# CockroachDB vs PostgreSQL

| Attribute | CockroachDB | PostgreSQL |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 65 (65% (medium)) | 61.3 (60% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 11 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 235 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 32,549 | 22,285 |
| adoption.stackoverflow_questions | - | 170,000 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A distributed SQL database that runs across multiple cloud platforms and on-premises environments, providing automatic failover, strong consistency, and horizontal scaling without manual sharding. It is indexed under Relational Databases.","source":"https://www.cockroachlabs.com/pricing/legacy/","question":"What is CockroachDB?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"CockroachDB offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $146 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.cockroachlabs.com/pricing/legacy/","question":"Is CockroachDB free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"CockroachDB supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.cockroachlabs.com/pricing/legacy/","question":"What platforms does CockroachDB support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. CockroachDB can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.cockroachlabs.com/pricing/legacy/","question":"Can CockroachDB be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 16 integrations for CockroachDB, including Datadog, Splunk, Dynatrace, New Relic, Terraform, Vercel, HashiCorp and pgvector, plus 8 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.cockroachlabs.com/pricing/legacy/","question":"What does CockroachDB integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for CockroachDB. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as CockroachDB not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.cockroachlabs.com/trust-center/","question":"What security certifications does CockroachDB have?","confidence":0.7}]` | `[{"answer":"PostgreSQL is a free, open-source relational database system that emphasizes extensibility and standards compliance. It provides robust support for complex data types and advanced query capabilities, making it suitable for both small applications and large-scale enterprise deployments.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org","question":"What is PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is open-source and available at no cost under the PostgreSQL License. Organizations can deploy and modify the software without paying licensing fees, though managed hosting services may charge for their infrastructure and support.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/about/licence/","question":"Is PostgreSQL free to use?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is cross-platform and runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS, and other operating systems. This broad platform support makes it accessible for diverse infrastructure environments.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/download/","question":"What operating systems does PostgreSQL support?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL fully implements ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions, ensuring that database operations are reliable and data remains consistent even in the face of failures or concurrent access patterns.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/tutorial-concepts.html","question":"Does PostgreSQL guarantee data integrity through ACID compliance?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Organizations often evaluate PostgreSQL alongside MySQL for relational workloads, Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server for large enterprise deployments, and NoSQL systems like MongoDB for document-based requirements. The choice depends on specific priorities around complexity, scalability, and data structure needs.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org","question":"What are common database alternatives to PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL can be deployed on self-managed infrastructure using binary installations or containerization, or through managed database services from cloud platforms such as AWS RDS, Google Cloud SQL, and Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Managed services typically handle automated backups, scaling, and routine maintenance.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/download/","question":"How can developers deploy PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL supports JSON/JSONB data types for semi-structured data, full-text search capabilities, window functions, Common Table Expressions, and custom extensions through its extensibility architecture. These features reduce the need for application-layer complexity and the addition of specialized separate systems.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-syntax.html","question":"What advanced features enable complex analytical and transactional work in PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is used in production by thousands of organizations ranging from startups to large enterprises. It includes comprehensive features for data replication, backup strategies, and high-availability configurations, making it a reliable choice for applications where data consistency and uptime are critical.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/","question":"Is PostgreSQL suitable for production and mission-critical applications?","confidence":0.9}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A cloud-native SQL database that scales automatically across machines without manual sharding, supporting ACID transactions and multi-region deployments. It survives node, zone, and regional failures with minimal disruption and is compatible with PostgreSQL applications. | PostgreSQL is an open source relational database with over 35 years of active development. It supports transactions, user-defined functions, and a broad subset of SQL, widely used for data storage and retrieval in applications ranging from small projects to enterprise deployments. