Azure Cosmos DB and MongoDB Atlas are both NoSQL databases, designed to store data in a scalable, non-tabular manner. Azure Cosmos DB is most popular with mid-sized businesses and larger enterprises, perhaps due to its high level of scalability. MongoDB Atlas is more popular with smaller businesses, likely due to the availability of a free version.
Features
Azure Cosmos DB and MongoDB Atlas both allow businesses to store data in a non-tabular fashion, but they also have some unique features that set them apart from each other.
Many Database options can imitate MongoDB features, but for businesses looking for specific MongoDB features, such as the most recent integrations, only MongoDB Atlas includes the most recent version of the software. Additionally, while many cloud database options can be hosted by only a single cloud provider, Almost all cloud providers can support MongoDB. Lastly, MongoDB can provide storage for larger documents, up to 16MB in size.
Azure Cosmos DB provides easy, automatic scaling. This means that businesses that plan to vary their database use can use more or less and Azure Cosmos DB will scale accordingly without any manual input. For businesses that use primarily Windows technology, Azure Cosmos DB is also simple to implement and will integrate well with other Azure software.
Limitations
Though Azure Cosmos DB and MongoDB Atlas both fulfil essential database needs, they also have some limitations that are important to consider.
MongdoDB Atlas provides flexibility in what operating systems it can run on, but it isn’t as simple to implement and use for Windows users compared to Azure Cosmos DB. Additionally, while MongDB Atlas can scale as businesses grow, it isn’t completely automated like Azure Cosmos DB is. MongoDB Atlas may not be a good choice for a growing business without the resources to support it.
Azure Cosmos DB is a good choice for Windows users, but it can’t run on other operating systems, so Mac or Linux users may need to look elsewhere. Similarly, Azure Cosmos DB doesn’t support as many programming languages as MongoDB Atlas, it is missing several languages, including some popular ones such as Ruby. Lastly, Azure Cosmos DB doesn’t support file types as large as MongoDB Atlas.
Pricing
Pricing for both Azure Cosmos DB and MongoDB Atlas depends on factors such as number of clusters, as well as cloud provider. Both offer a free option for small storage needs. Businesses can use these free versions to test each product before committing to a purchase.
