# What are the best wide column database pricing models and cost optimization strategies for teams evaluating options?

<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">After analysis of the <a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/wide-column-database">Wide Column Database category</a> on G2, I’ve learnt that pricing model matters as much as sticker price with these databases, since self-managed, serverless, and provisioned-throughput approaches each fail differently on cost. I’m looking into how reviewers describe the actual pricing models and what they do to keep costs down, here are some great tools I found:</p><ul>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-azure-cosmos-db/reviews"><strong>Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Priced on request units (RU/s); reviewers stress that careful throughput planning and partition-key design are the main cost-optimization levers, since poorly planned RU/s is where the bill balloons.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-keyspaces/reviews"><strong>Amazon Keyspaces</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Offers on-demand and provisioned capacity modes, and reviewers optimize by matching mode to workload predictability. Auto-scaling helps, but several note that the service runs costly if you don't tune it.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/scylladb/reviews"><strong>ScyllaDB</strong></a><strong>:</strong> The cost lever reviewers cite is node reduction; its efficient hardware use means smaller clusters for the same load, and auto-tuning cuts DBA time. Available self-managed or as a managed cloud service.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/cassandra/reviews"><strong>Cassandra</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Free and open source, so the cost is operational rather than licensing; reviewers optimize by right-sizing nodes, though they warn that the DevOps overhead and RAM needs are the real expense.</li>
</ul><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">When you evaluated these, did a consumption model (RU/s, serverless) or a self-managed cluster end up cheaper at your scale? And what single cost-optimization change saved you the most?</p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: 7 days ago
- Author title: Marketing
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

&lt;p&gt;One thing people don&#39;t think about early enough: the cost model you choose affects how you design the system, not just what you pay. With Cosmos DB, getting your partition key wrong early on means your RU/s bill looks nothing like what you estimated. It&#39;s worth running a realistic load simulation before committing to provisioned throughput.&lt;/p&gt;

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: 5 days ago
- Author title: SEO Content Specialist





## Related discussions
- [How well does Trello scale into a larger team?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/1-how-well-does-trello-scale-into-a-larger-team)
  - Posted at: about 13 years ago
  - Comments: 6
- [Can we please add a new section](https://www.g2.com/discussions/2-can-we-please-add-a-new-section)
  - Posted at: about 13 years ago
  - Comments: 0
- [Quantifiable benefits from implementing your CRM](https://www.g2.com/discussions/quantifiable-benefits-from-implementing-your-crm)
  - Posted at: about 13 years ago
  - Comments: 4