This post is maintained by Bytebase, an open-source database DevSecOps tool that can manage MySQL hosted in any providers. We update the post every year.
| Update History | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2025/04/28 | Initial version. |
This concise guide compares pricing across six major MySQL hosting providers: AWS RDS, AWS Aurora, Google Cloud SQL, Azure Database for MySQL, DigitalOcean, and Aiven. Assuming you're familiar with these services, we'll focus on pricing structures, cost comparisons, and recommendations for different use cases.
Pricing Comparison Tables
Basic Monthly Pricing Comparison
| Provider | Entry-Level | Mid-Range | Enterprise-Level | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS RDS MySQL | $12.41 (db.t4g.micro: 2 vCPU, 1 GiB) | $99.28 (db.m6g.large: 2 vCPU, 8 GiB) | $794.24 (db.m6g.4xlarge: 16 vCPU, 64 GiB) | Yes (12 months) |
| AWS Aurora MySQL | $59.86 (db.t4g.medium: 2 vCPU, 4 GiB) | $211.70 (db.r6g.large: 2 vCPU, 16 GiB) | $1,693.60 (db.r6g.4xlarge: 16 vCPU, 128 GiB) | Yes (12 months) |
| Google Cloud SQL | $11.32 (db-f1-micro: 0.2 vCPU, 0.6 GiB) | $122.49 (db-n1-standard-2: 2 vCPU, 7.5 GiB) | $980.03 (db-n1-standard-16: 16 vCPU, 60 GiB) | Yes (90 days) |
| Azure MySQL | $14.60 (B1ms: 1 vCPU, 2 GiB) | $99.28 (GP_Gen5_4: 4 vCPU, 16 GiB) | $794.24 (GP_Gen5_32: 32 vCPU, 128 GiB) | Yes (12 months) |
| DigitalOcean | $15.15 (1 vCPU, 1 GiB) | $60.90 (2 vCPU, 4 GiB) | $244.35 (6 vCPU, 16 GiB) | No |
| Aiven | Free (2 vCPU, 1 GiB) | $110 (Startup tier: 2-4 vCPU, 4-8 GiB) | $435 (Premium tier: 4-8 vCPU, 16-32 GiB) | Yes |
Entry-level options provide the most economical starting point, with Google Cloud SQL and AWS RDS offering the lowest prices. DigitalOcean and Aiven provide more predictable performance at this tier compared to the burstable instances from hyperscalers. Notably, Aiven offers a completely free tier suitable for development.
The chart above illustrates the significant price difference between AWS Aurora and other providers at the entry-level tier. Aiven's free tier stands out as the most cost-effective option for development and testing environments.
Mid-Range Pricing Comparison
At the mid-range tier, AWS Aurora is significantly more expensive than other options, while DigitalOcean offers the most economical solution. AWS RDS and Azure provide identical pricing at this tier, making them interchangeable from a pure cost perspective.
Enterprise-Level Pricing Comparison
The enterprise tier shows the most dramatic pricing differences, with AWS Aurora costing more than twice as much as DigitalOcean. The significant price premium for Aurora reflects its advanced features and performance capabilities for mission-critical workloads.
Storage Pricing
| Provider | Storage Type | Price per GB-month | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS RDS MySQL | General Purpose SSD (gp3) | $0.115 | 3,000 IOPS baseline |
| AWS RDS MySQL | Provisioned IOPS SSD (io1) | $0.125 + $0.10/IOPS | Up to 256,000 IOPS |
| AWS Aurora MySQL | Aurora Storage | $0.10 | Auto-scaling, distributed |
| Google Cloud SQL | SSD | $0.17 | Scales with instance |
| Google Cloud SQL | HDD | $0.09 | Lower performance |
| Azure MySQL | General Purpose | $0.115 | Included IOPS based on size |
| Azure MySQL | Business Critical | $0.25 | Higher performance |
| DigitalOcean | SSD | Included in plan | Varies by plan |
| Aiven | SSD | Included in plan | Varies by plan |
Storage pricing varies significantly between unbundled (AWS, Google, Azure) and bundled (DigitalOcean, Aiven) approaches. For high-performance workloads, AWS's provisioned IOPS offers the most control but at premium pricing. Google Cloud SQL has the highest SSD pricing, while Aurora offers good value with its distributed storage system.
The chart above shows that Azure Business Critical storage is significantly more expensive than other options at $0.25/GB-month, while Google Cloud SQL HDD offers the lowest unbundled price at $0.09/GB-month. AWS Aurora provides a good balance of performance and cost at $0.10/GB-month. Note that DigitalOcean and Aiven include storage in their base pricing, making them potentially more economical for storage-intensive workloads.
