MariaDB Server vs Amazon Aurora

MariaDB Server6.9Visit Amazon Aurora6.7Visit

Higher score MariaDB Server #5 in Sql Databases 6.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 1 features Visit MariaDB

vs

Amazon Aurora #6 in Sql Databases 6.7/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 1 features Visit Amazon Aurora

• MariaDB Server fits best

  Free, self-hosted MySQL-compatible databases

• Amazon Aurora fits best

  AWS users needing managed, resilient SQL

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Side by side

Feature	MariaDB Server 6.9/10 Visit ↗	Amazon Aurora 6.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	6.9	6.7
Ranking	#5 in Sql Databases	#6 in Sql Databases
Best for	Free, self-hosted MySQL-compatible databases	AWS users needing managed, resilient SQL
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Linux, Windows	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs · 24/7
Integrations	5 integrations	9 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features MariaDB Server 0/1 · Amazon Aurora 0/1
Managed backups	Not published	Not published
Specs
Deployment options	Not published	Not published
SQL standard support	Not published	Not published
Included storage	Not published	Not published
Availability SLA	Not published	Not published
Replication options	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	GPLv2 open source licensing and a free plan Read scaling, primary-replica replication and Galera clustering Connectors for C, Java, ODBC, Python and Node.js	Storage spans three Availability Zones, with automatic replica failover. Supports up to 15 read replicas, continuous backups, and point-in-time recovery. Offers provisioned and serverless configurations with AWS integrations.
Cons	Self-hosted deployment requires managing the database environment Listed platforms are limited to Linux and Windows Support channels are community and documentation	Cloud-only deployment ties database hosting to AWS. Usage-based charges vary with engine, configuration, Region, storage, and I/O. Optional features are billed separately, making costs configuration-dependent.
Our verdict	MariaDB Server is an open source, SQL-based relational database for developers and organizations that need a self-hosted option compatible with common MySQL-based applications. It supports transactional workloads, analytics and embedded… Read the review →	For teams running transactional, SaaS, enterprise, or globally distributed applications on AWS, Amazon Aurora provides managed relational database infrastructure rather than servers to operate. Its database engines are compatible with… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• MariaDB Server — where it wins

  • GPLv2 open source licensing and a free plan
  • Read scaling, primary-replica replication and Galera clustering
  • Connectors for C, Java, ODBC, Python and Node.js

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires managing the database environment
  • Listed platforms are limited to Linux and Windows
  • Support channels are community and documentation

• Amazon Aurora — where it wins

  • Storage spans three Availability Zones, with automatic replica failover.
  • Supports up to 15 read replicas, continuous backups, and point-in-time recovery.
  • Offers provisioned and serverless configurations with AWS integrations.

  Where it doesn't

  • Cloud-only deployment ties database hosting to AWS.
  • Usage-based charges vary with engine, configuration, Region, storage, and I/O.
  • Optional features are billed separately, making costs configuration-dependent.

• MariaDB Server6.9/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted, MySQL-compatible database with replication, clustering and multiple connectors.

  Visit MariaDBFull verdict →
• Amazon Aurora6.7/10 · Paid

  A managed AWS database for teams that need resilient SQL and AWS service integrations.

  Visit Amazon AuroraFull verdict →