Comparison

CockroachDB vs Microsoft SQL Server

On the evidence we track, CockroachDB leads this comparison with a composite score of 63/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
CockroachDB63
Microsoft SQL Server23
Score
Vioscale score
CockroachDB63 / 100medium · 66%updating
Microsoft SQL Server23 / 100low · 7%updating
Pricing
Free tier
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Model
CockroachDBcommercial
Microsoft SQL Servercommercial
Price level
CockroachDBlow
Microsoft SQL Server
Transparent
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Integrations
Count
CockroachDB8
Microsoft SQL Server3
Security
Disclosure policy
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Gdpr
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Hipaa
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Iso27001
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Pci
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Scorecard
CockroachDB5.1
Microsoft SQL Server
Soc2
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Reliability
Sla pct
CockroachDB99.999
Microsoft SQL Server
Adoption
Dependent repos
CockroachDB235
Microsoft SQL Server
Github stars
CockroachDB32,415
Microsoft SQL Server
Activity
Commits last 30d
CockroachDB15
Microsoft SQL Server
Language
Primary
CockroachDBGo
Microsoft SQL Server
Market
Availability

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for relational databases. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
SQL model
CockroachDBFull SQL
Microsoft SQL ServerFull SQL
Transactions
ACID transactions
CockroachDBFull
Microsoft SQL ServerFull
Highest isolation level
CockroachDBSerializable
Microsoft SQL Server-
Consistency
Consistency
CockroachDBStrong
Microsoft SQL Server-
Scale
Horizontal scale
CockroachDBNatively distributed
Microsoft SQL Server-
Replication
Replication
CockroachDBConsensus (Raft/Paxos)
Microsoft SQL Server-
Availability
Automatic failover / HA
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server-
Deployment
Deployment
CockroachDBManaged
Microsoft SQL Server-
Serverless / scale-to-zero
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server-
Compatibility
Wire compatibility
CockroachDBPostgres protocol
Microsoft SQL Server-
Extensibility
Extensions / plugins / UDFs
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server-
Licensing
Licence class
CockroachDBSource-available (BSL/SSPL)
Microsoft SQL ServerProprietary
Data types
JSON / document support
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Geo / spatial
CockroachDBNone
Microsoft SQL ServerNative

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

CockroachDB

Leader

CockroachDB is a PostgreSQL-compatible distributed SQL database designed for global applications requiring high availability, automatic scaling, and strong consistency across data centers. It eliminates downtime, simplifies operations, and scales seamlessly without manual intervention.

Independently observed

Microsoft SQL Server

SQL Server 2025 is a commercial database platform that enables organizations to store, query, and analyze data while incorporating built-in AI capabilities. It supports multiple programming languages and deployment options ranging from on-premises installations to cloud-based managed services.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

CockroachDB

Leader
HybridFree tier30-day trial

Free tier available with $400 in free credits. Provisioned capacity and on-demand pricing models for production workloads.

  • BasicFree
as of verify ↗

Microsoft SQL Server

Pricing not documented yet.

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
CLI
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Self-hosted
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
On-premise
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Hybrid
CockroachDB
Microsoft SQL Server

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

CockroachDB

Leader
15 total
  • Datadog
  • Splunk
  • Dynatrace
  • New Relic
  • Terraform
  • Vercel
  • HashiCorp
  • pgvector
  • AWS
  • GCP
  • Azure
  • Kubernetes
  • MOLT (Migration Tool)
  • PostgreSQL drivers
  • SQLAlchemy
Independently observed

Microsoft SQL Server

3 total
  • LangChain
  • Semantic Kernel
  • Entity Framework Core
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.

CockroachDB vs Microsoft SQL Server: an evidence-based comparison · Vioscale