Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs SingleStore comparison

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Read 6 SingleStore reviews

225 Views
172 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB and SingleStore are both major players in the scalable database service category. Azure Cosmos DB often has the upper hand in terms of global distribution and operational ease, whereas SingleStore is preferred for performance and SQL compatibility.

Features: Azure Cosmos DB excels in scalability, offering extensive API support and seamless integration within the Azure ecosystem. Its autoscale function and high-speed data processing facilitate various application demands. SingleStore offers MySQL compatibility, high concurrency, and an ability for horizontal scalability, making it appealing for high-performance tasks. Its setup simplicity and distributed architecture add to its advantages.

Room for Improvement: Azure Cosmos DB's pricing model, complex query capabilities, and lack of integration with some tools like Databricks need improvement. Users desire enhanced documentation and broader API cross-compatibility, along with more AI features. SingleStore users seek better SQL features, particularly in joins and aggregations, and improved documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Azure Cosmos DB is primarily deployed in the cloud, integrating well with the Azure ecosystem, although support quality varies. SingleStore offers both cloud and on-premise deployment, backed by responsive support. Both have comprehensive documentation, but Cosmos DB has more reliable community support.

Pricing and ROI: Azure Cosmos DB offers a premium pricing model with pay-as-you-go options, providing flexibility but raising cost concerns. SingleStore provides competitive pricing options appealing to those seeking cost-efficiency in deployments. Both databases offer ROI through reduced operational costs and scalability, with initial costs usually higher for Azure Cosmos DB.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs. SingleStore Report (Updated: May 2025).

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs. SingleStore

May 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 860,592 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

6th

Ranking in Vector Databases

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

NoSQL Databases (5th), Managed NoSQL Databases (1st)

SingleStore

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

11th

Ranking in Vector Databases

15th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is 2.4%. The mindshare of SingleStore is 2.1%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Featured Reviews

MichaelJohn

Director | Data & AI at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Very efficient for application-facing scenarios

There are several areas for improvement. Firstly, having a local development emulator or simulator for Azure Cosmos DB would be beneficial. It would be very handy to have a Docker container that developers can use locally. Although, I know there is a free tier and so on and so forth, having a local environment would be nice. For example, SQL Server is very portable. You can even install it on your machine. That is the number one thing that is missing in Azure Cosmos DB. The second improvement area is the IDE of choice. That means how you interact with Azure Cosmos DB. For example, with SQL Server, you have SQL Server Management Studio. I know there is a little bit of support for Azure Cosmos DB in Azure Data Studio, but it is not heavily advertised or it does not feel like first-class citizen support. Developer experience or developer tooling is missing in terms of interacting with the database. Better developer tools or an IDE for interacting with Azure Cosmos DB would enhance the developer experience. Lastly, there is some mixed messaging about what Azure Cosmos DB is, given its multiple APIs. There are so many Azure Cosmos DB APIs available. There is NoSQL. There are MongoDB, Gremlin, and others. There is still some mixed messaging for others who are new to Azure Cosmos DB about what Azure Cosmos DB is. Is this like MongoDB, but then there is also MongoDB in Azure Cosmos DB? I know it well, and I know that the default one is just NoSQL, but others I have interacted with over the last ten years or so get confused.

Read full review

Yasin Sarı

Senior Data Analyst at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

High-speed data processing, seamless scalability, and excellent high availability making it an optimal choice for those prioritizing performance and efficiency in a database solution

There's a noteworthy consideration when it comes to collecting massive amounts of data. It is not the optimal choice for direct data collection through queries, and it's more suited for aggregation tasks. Attempting to use it for direct extraction, for instance, might lead to memory-related challenges. While MySQL version five might lack extensive SQL capabilities, SingleStore also has its constraints, requiring simpler SQL writing. This becomes evident when seeking advanced functionalities like window functions or JSON functions, where SingleStore doesn't offer an extensive toolkit, necessitating a more straightforward approach to SQL.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Cosmos DB has helped our organization handle large amounts of data."

"It is a scalable product."

"It has been very efficient so far. The team has been using it for quite a while. I am new to the team, but they always talk about how efficient it is."

"I truly recommend Cosmos DB because it is a serverless product."

