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Head-to-head · Transaction Data Store Software

Aerospike Database vs Microsoft SQL Server

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 2 checks side by side
Higher score Aerospike Database #2 in Transaction Data Store Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Aerospike
Microsoft SQL Server #6 in Transaction Data Store Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit site

Aerospike Database leads on 0 checks, Microsoft SQL Server on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAerospike Database · 9.2/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresMicrosoft SQL Server · 1 of 3

Aerospike Database scores higher on our rubric for transaction data store software: 9.2 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Aerospike Database is the better fit for low-latency distributed transactional workloads. Microsoft SQL Server is the better fit for organizations invested in Microsoft data tools.

  • Aerospike Database fits best

    Low-latency distributed transactional workloads

  • Microsoft SQL Server fits best

    Organizations invested in Microsoft data tools

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Side by side

Feature Aerospike Database 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Microsoft SQL Server 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.8
Ranking #2 in Transaction Data Store Software #6 in Transaction Data Store Software
Best for Low-latency distributed transactional workloads Organizations invested in Microsoft data tools
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Support Tickets, Community, Docs · 24/7 Docs
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Aerospike Database 0/3 · Microsoft SQL Server 1/3
ACID transactions Not checked yet Not checked yet
SQL interface Not checked yet Not checked yet
High availability Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment model Hybrid Not checked yet
Consistency model Not checked yet Not checked yet
Maximum storage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Backup retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Distributed ACID transactions with configurable consistency
  • Automatic rebalancing, self-healing and cross-datacenter replication
  • Storage choices from memory to all-flash and persistent memory
  • Supports availability groups, failover clustering, and readable secondary replicas
  • Offers JSON, change capture, full-text search, and encrypted backups
  • Integrates with Azure services, Visual Studio, and Power BI Report Server
Cons
  • Community Edition is limited to 8-node clusters and 2.5 TB of data
  • Enterprise Edition pricing is quote-based
  • Enterprise Edition supports clusters up to 256 nodes
  • Paid licensing spans core, server, CAL, and subscription options
  • Express limits database size to 50 GB
  • Support channels listed are documentation
Our verdict

Aerospike Database is a distributed NoSQL database for enterprise applications that need low-latency data access, high availability and large-scale processing. Its key-value, document and graph models, combined with distributed ACID…

Read the review →

Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system for developers and organizations that need to store, process, and secure transactional data. It runs on Windows and supported Linux distributions, and can be deployed in cloud…

Read the review →
  1. Aerospike DatabaseTransaction Data Store Software 9.2Free plan
  2. Microsoft SQL ServerTransaction Data Store Software 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Aerospike Database — where it wins

    • Distributed ACID transactions with configurable consistency
    • Automatic rebalancing, self-healing and cross-datacenter replication
    • Storage choices from memory to all-flash and persistent memory

    Where it doesn't

    • Community Edition is limited to 8-node clusters and 2.5 TB of data
    • Enterprise Edition pricing is quote-based
    • Enterprise Edition supports clusters up to 256 nodes

  • Microsoft SQL Server — where it wins

    • Supports availability groups, failover clustering, and readable secondary replicas
    • Offers JSON, change capture, full-text search, and encrypted backups
    • Integrates with Azure services, Visual Studio, and Power BI Report Server

    Where it doesn't

    • Paid licensing spans core, server, CAL, and subscription options
    • Express limits database size to 50 GB
    • Support channels listed are documentation
  • Aerospike Database9.2/10 · Free plan

    A distributed NoSQL database with ACID transactions, active-active replication and flexible storage.

    Visit AerospikeFull verdict →
  • Microsoft SQL Server8.8/10 · Free plan

    A broad SQL Server feature set with free editions and multiple licensing routes.

    Visit siteFull verdict →

More comparisons

All transaction data store software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update