Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

MongoDB Atlas VS Azure Cosmos DB

Compare MongoDB Atlas VS Azure Cosmos DB and see what are their differences

MongoDB Atlas logo MongoDB Atlas

The best way to host MongoDB in the cloud. Deploy on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. Try it free!

Azure Cosmos DB logo Azure Cosmos DB

NoSQL JSON database for rapid, iterative app development.
  • MongoDB Atlas Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-28
  • Azure Cosmos DB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-16

MongoDB Atlas features and specs

  • Scalability
    MongoDB Atlas offers excellent scalability, allowing users to easily scale their databases vertically and horizontally to accommodate growing data needs and increasing traffic.
  • Fully Managed Service
    MongoDB Atlas is a fully managed service, meaning that tasks such as database patching, hardware provisioning, and backups are handled automatically, reducing the administrative burden on users.
  • Global Distribution
    MongoDB Atlas provides global data distribution, enabling users to deploy their databases across multiple regions and ensure low-latency access to data for end-users.
  • Security Features
    With MongoDB Atlas, robust security features such as encryption at rest and in transit, robust authentication, and fine-grained access control are available to protect your data.
  • Integration and Ecosystem
    MongoDB Atlas integrates well with other AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud services, as well as a wide variety of development tools and third-party services.
  • Auto-scaling
    Atlas provides auto-scaling capabilities that automatically adjusts the database resources according to workload demands, optimizing performance and cost efficiency.

Possible disadvantages of MongoDB Atlas

  • Cost
    MongoDB Atlas can become expensive as data and workloads grow, especially when additional features such as backups, sharding, and global deployments are utilized.
  • Dependency on Internet Access
    Since MongoDB Atlas is a cloud-based service, a reliable internet connection is necessary for consistent database access, which could be a drawback in environments with poor connectivity.
  • Complexity of Advanced Features
    While MongoDB Atlas provides many advanced features, effectively utilizing them may require a learning curve, potentially complicating deployment and management for less experienced users.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Utilizing MongoDB Atlas can lead to vendor lock-in, making it difficult to switch to other database solutions without significant effort and cost.
  • Limited Control
    Being a managed service, users may have limited control over underlying infrastructure and certain configurations, which might be an issue for those who need specific custom setups.

Azure Cosmos DB features and specs

  • Global Distribution
    Azure Cosmos DB allows for the distribution of data across multiple global regions, enhancing availability and delivering low-latency access to data for users around the world.
  • Multi-Model Support
    It supports multiple data models including document, graph, key-value, and column-family APIs, making it versatile for a variety of applications and use cases.
  • Automatic Scaling
    The database automatically scales up and down to meet the demands of application traffic, helping to manage workloads efficiently without manual intervention.
  • High Throughput and Low Latency
    Cosmos DB offers high performance with single-digit millisecond read and write latencies, ensuring fast access to data for applications.
  • Comprehensive SLAs
    Azure Cosmos DB provides industry-leading SLAs covering availability, throughput, consistency, and latency, offering strong guarantees for customers.
  • Integrated Security
    It includes robust security features such as SSL/TLS encryption, role-based access control, and integration with Azure Active Directory for secure data management.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Cosmos DB

  • Cost
    Azure Cosmos DB can be expensive, especially for high-throughput workloads and global distribution scenarios. Its pricing model based on provisioned throughput (RU/s) can add up quickly.
  • Complexity
    Managing and optimizing Cosmos DB can be complex, requiring a deep understanding of its configuration settings, partitioning strategies, and indexing to achieve optimal performance.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    As a proprietary service, using Cosmos DB tightly couples your application to Azure. This can make it difficult to migrate to other database solutions or cloud providers in the future.
  • Consistency Models
    Azure Cosmos DB supports multiple consistency levels which can introduce complexity in designing applications. Developers need to understand and choose the appropriate consistency level for their specific use case.
  • Limited Native Analytics
    Cosmos DB does not have built-in advanced analytics capabilities. Integrating with other services like Azure Synapse or Databricks may be necessary for sophisticated data analytics and reporting.

Analysis of Azure Cosmos DB

Overall verdict

  • Azure Cosmos DB is generally regarded as a robust and versatile database solution, particularly suited for applications that require flexibility, scale, and low-latency global access. It is a good option for developers looking to leverage Azure's cloud ecosystem.