"Cosmos is a PaaS, so you don't need to worry about infrastructure and hosting. It has various APIs that allow it to integrate with other solutions. For example, we are using a MongoDB-compatible API for customers, which makes it easier for developers on the team who previously used MongoDB or are accustomed to the old document storage paradigm."

"The best feature is the velocity to make a query."

"We value the replication and regional availability features that Cosmos DB provides. The replication includes read replicas and write replicas. The recent addition of vectorization and similarity comparisons add values for AI workloads. The performance and scaling capabilities of Cosmos DB are excellent, allowing it to handle large workloads compared to other services such as Azure AI Search."

"Some of the best features of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB are that it could scale, and we could still use SQL language."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB pros

"The product can automatically reinstall and reconfigure in case of a shutdown."

"The paramount advantage is the exceptional speed."

"The ability to store data in memory is a standout feature, enhanced by robust failover mechanisms."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to create pipelines, streamline and extract data from the pipelines."

"MemSQL supports the MySQL protocol, and many functions are similar, so the learning curve is very short."

"It's a distributed relational database, so it does not have a single server, it has multiple servers. Its architecture itself is fast because it has multiple nodes to distribute the workload and process large amounts of data."

Cons

"One of our biggest pain points is the backup and restore functionality needs improvement."

"In Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, I would suggest improvements in security."

"It's still new, and good training resources are harder to find. Even the most recent books on Cosmos DB are several years old, which is ancient in IT terms."

"The built-in integration of the solution is tight."

"We encountered an issue with Cosmos DB's recently introduced hierarchical partition feature."

"The API compatibility has room for improvement, particularly integration with MongoDB. You have to connect to a specific flavor of MongoDB. We'd also like a richer query capability in line with the latest Mongo features. That is one thing on our wish list. The current version is good enough for our use case, but it could be improved."

"The price can always be lower, but currently, it's not a problem."

"It would be beneficial if Cosmos supported batch and real-time use cases to make the system more seamless."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB cons

"Poor key distribution can significantly impact performance, requiring a backward approach in design rather than adding tables incrementally."

"For new customers, it's very tough to start. Their documentation isn't organized, and there's no online training available. SingleStore is working on it, but that's a major drawback."

"It is not the optimal choice for direct data collection through queries, and it's more suited for aggregation tasks."

"There should be more pipelines available because I think that if MemSQL can connect to other services, that would be great."

"Having the ability to migrate servers using a single command would be extremely beneficial."

"We don't get good discounts in Pakistan."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing and licensing model was initially difficult to understand, but as soon as I learned what was going on and how it was priced, it was pretty easy."

"Cosmos DB's pricing structure has significantly improved in recent months, both in terms of its pricing model and how charges are calculated."

"Azure is a pay as you go subscription."

"Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB's licensing costs are monthly."

"The pricing model of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is a bit complex."

"Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB pricing is based on RUs. Reading 1 KB document costs one RU, whereas writing one document costs five RUs. Pricing for querying depends on the complexity of the query. If you increase the document size, it will automatically increase the RU cost."

"For the cloud, we don't pay for the license, but for the on-prem versions, we do pay."

"The customer had a high budget, but it turned out to be a little bit cheaper than what they expected. I am not sure how much they have spent so far, but they are satisfied with the pricing."

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB pricing and cost advice

"They have two main options: cloud installation and bare-metal installation, each with different pricing models."

"I would advise users to try the free 128GB version."

"The product's licensing is not expensive. It is comparable."

"SingleStore is a bit expensive."

"Using it for analytical purposes can be cost-effective in the long run, especially in terms of infrastructure."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Database as a Service (DBaaS) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Legal Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Financial Services Firm

33%

Computer Software Company

13%

University

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?

The initial setup is simple and straightforward. You can set up a Cosmos DB in a day, even configuring things like availability zones around the world.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?

We are not consuming so much yet since we are at the beginning of using this solution. I would rate the pricing of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB a six out of ten.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?

We are at the beginning of production, and everything is working very well. The price can always be lower, but currently, it's not a problem.

What do you like most about SingleStore DB?

The paramount advantage is the exceptional speed.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SingleStore DB?

Using it for analytical purposes can be cost-effective in the long run, especially in terms of infrastructure. While building an on-premise cluster incurs an initial cost for servers with ample RAM...

What needs improvement with SingleStore DB?

