MongoDB Atlas vs Amazon DocumentDB: pricing
Managed MongoDB · snapshot captured June 2026
On entry cost, MongoDB Atlas has the lower entry cost (~$57/mo vs ~$80/mo). MongoDB Atlas uses per-hour dedicated cluster tiers + free/flex tiers and Amazon DocumentDB uses instance-hour + storage + i/o (mongodb-compatible). Their representative entry tiers are ~$57/mo (M10 (2 GB RAM)) and ~$80/mo (db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB)). For scale, at the top tier we list, Amazon DocumentDB ($164/mo) is below MongoDB Atlas ($747/mo). Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
Data as of June 2026.
MongoDB Atlas vs Amazon DocumentDB side by side
| Factor | MongoDB Atlas | Amazon DocumentDB |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | MongoDB | MongoDB |
| Vendor | MongoDB | Amazon Web Services |
| Pricing model | Per-hour dedicated cluster tiers + free/Flex tiers | Instance-hour + storage + I/O (MongoDB-compatible) |
| Representative tier | M10 (2 GB RAM) | db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) |
| Est. entry / month | ~$57/mo | ~$80/mo |
| Free tier? | Yes | Yes |
| Free tier detail | Free M0 shared tier (512 MB storage, ~100 ops/sec) forever. | No permanent free tier; a 30-day trial (750 hours db.t3.medium + 30M I/Os + 5 GB) for new accounts. |
| Storage / extras | Dedicated tiers include default storage; backup billed separately ($0.14-0.19/GB-month) and data transfer extra. | Standard: $0.10/GB-month + $0.20/million I/O. I/O-Optimized: $0.30/GB-month, no per-I/O charge. |
| Region note | AWS us-east-1, dedicated tiers; monthly = hourly x 730 (MongoDB lists slightly different rounded monthly figures). | US East (N. Virginia), on-demand; Standard vs I/O-Optimized storage configs. |
Sources: MongoDB 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, MongoDB Atlas has the lower entry cost (~$57/mo vs ~$80/mo).
At scale: at the top tier we list, Amazon DocumentDB ($164/mo) is below MongoDB Atlas ($747/mo). Remember that MongoDB Atlas is provisioned while Amazon DocumentDB is provisioned, which flips the answer depending on whether your traffic is steady or spiky.
Verdict
On entry cost alone, MongoDB Atlas has the lower entry cost (~$57/mo vs ~$80/mo). But price is only part of the story: MongoDB Atlas (richest tier matrix: free m0, usage-based flex, then dedicated m10-m700) versus Amazon DocumentDB (mongodb api compatibility without managing mongodb yourself). Read each full breakdown — MongoDB Atlas and Amazon DocumentDB — and model your real workload in the estimator.
Frequently asked questions
Is MongoDB Atlas or Amazon DocumentDB cheaper?
On entry cost, MongoDB Atlas has the lower entry cost (~$57/mo vs ~$80/mo). And at the top tier we list, Amazon DocumentDB ($164/mo) is below MongoDB Atlas ($747/mo). The right answer depends on your workload size and traffic pattern — MongoDB Atlas uses per-hour dedicated cluster tiers + free/flex tiers and Amazon DocumentDB uses instance-hour + storage + i/o (mongodb-compatible). snapshot captured June 2026.
MongoDB Atlas vs Amazon DocumentDB: which for a small project?
For a small project, lean to whichever has a usable free tier and the lower entry price. MongoDB Atlas: Free M0 shared tier (512 MB storage, ~100 ops/sec) forever. Amazon DocumentDB: No permanent free tier; a 30-day trial (750 hours db.t3.medium + 30M I/Os + 5 GB) for new accounts.
MongoDB Atlas vs Amazon DocumentDB: which scales better on cost?
At scale, at the top tier we list, Amazon DocumentDB ($164/mo) is below MongoDB Atlas ($747/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 MongoDB Atlas and Amazon DocumentDB?
MongoDB Atlas: Per-hour dedicated cluster tiers + free/Flex tiers. Amazon DocumentDB: Instance-hour + storage + I/O (MongoDB-compatible). Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
More comparisons
Last updated: 2026-06-20