Network Transfer Pricing
| Provider | Inbound | Outbound (Same Region) | Outbound (Different Region) | Outbound to Internet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS RDS/Aurora | Free | Free | $0.01-$0.02/GB | $0.09-$0.15/GB |
| Google Cloud SQL | Free | Free | $0.01-$0.08/GB | $0.08-$0.15/GB |
| Azure MySQL | Free | Free | $0.01-$0.05/GB | $0.05-$0.12/GB |
| DigitalOcean | Free | Free | N/A | $0.01/GB (after 1TB) |
| Aiven | Free | Free | Included | Included |
Network transfer costs become significant for applications with heavy data movement, especially across regions or to the internet. DigitalOcean offers the most economical outbound internet transfer, while Aiven includes all network transfer in their base pricing, eliminating this variable cost component.
The chart above highlights the dramatic difference in outbound internet transfer costs between providers. AWS RDS/Aurora and Google Cloud SQL charge up to $0.15/GB, while DigitalOcean charges only $0.01/GB after the first 1TB. Aiven stands out by including all network transfer in their base pricing, making it the most predictable option for applications with heavy data transfer requirements.
High Availability and Backup Pricing
| Provider | High Availability Setup | Backup Storage | Point-in-Time Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS RDS MySQL | 2x instance cost | Free up to 100% of DB storage | Included |
| AWS Aurora MySQL | Built-in (minimal additional cost) | Free up to 100% of DB storage | Included |
| Google Cloud SQL | 2x instance cost | 7 backups free, then $0.08/GB-month | Included |
| Azure MySQL | 1.5-2x instance cost | Included for 7-35 days based on tier | Included |
| DigitalOcean | Additional cost for standby nodes | Included in plan | Included |
| Aiven | Included in Business/Premium tiers | Included in plan | Included |
High availability configurations significantly impact total cost, effectively doubling the price for most providers except Aurora (which has built-in HA) and Aiven (which includes it in higher tiers). Backup costs are generally included with limitations, with Google Cloud SQL being the only provider to charge after a certain threshold.
The chart above illustrates two critical cost factors: high availability multipliers and backup storage costs. AWS Aurora and Aiven offer the most economical high availability options, with Aurora at just 1.1x the base price and Aiven including it in their base pricing. For backup storage, Google Cloud SQL is the only provider charging extra ($0.08/GB-month) after 7 free backups, while all other providers include backups in their base pricing with various retention periods.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Long-Term Commitments
| Provider | Commitment Options | Maximum Discount | Flexibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | 1-3 year Reserved Instances | 62% | Limited to specific instance |
| Google Cloud | 1-3 year Committed Use | 57% | Flexible across instance types |
| Azure | 1-3 year Reserved Capacity | 55% | Limited to specific instance |
| DigitalOcean | None | N/A | Pay-as-you-go only |
| Aiven | Annual commitments | Custom pricing | Limited flexibility |
For predictable, stable workloads, commitment-based discounts from major cloud providers offer substantial savings. AWS provides the highest potential discount but with less flexibility than Google's commitment model.
Serverless and Variable Workloads
| Provider | Serverless Option | Minimum Cost | Scaling Granularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Aurora | Aurora Serverless | Pay per ACU-second | 0.5 ACU increments |
| Azure | Flexible Server (preview) | Hourly billing | Preset tiers |
| Google Cloud | None (only auto storage scaling) | Full instance cost | N/A |
| DigitalOcean | None | Full instance cost | N/A |
| Aiven | None | Full instance cost | N/A |
For variable or unpredictable workloads, AWS Aurora Serverless offers the most mature consumption-based model, potentially reducing costs during periods of low activity. Azure is developing similar capabilities but with less granularity.
Regional Availability and Data Residency
| Provider | Number of Regions | Data Residency Controls | Regional Pricing Variations |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS RDS/Aurora | 27+ regions | Strong | 10-30% variation |
| Google Cloud SQL | 24+ regions | Strong | 5-20% variation |
| Azure MySQL | 30+ regions | Strong | 5-25% variation |
| DigitalOcean | 8 regions | Limited | Uniform pricing |
| Aiven | 90+ regions (via cloud providers) | Strong | Uniform pricing |
Regional availability directly impacts data sovereignty compliance. The hyperscalers offer the most comprehensive regional coverage, while Aiven leverages underlying cloud providers to offer the widest deployment options with consistent pricing across regions.
Conclusion
The MySQL hosting market in 2025 offers diverse pricing models catering to different priorities:
- AWS and Google Cloud provide granular control with complex pricing structures.
- Azure balances feature richness with moderate pricing complexity.
- DigitalOcean emphasizes simplicity and predictability at the expense of some flexibility.
- Aiven offers multi-cloud flexibility with straightforward pricing but at a premium for higher tiers.
References
Official Pricing Pages
- AWS RDS MySQL Pricing
- AWS Aurora Pricing
- Google Cloud SQL Pricing
- Azure Database for MySQL Pricing
- DigitalOcean Managed Databases Pricing
- Aiven MySQL Pricing
Cost Optimization Guides