Chroma vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Comparisons

Compared 13% of the time

Pinecone vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Compared 10% of the time

Amazon DynamoDB vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Compared 7% of the time

Neo4j Graph Database vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Compared 5% of the time

Amazon Neptune vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Competitors

ClickHouse vs SingleStore

Compared 14% of the time

SQL Server vs SingleStore

Compared 9% of the time

CockroachDB vs SingleStore

Compared 7% of the time

Supabase Vector vs SingleStore

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle Database vs SingleStore

Compared 6% of the time

More SingleStore Competitors

Product Reports

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

June 2025

Download Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB product report

Download SingleStore product report

June 2025

Also Known As

Microsoft Azure DocumentDB, MS Azure Cosmos DB

No data available

Overview

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database service providing scalability, user-friendliness, and seamless integration, suitable for managing large volumes of structured and unstructured data across diverse applications.

Azure Cosmos DB is renowned for its scalability, stability, and ease of integration, offering robust support for multiple data models and APIs. Its capacity for handling unstructured data efficiently and providing real-time analytics makes it ideal for applications requiring high performance and global distribution. With features like automatic failover and integration with Microsoft products, users benefit from cost optimization and secure data handling. Enhancement opportunities include simplifying queries, improving documentation, and expanding backup and analytics functionalities.

What are the most important features of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?

Scalability and Autoscaling: Efficiently handles growing data and user demands.
Multi-Model Support: Adapts to different data models seamlessly.
Global Distribution: Provides low-latency access across multiple regions.
Automatic Failover: Ensures high availability and reliability.
Integration with Microsoft Products: Offers seamless connectivity with Azure services.

What benefits should users look for in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reviews?

Performance and Speed: Exceptionally fast processing for real-time data analytics.
Cost Optimization: Tools for managing expenses effectively.
Secure Data Handling: Implements strong data security measures.
Flexible Data Ingestion: Supports diverse data ingestion methods.

Azure Cosmos DB is frequently used in sectors like web, mobile, IoT, and analytics. It supports applications as a key-value store, processes real-time data, and enables global scalability with low-latency access. Its big data management capabilities and integration with Azure services enhance its utility across industries.

Microsoft

SingleStore delivers the performance you need for enterprise AI, providing the most performant data platform for apps and analytics at scale. SingleStore enables organizations to scale from one to one million customers in one unified platform. SingleStore offers transparent pricing as shown here https://www.singlestore.com/pricing/

SingleStore caters to over 400 customers globally, including major banks and tech companies in 50+ countries and 40+ verticals. It offers seamless scaling for both transactional and analytical workloads, simplifying data management with its MySQL compatibility and real-time processing capabilities. SingleStore's distributed architecture ensures speed and reliability, efficiently handling large data volumes.

What are the key features of SingleStore?

MySQL Compatibility: Eases the learning curve for users.
Built-in Pipelines: Connects to S3, Kafka, and more.
High Concurrency: Processes billions of records swiftly.
Replication & Failover: Enhances speed and reliability.
In-memory Storage: Ensures data safety and quick access.

What benefits can users find in SingleStore reviews?

Automatic Reconfiguration: Simplifies management tasks.
Impressive SQL Performance: Supports complex queries efficiently.
Scalability: Handles large datasets with a multi-node setup.

Top banks and fintech companies leverage SingleStore for efficient management of financial data, while media and telecom industries use it for scalable metadata management and improved data processing. Retail and eCommerce sectors benefit from enhanced transactional capabilities, reducing the need for separate databases and optimizing reporting processes. SingleStore's capacity to unite diverse workloads makes it a strategic choice across many sectors.

Sample Customers

TomTom, KPMG Australia, Bosch, ASOS, Mercedes Benz, NBA, Zero Friction, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Kinectify

400+ customers including: 6sense, Adobe, Akamai, Ant Money, Arcules, CARFAX, Cigna, Cisco, Comcast, DELL, DBS Bank, Dentsu, DirectlyApply, EY, Factors.AI, Fathom Analytics, FirstEnergy, GE, Goldman Sachs, Heap, Hulu, IMAX, impact.com, Kroger, LG, LiveRamp, Lumana, Nvidia, OpenDialog, Outreach, Palo Alto Networks, PicPay, RBC, Samsung, SegMetrics, Siemens, SiteImprove, SiriusXM, SK Telecom, SKAI, SONY, STC, SunRun, TATA, Thorn, ZoomInfo.