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Head-to-head · Distributed SQL Databases

Google Cloud Spanner vs CockroachDB Cloud

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 7 checks side by side
Higher score Google Cloud Spanner #1 in Distributed SQL Databases 9.4/10 90-day trial Free trial✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Google Cloud
CockroachDB Cloud #3 in Distributed SQL Databases 9.0/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 6 features Visit CockroachDB

Google Cloud Spanner leads on 0 checks, CockroachDB Cloud on 0, and 7 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreGoogle Cloud Spanner · 9.4/10
  • Free trialboth
  • Most featuresGoogle Cloud Spanner · 5 of 6

Google Cloud Spanner scores higher on our rubric for distributed sql databases: 9.4 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #3.

Google Cloud Spanner is the better fit for global, multi-region applications. CockroachDB Cloud is the better fit for managed PostgreSQL-compatible deployments.

  • Google Cloud Spanner fits best

    Global, multi-region applications

  • CockroachDB Cloud fits best

    Managed PostgreSQL-compatible deployments

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Side by side

Feature Google Cloud Spanner 9.4/10 Visit ↗ CockroachDB Cloud 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 9.0
Ranking #1 in Distributed SQL Databases #3 in Distributed SQL Databases
Best for Global, multi-region applications Managed PostgreSQL-compatible deployments
Pricing model Paid Paid
Starting price — $0.06/unit usage-based
Free plan — —
Free trial 90 days 30 days
Free trial length 90 days 30 days · no card needed
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Support Community, Docs Docs
Compliance SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, SSO/SAML, 2FA HIPAA, PCI DSS
Integrations 10 integrations 2 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Google Cloud Spanner 5/6 · CockroachDB Cloud 0/6
PostgreSQL compatibility ✓ (best) Not checked yet
MySQL compatibility — Not checked yet
Horizontal scaling ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Multi-region deployment ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Geo-partitioning ✓ (best) Not checked yet
HTAP workloads ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model Both Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Strongly consistent ACID transactions across regions
  • Automatic splitting, synchronous replication, and horizontal scaling
  • GoogleSQL, PostgreSQL, graph, vector, and full-text capabilities
  • PostgreSQL-compatible SQL with ACID transactions
  • Multi-region deployment, automatic scaling, and rebalancing
  • Backups, disaster recovery, encryption, and private connectivity
Cons
  • Usage-based pricing varies by edition, configuration, storage, and network usage
  • No free plan
  • No MySQL-compatible interface
  • No free plan
  • Pricing varies by cloud provider and region
  • Advanced compliance and dedicated infrastructure require Mission Critical
Our verdict

Google Cloud Spanner is a fully managed distributed database for mission-critical applications that need relational semantics, strong consistency, and high availability at global scale. It supports GoogleSQL and a PostgreSQL interface,…

Read the review →

CockroachDB Cloud is a fully managed distributed SQL database service for teams running applications across cloud regions and providers. It supports PostgreSQL-compatible SQL and ACID transactions, with deployments available on AWS, Google…

Read the review →
  1. Google Cloud SpannerDistributed SQL Databases 9.490-day trial
  2. CockroachDB CloudDistributed SQL Databases 9.030-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Google Cloud Spanner — where it wins

    • Strongly consistent ACID transactions across regions
    • Automatic splitting, synchronous replication, and horizontal scaling
    • GoogleSQL, PostgreSQL, graph, vector, and full-text capabilities

    Where it doesn't

    • Usage-based pricing varies by edition, configuration, storage, and network usage
    • No free plan
    • No MySQL-compatible interface

  • CockroachDB Cloud — where it wins

    • PostgreSQL-compatible SQL with ACID transactions
    • Multi-region deployment, automatic scaling, and rebalancing
    • Backups, disaster recovery, encryption, and private connectivity

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan
    • Pricing varies by cloud provider and region
    • Advanced compliance and dedicated infrastructure require Mission Critical

More comparisons

All distributed SQL databases comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update