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Head-to-head · Relational Databases

MySQL vs Amazon Aurora

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score MySQL #2 in Relational Databases 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit MySQL
Amazon Aurora #5 in Relational Databases 9.0/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit AWS Aurora

MySQL leads on 1 check, Amazon Aurora on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreMySQL · 9.3/10
  • Free planonly MySQL

MySQL scores higher on our rubric for relational databases: 9.3 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #5.

MySQL offers free plan; Amazon Aurora doesn't. On deployment model, MySQL gives you Both where Amazon Aurora offers Cloud.

MySQL is the better fit for versatile open-source SQL deployments. Amazon Aurora is the better fit for scalable managed PostgreSQL or MySQL.

  • MySQL fits best

    Versatile open-source SQL deployments

  • Amazon Aurora fits best

    Scalable managed PostgreSQL or MySQL

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Side by side

Feature MySQL 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Amazon Aurora 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 9.0
Ranking #2 in Relational Databases #5 in Relational Databases
Best for Versatile open-source SQL deployments Scalable managed PostgreSQL or MySQL
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price — —
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Web
Support Community, Docs · 24/7 Email, Live chat, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs · 24/7
Integrations 8 integrations 9 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features MySQL 4/4 · Amazon Aurora 4/4
Managed service ✓ ✓
High availability ✓ ✓
Read replicas ✓ ✓
JSON data support ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Both Cloud
Backup retention Not checked yet Not checked yet
Maximum connections Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free Community Edition with SQL, JSON, replication, and stored procedures
  • Supports self-hosted, cloud, Windows, macOS, and Linux deployments
  • Includes connectors and MySQL Workbench for development and administration
  • PostgreSQL- and MySQL-compatible engines with serverless options
  • Automatic scaling, failover, backups, and point-in-time recovery
  • Up to 15 read replicas plus multi-Region database support
Cons
  • Commercial editions and HeatWave require Oracle Store or sales contact
  • Backup retention and maximum connections vary by deployment
  • Multiple storage engines and deployment options add architecture decisions
  • No permanent free plan
  • Pricing varies by region, engine, capacity, storage, and I/O
  • Cloud-based service with AWS ecosystem dependencies
Our verdict

MySQL is an open-source relational database system for web, cloud, mobile, embedded, and enterprise applications. It supports SQL and relational processing alongside a native JSON type, JSON functions, stored procedures, triggers, views,…

Read the review →

Amazon Aurora is a fully managed, cloud-based relational database service from Amazon Web Services. It supports PostgreSQL- and MySQL-compatible engines, along with Aurora DSQL, a distributed SQL engine. Provisioned and serverless…

Read the review →
  1. MySQLRelational Databases 9.3Free plan
  2. Amazon AuroraRelational Databases 9.0Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • MySQL — where it wins

    • Free Community Edition with SQL, JSON, replication, and stored procedures
    • Supports self-hosted, cloud, Windows, macOS, and Linux deployments
    • Includes connectors and MySQL Workbench for development and administration

    Where it doesn't

    • Commercial editions and HeatWave require Oracle Store or sales contact
    • Backup retention and maximum connections vary by deployment
    • Multiple storage engines and deployment options add architecture decisions

  • Amazon Aurora — where it wins

    • PostgreSQL- and MySQL-compatible engines with serverless options
    • Automatic scaling, failover, backups, and point-in-time recovery
    • Up to 15 read replicas plus multi-Region database support

    Where it doesn't

    • No permanent free plan
    • Pricing varies by region, engine, capacity, storage, and I/O
    • Cloud-based service with AWS ecosystem dependencies

More comparisons

All relational databases comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update