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AlloyDB for PostgreSQL vs Google Cloud SQL

AlloyDB for PostgreSQL: Google's Postgres-compatible service with disaggregated storage, a columnar engine and ScaNN vectors. Google Cloud SQL: Google Cloud's managed MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server, with an Enterprise Plus tier for fast failover.

key differences

  • AlloyDB for PostgreSQL is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Google Cloud SQL (≤ 10 TB).
  • Only AlloyDB for PostgreSQL has pub/sub, columnar storage, in-memory, compression.

choose alloydb for

  • +Migrating demanding Postgres or Oracle workloads to Google Cloud
  • +Operational analytics on live transactional data
  • +RAG and semantic search with vectors stored beside business data
  • +Hybrid deployments using AlloyDB Omni on-premises

best at · OLTP, HTAP, Vector search

choose google-cloud-sql for

  • +Standard web and mobile backends on Google Cloud
  • +Migrating on-prem MySQL, Postgres or SQL Server to GCP
  • +Cloud Run and GKE application databases
  • +WordPress and CMS hosting

best at · OLTP, Content, Metadata

AlloyDB for PostgreSQLGoogle's Postgres-compatible service with disaggregated storage, a columnar engine and ScaNN vectors.
Google Cloud SQLGoogle Cloud's managed MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server, with an Enterprise Plus tier for fast failover.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Document, Spatial, Vector, Columnar / OLAP
Document, Spatial, Vector
Type
Managed service
Managed service
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Google
Google
First release
2022
2011
Latest version
–
–
License
ProprietaryProprietary (Google Cloud service; AlloyDB Omni commercial license)
ProprietaryProprietary (Google Cloud service)
Free tier
—
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
3.6
10.9
Rank
#430
#292
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
40
3.9K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Shared storage, Primary replica
Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
—
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
Google Cloud
Google Cloud
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
✓
✓
Vector search
✓
✓
Geospatial
✓
✓
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
✓
✓
Triggers
✓
✓
Stored procedures
✓
✓
Materialized views
✓
✓
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
✓
—
Columnar storage
✓
—
In-memory
✓
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
—
Encryption at rest
✓
✓
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
SQL, PL/pgSQL
SQL, PL/pgSQL, T-SQL
Client languages
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, PHP
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript, C#, PHP, Ruby
Best for
OLTP, HTAP, Vector search, RAG
OLTP, Content, Metadata, Vector search
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

AlloyDB for PostgreSQL vs Google Cloud SQL: FAQ

What is the difference between AlloyDB for PostgreSQL and Google Cloud SQL?

AlloyDB for PostgreSQL: Google's Postgres-compatible service with disaggregated storage, a columnar engine and ScaNN vectors. Google Cloud SQL: Google Cloud's managed MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server, with an Enterprise Plus tier for fast failover. AlloyDB for PostgreSQL is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Google Cloud SQL (≤ 10 TB). Only AlloyDB for PostgreSQL has pub/sub, columnar storage, in-memory, compression.

When should I choose AlloyDB for PostgreSQL over Google Cloud SQL?

Choose AlloyDB for PostgreSQL for migrating demanding Postgres or Oracle workloads to Google Cloud; operational analytics on live transactional data; and RAG and semantic search with vectors stored beside business data. Choose Google Cloud SQL for standard web and mobile backends on Google Cloud; migrating on-prem MySQL, Postgres or SQL Server to GCP; and cloud Run and GKE application databases.

Is AlloyDB for PostgreSQL or Google Cloud SQL more popular?

Google Cloud SQL ranks #292 on the WhichDB Score (10.9/100) and AlloyDB for PostgreSQL ranks #430 (3.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are AlloyDB for PostgreSQL and Google Cloud SQL open source?

No. AlloyDB for PostgreSQL is proprietary, closed-source software. No. Google Cloud SQL is proprietary, closed-source software.