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Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB is a fully managed, MongoDB-compatible database service that integrates seamlessly with the Azure ecosystem while maintaining compatibility with existing MongoDB tools and applications. This article compares Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB with MongoDB Atlas to help you understand the key differences and choose the right solution for your needs.
Platform and compatibility
| Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB | MongoDB Atlas | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compatible with MongoDB tools and drivers | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Open-source | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | MongoDB is no longer open-source since 2018. |
| MongoDB wire protocol support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB supports versions v8, v7, v6, v5, v4, and v3. MongoDB Atlas only supports versions v8, v7, v6, and v5. MongoDB Atlas doesn't support older versions such as v3, v4, and v5. |
| Supported on cloud providers | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB is supported exclusively on Azure. MongoDB wire protocol compatibility enables you to remain vendor-agnostic for other tiers of your application. MongoDB Atlas is supported on Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud. |
| Database supported in on-premises and hybrid deployments | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB is a cloud-native service. |
Availability and performance
| Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB | MongoDB Atlas | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global distribution | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB is globally distributed with automatic and fast data replication across any number of Azure regions. |
| 99.999% availability SLA | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | Azure Cosmos DB offers a 99.999% high availability SLA. For more information, see high availability. MongoDB Atlas only offers a 99.995% availability service level agreement (SLA). |
| SLA covers cloud platform | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | For more information, see the MongoDB Atlas SLA. |
| Instantaneous and automatic scaling | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | Azure Cosmos DB deployments automatically and instantaneously scale with zero performance effect. For more information, see autosale throughput. Users manage MongoDB Atlas dedicated instances and these instances scale automatically only after analyzing the workload over a day. |
| Multi-region writes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | In Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB with multi-region writes, document updates can occur in any region. In MongoDB Atlas multi-region zones, different write regions can be configured per shard. Data within a single shard is writable in a single region. |
| Limitless scale | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB can scale RUs up to and beyond a billion requests per second, with unlimited storage, fully managed, as a service. MongoDB Atlas deployments support scaling through sharding. |
| Independent scaling for throughput and storage | ❌ No | ❌ No |
Development and deployment options
| Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB | MongoDB Atlas | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dev/test dedicated clusters | ❌ No | ❌ No | |
| Choice of instance configuration | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | |
| Free tier | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB has a free tier with 1,000 request units (RUs) and 25-GB storage forever. The free tier also includes limits to prevent exceeding these thresholds. MongoDB Atlas only supports a free tier with 512-MB storage. |
| Live migration | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Pause and resume clusters | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | |
| Replica set configuration | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | |
| Sharding support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB supports automatic, server-side sharding. Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB manages shard creation, placement, and balancing automatically. MongoDB Atlas supports multiple sharding methodologies to fit various use cases. In MongoDB Atlas, the sharding strategy can be changed without impacting the application. |
Data features and capabilities
| Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB | MongoDB Atlas | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector search for AI applications | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | |
| Integrated text search, geospatial processing | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Support for MongoDB multi-document ACID transactions | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | |
| BSON (Binary JSON) data type support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Support for MongoDB aggregation pipeline | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB supports aggregation pipelines in v5, v6, and v7 versions of the MongoDB wire protocol. |
| 16 MB maximum document size | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| JSON schema for data governance controls | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | |
| Integrated querying of data in cloud object storage | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB supports this feature with Azure Synapse Link. |
| Blend data with joins and unions for analytics queries | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Multi-document ACID transactions across collections and partitions | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Integrated text search | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Integration and tooling
| Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB | MongoDB Atlas | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure integrations | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB includes multiple native first-party integrations with other Azure services. For more information, see integrations with Azure services MongoDB Atlas has some integrations with native Azure services. |
| Data explorer | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB uses native Azure tooling and the Azure Cosmos DB Explorer. Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB also includes support for tools such as Robo3T. MongoDB Atlas uses native MongoDB tools such as Compass and Atlas Data Explorer while also including support for tools like Robo3T. |
| SQL-based connectivity | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Native data visualization without external BI tools | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB supports Power BI. MongoDB Atlas supports Atlas Charts. |
| Performance recommendations | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB uses native Microsoft performance profiling tools. |
| Embeddable database with sync for mobile devices | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB doesn't support this feature due to low user demand. |
Security and compliance
| Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB | MongoDB Atlas | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granular role-based access control | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Encryption of data in-flight | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Encryption of data at rest | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Client-side field level encryption | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Integration | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | |
| Database-level auditing | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Back up and support
| Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB | MongoDB Atlas | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expert support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Azure offers 24x7 support provided by Microsoft for Azure Cosmos DB. An Azure Support contract covers all Azure products, including Azure Cosmos DB, which allows you to work with one support team without extra support costs. MongoDB Atlas provides 24x7 support provided by MongoDB with various SLA options available. |
| Continuous backup with on-demand restore | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |