Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Developer at NA
Real User
A solution that is scalable and easy to integrate new features into
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use, and it is also easy to integrate with several things for database use cases."
  • "I would like the speed of transferring data to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We normally use Cosmos DB for data storage.

What is most valuable?

There are a lot of security features that can be integrated with Cosmos DB. The solution is easy to use, and it is also easy to integrate with several things for database use cases.

What needs improvement?

I would like the speed of transferring data to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve been using it for two to three years, and I’m working on the latest version.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
September 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable. We have more than 1,000 users in our company.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We deploy Cosmos DB once or twice a quarter. We have three or four teams handling deployment and maintenance, which is about 38 members.

What about the implementation team?

We implement the solution in-house.

What was our ROI?

We are receiving an ROI with this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cost isn’t a big hurdle for us right now. The solution is not costly.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB to anyone who wants to use it. If you are using Azure Stack, it is a good solution to use

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
SaurabhSingh1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Sales Architect at Softline
Reseller
Top 5Leaderboard
Provides flexibility from a cost and data perspective
Pros and Cons
  • "With Azure you can start small and grow as you need."
  • "A couple features that would help me in architectural solutions would be customizable architecture or customizable documentation, which both Microsoft Azure or Microsoft Teams can provide."

What is our primary use case?

My current title is that of a Solution Sales Architect.

What is most valuable?

The biggest benefit of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is the general cloud model that Azure gives you. It provides more flexibility from a cost and data perspective. The solution is reasonable. Microsoft gives the best security solutions with zero trust protection.

With Azure, you can start small and grow as you need.

What needs improvement?

I provide architect solutions on top of Azure. A couple of features that would help me in architectural solutions would be customizable architecture or customizable documentation, which both Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Teams can provide. I can easily pick and choose a couple of architecture and merge them. This would be a very helpful feature for me in my role.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have had five years of experience working with Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable. I rarely receive concerns from my clients that they are facing any downtime or that some solutions or configurations are not working.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Azure cloud is very much scalable however, you do need to consider your database. If I am scaling the product, the traffic will increase and the database also has to be optimized in that way. 

My application is static, so it can be scaled to infinity, but the same cannot be done with the database. The database needs to be sufficient to get the load directly. I cannot go ahead and directly deploy a database with another skill functionality as I have to do some manual effort with downtime involved.

From a scalability perspective, the key database has to be optimized in a better way that can support auto-scaling architecture or scalability architecture.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Azure is a pay as you go subscription. Each month you utilize the solution and at the end of the month, based upon your utilization, you will get a report and invoice. It depends on the architecture and the services being used, how they are deployed and what the stories are. It is variable.

What other advice do I have?

My general advice to anyone looking to implement Microsoft Azure would be to start small. When you see your application increase or your traffic increase on site, you can slowly scale. 

I would rate the solution a seven out of 10 overall.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB
September 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sr. Engineer at ericsson
Real User
Easy to use and has many features, but expensive with poor customer support
Pros and Cons
  • "The product has a lot of useful features that are there and ready to use, it's also very easy to use."
  • "I have to say technical support is not very good as it takes too long. Sometimes it can take them two or three days to respond to your ticket."

What is most valuable?

The product has a lot of useful features that are there and ready to use, it's also very easy to use.

What needs improvement?

There are features that are ADF only or ADB only, so it would be good to see more cross-compatibility between the two. The solution is also more expensive than the alternatives. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for over two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is very good, you can scale up or down according to your requirements.

How are customer service and support?

I have to say technical support is not very good as it takes too long. Sometimes it can take them two or three days to respond to your ticket.  

How was the initial setup?

The setup for this solution isn't complex.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost very much depends on the task and on how much data is being processed and transferred.

What other advice do I have?

The cost is the biggest limitation of this solution. I would rate this solution a six out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1786155 - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
It has various APIs that allow it to integrate with other solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "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 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."

What is most valuable?

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. 