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","free_tier":true,"isolation":"serializable","sql_model":"full_sql","data_model":"relational","deployment":"managed","serverless":true,"consistency":"strong","geo_spatial":"none","replication":"consensus","sql_support":true,"engine_family":"postgresql","extensibility":false,"json_document":false,"license_class":"source_available","managed_cloud":true,"pricing_model":"tiered_plus_usage","deployment_type":"independent_multi_cloud","horizontal_scale":"distributed_native","acid_transactions":"full","automatic_failover":true,"horizontal_scaling":true,"private_networking":true,"wire_compatibility":"postgres","self_host_alternative":true,"multi_region_replication":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","sql_model":"full_sql","data_model":"relational","deployment":"self_hosted","serverless":false,"geo_spatial":"extension","sql_support":true,"extensibility":true,"json_document":true,"license_class":"permissive","managed_cloud":true,"vector_search":true,"horizontal_scale":"read_replica","acid_transactions":"full","automatic_failover":true,"horizontal_scaling":true}` |
| integrations.count | 6 | 6 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Datadog"},{"name":"Splunk"},{"name":"Dynatrace"},{"name":"New Relic"},{"name":"Terraform"},{"name":"Vercel"},{"name":"HashiCorp"},{"name":"pgvector"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"GCP"},{"name":"Azure"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"MOLT (Migration Tool)"},{"name":"PostgreSQL drivers"},{"name":"SQLAlchemy"},{"name":"Google Cloud","native":true,"category":"cloud"}]` | `[{"name":"CloudNativePG"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"Patroni"},{"name":"pgAdmin"},{"name":"pgVector"},{"name":"PostGIS"},{"name":"pgAudit"},{"name":"Spock"},{"name":"Cilium"},{"name":"Submariner"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | C |
| license.spdx | - | PostgreSQL |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"source":"https://www.postgresql.org","confidence":0.95,"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Standard","summary":"From $0.057/vCPU-hr, 99.99% SLA","features":["99.99% availability SLA","Single- or multi-region on AWS and GCP","Row-level security","Column-level encryption","Private connectivity","CDC add-on available","1-hour P1 support response"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"vCPU-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.057,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GiB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.155,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"For most applications, quick to start and less to manage.","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Mission Critical","summary":"$0.162/vCPU-hr, 99.999% SLA","features":["99.999% availability SLA with multi-region","Egress controls","CMEK","PCI DSS & HIPAA compliance","All add-ons available","30-minute P1 support response"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"vCPU-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.162,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"For production applications that need the highest availability and support.","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Change Data Capture (CDC)","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"vCPU-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.006,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Physical Cluster Replication (PCR)","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"vCPU-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.023,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $0.057/vCPU-hr. Free 30-day trial with $400 credit.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.cockroachlabs.com/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-10-05T10:08:18.278Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"unit":"vCPU-hour","amount":0.057,"currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.postgresql.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T12:11:14.172Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":0.057,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 90 |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.99 | - |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active","auditor":"AICPA"},{"name":"SOC 3","status":"active","auditor":"AICPA"},{"name":"ISO 27001","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 27017","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 27018","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 42001","status":"in_progress"},{"name":"HIPAA","status":"active"},{"name":"PCI DSS","status":"active"}]` | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 5.1 | 6.1 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.trust_center | https://www.cockroachlabs.com/trust-center/ | https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/faq/2013-04-04/ |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fcockroachdb%2Fcockroach&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=helm&package_name=openstack-helm%2Fpostgresql&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Relational Databases)

| Capability | CockroachDB | PostgreSQL |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| SQL model | Full SQL | Full SQL |
| **Transactions** |  |  |
| ACID transactions | Full | Full |
| Highest isolation level | Serializable | - |
| **Consistency** |  |  |
| Consistency | Strong | - |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Horizontal scale | Natively distributed | Read replicas |
| **Replication** |  |  |
| Replication | Consensus (Raft/Paxos) | - |
| **Availability** |  |  |
| Automatic failover / HA | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Managed | Self-hosted |
| Serverless / scale-to-zero | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Compatibility** |  |  |
| Wire compatibility | Postgres protocol | - |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensions / plugins / UDFs | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Licence class | Source-available (BSL/SSPL) | Permissive OSS |
| **Data types** |  |  |
| JSON / document support | ✗ | ✓ |
| Geo / spatial | None | Extension |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T18:30:48.986Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*