Aiven for MySQL vs Amazon RDS for MySQL: pricing
Managed MySQL · snapshot captured June 2026
On entry cost, Amazon RDS for MySQL has the lower entry cost (~$52/mo vs ~$75/mo). Aiven for MySQL uses all-inclusive monthly plans and Amazon RDS for MySQL uses instance-hour + separate storage. Their representative entry tiers are ~$75/mo (Startup-4 (2 CPU / 4 GB / 80 GB storage)) and ~$52/mo (db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB)). For scale, at the top tier we list, Amazon RDS for MySQL ($125/mo) is below Aiven for MySQL ($180/mo). Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
Data as of June 2026.
Aiven for MySQL vs Amazon RDS for MySQL side by side
| Factor | Aiven for MySQL | Amazon RDS for MySQL |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | MySQL | MySQL |
| Vendor | Aiven | Amazon Web Services |
| Pricing model | All-inclusive monthly plans | Instance-hour + separate storage |
| Representative tier | Startup-4 (2 CPU / 4 GB / 80 GB storage) | db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) |
| Est. entry / month | ~$75/mo | ~$52/mo |
| Free tier? | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier detail | Free plan (1 CPU / 1 GB RAM / 1 GB storage, $0/month) plus a ~$5/month developer tier. | 12-month AWS Free Tier: 750 hours/month of db.t3.micro Single-AZ + 20 GB storage for new accounts. |
| Storage / extras | Compute, storage, HA and backups are bundled into each plan; no separate storage charge. | General Purpose gp3 SSD storage billed separately at about $0.115/GB-month; backups and data transfer extra. |
| Region note | Multi-cloud; AWS us-east region modestly higher than the headline 'from' prices. | US East (N. Virginia), us-east-1, on-demand Single-AZ. |
Sources: Aiven pricing · Amazon Web Services pricing.
Cheaper for small vs cheaper for scale
Small / starting out: Both have a free tier, so try each. On a flat entry tier, Amazon RDS for MySQL has the lower entry cost (~$52/mo vs ~$75/mo).
At scale: at the top tier we list, Amazon RDS for MySQL ($125/mo) is below Aiven for MySQL ($180/mo). Remember that Aiven for MySQL is provisioned while Amazon RDS for MySQL is provisioned, which flips the answer depending on whether your traffic is steady or spiky.
Verdict
On entry cost alone, Amazon RDS for MySQL has the lower entry cost (~$52/mo vs ~$75/mo). But price is only part of the story: Aiven for MySQL (all-inclusive pricing bundles compute, storage, ha and backups) versus Amazon RDS for MySQL (deep aws integration (iam, vpc, cloudwatch, read replicas)). Read each full breakdown — Aiven for MySQL and Amazon RDS for MySQL — and model your real workload in the estimator.
Frequently asked questions
Is Aiven for MySQL or Amazon RDS for MySQL cheaper?
On entry cost, Amazon RDS for MySQL has the lower entry cost (~$52/mo vs ~$75/mo). And at the top tier we list, Amazon RDS for MySQL ($125/mo) is below Aiven for MySQL ($180/mo). The right answer depends on your workload size and traffic pattern — Aiven for MySQL uses all-inclusive monthly plans and Amazon RDS for MySQL uses instance-hour + separate storage. snapshot captured June 2026.
Aiven for MySQL vs Amazon RDS for MySQL: which for a small project?
For a small project, lean to whichever has a usable free tier and the lower entry price. Aiven for MySQL: Free plan (1 CPU / 1 GB RAM / 1 GB storage, $0/month) plus a ~$5/month developer tier. Amazon RDS for MySQL: 12-month AWS Free Tier: 750 hours/month of db.t3.micro Single-AZ + 20 GB storage for new accounts.
Aiven for MySQL vs Amazon RDS for MySQL: which scales better on cost?
At scale, at the top tier we list, Amazon RDS for MySQL ($125/mo) is below Aiven for MySQL ($180/mo). Usage-based offerings (serverless) can be cheaper for spiky or low-duty workloads but more expensive for steady high throughput; provisioned/instance pricing is the opposite. Model your real traffic before deciding.
What is the pricing model for Aiven for MySQL and Amazon RDS for MySQL?
Aiven for MySQL: All-inclusive monthly plans. Amazon RDS for MySQL: Instance-hour + separate storage. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
More comparisons
Last updated: 2026-06-20