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Cosmos DB for about six to eight months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cosmos DB's reliability, performance, and scalability are all good. We can't complain. Azure has management outages, and the management windows that Azure publishes are still too big. They provide a 24 hour period in which maintenance will happen. Smaller, specific windows are easier to manage when you have a production system. Otherwise, it does a good job technically.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the Azure platform is a given. It's easy to scale and quickly deploy. The API's richness also helped us. We use Cosmos DB for a public-facing application with upwards of a million users.

I think we have all the scalability that we need, and we like that the system doesn't have outages when it's updating. However, an on-prem version is required for some use cases, and they provide this now. 

How are customer service and support?

Microsoft support is good if you contact a specialist. Getting in touch with the right specialist is crucial for whatever technology you're using on Azure. If you reach the right person, it's a dream, but that can be difficult in some cases can be difficult. You might go through several layers of support before you reach the platform experts.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We haven't used another solution for this particular use case. The product was benchmarked on Azure, so we used Cosmos DB. It wasn't like we were looking at different solutions, and we chose Cosmos.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up the whole landscape took about a week. It doesn't take long. It's a PaaS, so the setup is mostly configuration. It's more like provisioning rather than deployment. You could probably set it up in a day if you wanted to. We set it up with an in-house team. About 15 to 20 people support the solution, but they aren't dedicated to Cosmos DB. They work on lots of things. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cosmos DB is a PaaS, so there are no upfront costs for infrastructure. There are only subscriptions you pay for Azure and things like that. But it's a PaaS, so it's a subscription service. The license isn't perpetual, and the cost might seem expensive on its face, but you have to look at the upkeep for infrastructure and what you're saving. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cosmos DB eight out of 10. I would recommend it for an appropriate use case. However, you need to be aware of the system's limitations. If you're using the DocumentDB system, it's crucial to plan properly for document structure, etc. You also need to plan for failure to ensure that your system can survive when any node fails. Set up clustering, redundancy, high availability, and so on.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Lakshman Nimmakayala - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Cloud Architect at UBS Financial
Real User
Top 10
Useful for many use cases, 99.9% availability, and easy to install
Pros and Cons
  • "Its wide support to the ecosystem is valuable. We can use this database with a lot of use cases, and that's one of the reasons why we prefer it. We have a lot of vendors, databases, and use cases, and wherever possible, we are trying to standardize databases. It is also secure."
  • "At this stage, we would like more enterprise support. We use MongoDB a lot, and we're trying to get rid of MongoDB. So, I would like to see more features in the Cosmos DB API for MongoDB space."

What is our primary use case?

We mostly use it for NoSQL use cases. We use it for web applications, mobile applications, and social applications in the financial sector.

It is deployed on-premises and on the cloud, and we are using its latest version but not the one in the public review.

What is most valuable?

Its wide support to the ecosystem is valuable. We can use this database with a lot of use cases, and that's one of the reasons why we prefer it. We have a lot of vendors, databases, and use cases, and wherever possible, we are trying to standardize databases. It is also secure.

What needs improvement?

At this stage, we would like more enterprise support. We use MongoDB a lot, and we're trying to get rid of MongoDB. So, I would like to see more features in the Cosmos DB API for MongoDB space.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. It has 99.999% availability, and it is backed by SLAs.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have thousands of users.

How are customer service and technical support?

We use the cloud version and the on-prem version. We have our on-prem database engineering team. For the cloud, we are okay with their support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We use MongoDB a lot, and we're trying to get rid of MongoDB.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to install. I tried it in a testing environment, and it was easy. Database experts should be able to do it easily.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB a nine out of 10.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1496493 - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Director at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Provides single-digit millisecond response times but struggles with large amounts of data
Pros and Cons
  • "I would recommend Cosmos. It made our lives a lot easier. There's not a big learning curve in order to understand the structure and how to use it."
  • "We should have more freedom to tweak it and make our own queries for non-traditional use-cases."

What is our primary use case?

We have a database stored on Microsoft Azure where we fetch records and validate them against the application data that is displayed. We use it as a backend in an application to store data.

