1. Amazon RDS
Amazon Web Services · Seattle · Databases & data platforms · 4.4/5
Managed relational databases.
Pay as you go
Free trial
Databases & data platforms · Alternatives
Best Azure SQL alternatives in India (2026)
Azure SQL is a databases & data platforms product from Microsoft, Redmond, priced at Pay as you go. We compared 20 alternatives on published price, free plan, platforms and made-in-India support: 10 have a free plan, 0 are built in India.
Quick answer
The closest alternatives to Azure SQL are Amazon RDS (Pay as you go), PlanetScale (₹3,000/mo), Amazon DynamoDB (Pay as you go), Google Cloud SQL (Pay as you go) and Amazon Aurora (Pay as you go). PostgreSQL is the top-ranked option with a free plan. Published prices in this list start at ₹3,000/month.
Why businesses look for a Azure SQL alternative
There is no free plan
Azure SQL has no free tier. 10 alternatives do, which lets you test with real data before you pay.
Azure SQL alternatives compared
Ranked by how closely each product matches Azure SQL's category, pricing model, platforms and business size, then by rating. Prices exclude GST.
| # | Software | Starting price | Free plan | Platforms | Made in India | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Azure SQL (current) | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | — |
| 1 | Amazon RDS | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 2 |  PlanetScale | ₹3,000/mo | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 3 |  Amazon DynamoDB | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 4 |  Google Cloud SQL | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 5 |  Amazon Aurora | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 6 |  Google BigQuery | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 7 |  Snowflake | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 8 |  Amazon Redshift | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.4/5 | |
| 9 |  Firebolt | Pay as you go | No | Web | No | 4.3/5 | |
| 10 |  Stitch | ₹8,000/mo | No | Web | No | 4.3/5 | |
| 11 |  PostgreSQL | Free | Yes | Web | No | 4.7/5 | |
| 12 |  MySQL | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 13 |  MongoDB | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 14 |  MariaDB | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 15 |  Cassandra | Free | Yes | Web | No | 4.7/5 | |
| 16 |  Redis | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 17 |  Elasticsearch | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 18 |  OpenSearch | Free | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 19 |  ScyllaDB | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 20 |  CockroachDB | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 |
Top 10 Azure SQL alternatives in detail
₹3,000/mo
Free trial
Pay as you go
Free trial
4. Google Cloud SQL
Google · Mountain View · Databases & data platforms · 4.4/5
Managed MySQL and Postgres.
Pay as you go
Free trial
5. Amazon Aurora
Amazon Web Services · Seattle · Databases & data platforms · 4.4/5
High-performance managed database.
Pay as you go
Free trial
6. Google BigQuery
Google · Mountain View · Databases & data platforms · 4.4/5
Serverless data warehouse.
Pay as you go
Free trial
Pay as you go
Free trial
8. Amazon Redshift
Amazon Web Services · Seattle · Databases & data platforms · 4.4/5
Cloud data warehouse.
Pay as you go
Free trial
Pay as you go
Free trial
Azure SQL alternatives by what you need
Lowest published price
Free Azure SQL alternatives
How to choose a Azure SQL alternative
- Use managed services unless you have DBAs.
- Choose a warehouse only when analytics queries slow your production DB.
- Check Indian region availability for residency.
Azure SQL alternatives — FAQs
What is the best alternative to Azure SQL in 2026?+
The closest matches to Azure SQL on App Advisor are Amazon RDS (Pay as you go), PlanetScale (₹3,000/mo), Amazon DynamoDB (Pay as you go). They are ranked by how closely their category, pricing model, platforms and target business size match Azure SQL, then by rating. The best choice depends on your team size and budget.
Is there a free alternative to Azure SQL?+
Yes. 10 of the 20 alternatives listed have a free plan or are free: PostgreSQL (Free), MySQL (Free plan), MongoDB (Free plan). Free plans usually cap users, records or transactions, so check the limits against your monthly volume.
What is the cheapest alternative to Azure SQL?+
Among alternatives that publish a price, PlanetScale starts lowest at ₹3,000/mo. PostgreSQL also has a free plan. Prices are read from each vendor's website and exclude GST.
Azure SQL vs Amazon RDS: which is better?+
Amazon RDS is the closest match to Azure SQL in our catalogue. Compare them side by side before you book a demo.
How were these Azure SQL alternatives chosen?+
Every product listed sits in databases & data platforms or a category Azure SQL also covers, and Microsoft's own products are excluded. Prices, free plans and platforms come from each vendor's official website. App Advisor does not sell any of this software.
Free shortlist
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Related alternatives
Amazon RDS alternativesPlanetScale alternativesAmazon DynamoDB alternativesGoogle Cloud SQL alternativesAmazon Aurora alternativesGoogle BigQuery alternativesSnowflake alternativesAmazon Redshift alternativesFirebolt alternativesStitch alternativesPostgreSQL alternativesMySQL alternativesAll databases & data platforms alternativesBrowse all alternatives