Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Relational Databases

MySQL vs Amazon RDS

  • 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 RDS #8 in Relational Databases 8.7/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Amazon RDS

MySQL leads on 1 check, Amazon RDS 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 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #8.

MySQL offers free plan; Amazon RDS doesn't.

MySQL is the better fit for versatile open-source SQL deployments. Amazon RDS is the better fit for managed multi-engine AWS databases.

  • MySQL fits best

    Versatile open-source SQL deployments

  • Amazon RDS fits best

    Managed multi-engine AWS databases

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature MySQL 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Amazon RDS 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 8.7
Ranking #2 in Relational Databases #8 in Relational Databases
Best for Versatile open-source SQL deployments Managed multi-engine AWS databases
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price — Not checked yet
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Web
Support Community, Docs · 24/7 Phone, Live chat, Email, Community, Docs · 24/7
Integrations 8 integrations 8 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features MySQL 4/4 · Amazon RDS 4/4
Managed service ✓ ✓
High availability ✓ ✓
Read replicas ✓ ✓
JSON data support ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Both Both
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
  • Supports eight database engines in a managed AWS service
  • Includes Multi-AZ failover, read replicas, backups, and point-in-time restore
  • Connects with IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, RDS Proxy, and Outposts
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 free plan is available
  • Usage-based pricing varies by region, engine, instance, storage, and configuration
  • AWS-focused deployment may not suit teams seeking a standalone database platform
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 RDS is a managed relational database service for deploying, operating, and scaling databases in the AWS environment. It automates infrastructure provisioning, patching, backups, and failure recovery while leaving users to configure…

Read the review →
  1. MySQLRelational Databases 9.3Free plan
  2. Amazon RDSRelational Databases 8.7Paid

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 RDS — where it wins

    • Supports eight database engines in a managed AWS service
    • Includes Multi-AZ failover, read replicas, backups, and point-in-time restore
    • Connects with IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, RDS Proxy, and Outposts

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Usage-based pricing varies by region, engine, instance, storage, and configuration
    • AWS-focused deployment may not suit teams seeking a standalone database platform

More comparisons

All relational databases comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update