Within our organization, there are around 500 people using this solution.

What is most valuable?

There's no specific feature of Cosmos. Basically, we try to query the database. Since it's unstructured data, all the related fields are stored as a single JSON. You don't have to go ahead and hit multiple tables, or multiple containers. Instead, you get all of those things, relationally, stored in a nested JSON — in one single container itself. This way, you don't have to go back and forth to different tables. There are pros and cons with this feature, but often it makes things easier for us.

I am impressed with the TTL (time to live feature) of Cosmos. If we need to perform a manual addition to a container, we just need to configure the time to live. And then based on that, it can be deleted.

What needs improvement?

We should have more freedom to tweak it and make our own queries for non-traditional use-cases.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB for roughly one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cosmos should be more stable. Sometimes we fetch more than 60,000 records at a time. When we try to fetch large amounts of data, sometimes it breaks-down, requiring us to rescale it. Overall, performance-wise, it needs to be a little more stable. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I personally haven't had contact with the technical support. Our solution architects deal with support. 

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't involved in the initial setup. We have a DevOps team that was responsible for handling the installation. We are just leveraging it for developmental purposes.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cosmos should be cheaper. We actually intend to stop using it in the near future because the price is too high — and because of the stability issues. 

What other advice do I have?

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of seven. Aside from the scalability issues, we haven't experienced any other issues. 

I would recommend Cosmos. It made our lives a lot easier. There's not a big learning curve in order to understand the structure and how to use it. We were good to go with only one container. Anybody who is new can learn quickly.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2310048 - PeerSpot reviewer
Architect- Cloud/Automation at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Enables us to store information related to our automation
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a NoSQL database."
  • "It is not as easy to use as DynamoDB."

What is our primary use case?

I use the product for storing information related to our automation.

What is most valuable?

The product is simple to use. It is a NoSQL database. It is easy to commission the environment and use it.

What needs improvement?

It is not as easy to use as DynamoDB. The product always shows JSON-based documents. However, DynamoDB shows a table-based document. The documentation must be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used the solution a couple of months ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool’s stability is very good. I rate the stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is highly scalable. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten. We have more than 1000 users.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used DynamoDB in my previous organization.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. The deployment could be completed within minutes.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The tool is not expensive. It is good for small use cases.

What other advice do I have?

Cosmos DB is a good option if someone is looking for a NoSQL database. Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
KopanoRamaphoi - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at Rpc Data
Real User
Straightforward to set up, stable, easy to use, and well-compliments a solution that includes a relational database
Pros and Cons
  • "Cosmos DB is stable and easy to use."
  • "Better documentation on how to integrate with other components would be helpful because I was struggling with this."

What is our primary use case?

Cosmos DB is a non-relational, NoSQL database. We are a solution provider and we implement this product for our clients. It is used for integrating and managing unstructured data such as videos, pictures, and other big objects that you cannot include in a standard database tablet. It is made for these kinds of activities.

Some of our customers include banks, where together with their main relational database, it provides a place for keeping track of unstructured data. The relational database is used to store the regular data, whereas Cosmos DB stores what is unstructured.

I also use this product for my own purposes.

What is most valuable?

Cosmos DB is stable and easy to use.

What needs improvement?

Better documentation on how to integrate with other components would be helpful because I was struggling with this. For example, I had trouble finding information on how to integrate with other Microsoft components. Also, consider a situation where you want to use Cosmos DB to manage the uploading of data to your website. Information on how to do things like this should be readily available.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB for less than a month.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cloud-based solutions like Cosmos DB are quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable product. When I originally used it on the cloud, Microsoft Azure, I tried changing a lot of things such as increasing the memory to see how it performed. The response was quite good. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good and they are responsive.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Prior to Cosmos DB, was using MySQL, but it isn't a non-relational database.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. It was complete in about five minutes.

What about the implementation team?

I deployed it myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There is a licensing fee.

What other advice do I have?

This is a good product and I recommend it, especially in cases where people want to keep their information outside of the organization and on the cloud.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: September 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.