Why this product is good

  • Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database service that offers turnkey global distribution, horizontal scaling, and a comprehensive SLA covering throughput, latency, availability, and consistency. It is designed to provide high availability and seamless integration with Azure services, making it a good fit for applications requiring low-latency and the ability to scale across multiple regions.

Recommended for

  • Organizations needing globally distributed applications
  • Developers working within the Azure ecosystem
  • Applications requiring multi-model database capabilities
  • Scenarios demanding high availability and low latency
  • Projects where seamless scalability is a priority

MongoDB Atlas videos

An explanation of MongoDB Atlas' features and functionalities

More videos:

  • Review - MongoDB Atlas on Google Cloud
  • Review - Ep. 6 Five Ways to Reduce Costs with MongoDB Atlas

Azure Cosmos DB videos

Azure Cosmos DB: Comprehensive Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Azure Friday | Azure Cosmos DB with Scott Hanselman
  • Tutorial - Azure Cosmos DB Tutorial | Globally distributed NoSQL database

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to MongoDB Atlas and Azure Cosmos DB)
Databases
28 28%
72% 72
NoSQL Databases
21 21%
79% 79
Relational Databases
45 45%
55% 55
Graph Databases
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare MongoDB Atlas and Azure Cosmos DB

MongoDB Atlas Reviews

  1. Richard Sandown
    ยท CEO at Camprs ยท
    Straight forward hosting and management of MongoDB

    We leverage MongoDB in a large number of client projects and always recommend MongoDB atlas for hosting. While you can roll your own and manage all of the infrastructure required to host a MongoDB database, for the time/cost it's just not worth it. Atlas is well priced for what it offers and it is easy to get a database up and running in just a few minutes. That plus all of the security and backup features make it an easy choice for us.

    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Easy to setup|Affordable pricing|Free tier available
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    No automated migration from self hosted

Azure Cosmos DB Reviews

We have no reviews of Azure Cosmos DB yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Azure Cosmos DB seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

MongoDB Atlas mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of MongoDB Atlas yet. Tracking of MongoDB Atlas recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Azure Cosmos DB mentions (10)

  • Belitsoft: Core Azure Building Blocks for Enterprise .NET Apps in 2025
    Cosmos DB supports multiple data models (document, key-value, graph, columnar) and APIs (SQL API for JSON, MongoDB API, Cassandra API, etc.). - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Blazor server app, deployment options
    If you are writing the code maybe consider learning Cosmos DB itโ€™s pretty easy to work with and there is a free tier. Also in my experience itโ€™s much faster than a SQL database. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Infrastructure as code (IaC) for Java-based apps on Azure
    Sometimes you donโ€™t need an entire Java-based microservice. You can build serverless APIs with the help of Azure Functions. For example, Azure functions have a bunch of built-in connectors like Azure Event Hubs to process event-driven Java code and send the data to Azure Cosmos DB in real-time. FedEx and UBS projects are great examples of real-time, event-driven Java. I also recommend you to go through ๐Ÿ‘‰ Code,... - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Deploying a Mostly Serverless Website on GCP
    When debating the database solution for our application we were really seeking for a scalable serverless database that wouldnโ€™t bill us for idle time. Options like AWS Athena, AWS Aurora Serverless, and Azure Cosmos DB immediately came to mind. We believed that GCP would have a comparable service, yet we could not find one. Even after consulting the GCP cloud service comparison documentation we were still unable... - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Which DB to use for API published on Azure?
    If you are looking for one to start with; you can try Cosmos: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/cosmos-db/. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing MongoDB Atlas and Azure Cosmos DB, you can also consider the following products

SAP HANA - SAP HANA is an in-memory, column-oriented, relational database management system.

Redis - Redis is an open source in-memory data structure project implementing a distributed, in-memory key-value database with optional durability.

Ninox - Ninox is a human-friendly database. Create your own Business Application with Ninox that matches your workflow. Ninox lets you integrate CRM, ERP, HR and many more...

MongoDB - MongoDB (from "humongous") is a scalable, high-performance NoSQL database.

Amazon Aurora - MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud. Performance and availability of commercial-grade databases at 1/10th the cost.

ArangoDB - A distributed open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values.