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Head-to-head · Cloud Database Services

Amazon RDS vs Google Cloud Spanner

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Amazon RDS #2 in Cloud Database Services 9.3/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Amazon RDS
Google Cloud Spanner #3 in Cloud Database Services 9.2/10 90-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Google Cloud

Amazon RDS leads on 0 checks, Google Cloud Spanner on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAmazon RDS · 9.3/10
  • Free trialonly Google Cloud Spanner

Amazon RDS scores higher on our rubric for cloud database services: 9.3 against 9.2 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #3.

Amazon RDS is the better fit for AWS users wanting managed relational engines. Google Cloud Spanner is the better fit for global, strongly consistent SQL workloads.

  • Amazon RDS fits best

    AWS users wanting managed relational engines

  • Google Cloud Spanner fits best

    Global, strongly consistent SQL workloads

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Side by side

Feature Amazon RDS 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Google Cloud Spanner 9.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 9.2
Ranking #2 in Cloud Database Services #3 in Cloud Database Services
Best for AWS users wanting managed relational engines Global, strongly consistent SQL workloads
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price Not checked yet —
Free plan — —
Free trial — 90 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Support Phone, Live chat, Email, Community, Docs · 24/7 Community, Docs
Compliance SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations 8 integrations 10 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Amazon RDS 0/2 · Google Cloud Spanner 0/2
Autoscaling Not checked yet Not checked yet
Multi-region Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Database models Not checked yet Not checked yet
Deployment model Both Both
Maximum storage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Backup retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Automates provisioning, patching, backups, and recovery.
  • Supports multiple relational engines, Multi-AZ, and read replicas.
  • Connects with AWS services including CloudWatch and Secrets Manager.
  • Strongly consistent ACID transactions across regions
  • Horizontal scaling with automatic data splitting and replication
  • GoogleSQL and PostgreSQL interfaces with multi-region options
Cons
  • There is no permanent free plan.
  • Usage-based pricing varies by engine, instance class, Region, and storage.
  • Backup retention and maximum connections vary by engine and configuration.
  • Usage-based pricing varies by edition, replicas, storage, and network use
  • No free plan; a 90-day free trial is available
  • Advanced capabilities and highest availability require Enterprise tiers
Our verdict

For teams running relational databases within AWS, Amazon RDS manages database provisioning, patching, backups, and recovery across engines including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Db2, and Aurora. It suits organizations…

Read the review →

Google Cloud Spanner is a fully managed distributed relational database for mid-market and enterprise teams running applications that require strong consistency and high availability across regions. It supports GoogleSQL and a PostgreSQL…

Read the review →
  1. Amazon RDSCloud Database Services 9.3Paid
  2. Google Cloud SpannerCloud Database Services 9.290-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Amazon RDS — where it wins

    • Automates provisioning, patching, backups, and recovery.
    • Supports multiple relational engines, Multi-AZ, and read replicas.
    • Connects with AWS services including CloudWatch and Secrets Manager.

    Where it doesn't

    • There is no permanent free plan.
    • Usage-based pricing varies by engine, instance class, Region, and storage.
    • Backup retention and maximum connections vary by engine and configuration.

  • Google Cloud Spanner — where it wins

    • Strongly consistent ACID transactions across regions
    • Horizontal scaling with automatic data splitting and replication
    • GoogleSQL and PostgreSQL interfaces with multi-region options

    Where it doesn't

    • Usage-based pricing varies by edition, replicas, storage, and network use
    • No free plan; a 90-day free trial is available
    • Advanced capabilities and highest availability require Enterprise tiers

More comparisons

All cloud database services comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update