6.0%
- **Computer & Network Security:** 3.7%
- **Telecommunications:** 3.2%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 3.1%
- **Health, Wellness and Fitness:** 2.7%
- **Banking:** 2.5%
- **Retail:** 2.4%
- **Internet:** 2.2%
- **Other:** 34.4%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Amazon DocumentDB

- [MongoDB Atlas](https://www.g2.com/products/mongodb-atlas/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (903 reviews)
- [Couchbase](https://www.g2.com/products/couchbase/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (150 reviews)
- [Google Cloud Firestore](https://www.g2.com/products/google-cloud-firestore/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (97 reviews)
- [DigitalOcean](https://www.g2.com/products/digitalocean/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (755 reviews)
- [Oracle Database](https://www.g2.com/products/oracle-database/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (1023 reviews)
- [ScyllaDB](https://www.g2.com/products/scylladb/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (430 reviews)
- [IBM Db2](https://www.g2.com/products/ibm-db2/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (684 reviews)
- [Google Cloud SQL](https://www.g2.com/products/google-cloud-sql/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (367 reviews)
- [Ninox](https://www.g2.com/products/ninox/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (362 reviews)
- [SAP HANA Cloud](https://www.g2.com/products/sap-hana-cloud-2025-10-01/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (620 reviews)

### Alternatives to Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)

- [Oracle Database](https://www.g2.com/products/oracle-database/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (1023 reviews)
- [IBM Db2](https://www.g2.com/products/ibm-db2/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (684 reviews)
- [SAP HANA Cloud](https://www.g2.com/products/sap-hana-cloud-2025-10-01/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (620 reviews)
- [Google Cloud SQL](https://www.g2.com/products/google-cloud-sql/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (367 reviews)
- [Azure SQL Database](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-sql-database/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (241 reviews)
- [EDB Postgres Advanced Server](https://www.g2.com/products/edb-postgres-advanced-server/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (38 reviews)
- [Microsoft SQL Server](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (2288 reviews)
- [MySQL](https://www.g2.com/products/mysql/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (1685 reviews)
- [MongoDB Atlas](https://www.g2.com/products/mongodb-atlas/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (903 reviews)
- [DigitalOcean](https://www.g2.com/products/digitalocean/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (755 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### Amazon DocumentDB

No discussions available for this product.

### Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)

- Title: [What is Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-amazon-relational-database-service-rds-used-for) — 2 comments, 2 upvotes
  > **Top comment:** "Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) is a cloud-based service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that is used for managing and operating relational..."
- Title: [An Amazon RDS performance best practice is to allocate enough RAM so that your working set resides almost completely in memory.](https://www.g2.com/discussions/an-amazon-rds-performance-best-practice-is-to-allocate-enough-ram-so-that-your-working-set-resides-almost-completely-in-memory) — 1 comment, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "nice"

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/amazon-documentdb-vs-amazon-relational-database-service-rds)