Quick answer
CockroachDB - CockroachDB is the stronger pick when you need multi-region SQL, a confirmed no-card signup, and a $400 credit on top of the recurring free tier.
How the free tiers compare
Cloudflare D1 gives you a SQLite database scoped to Workers, with a 5 GB storage cap and daily read and write limits. CockroachDB gives you a distributed, Postgres-compatible database that meters usage in request units rather than row counts: 50 million request units and 10 GiB of storage a month, with multi-region support across AWS and GCP for select regions. CockroachDB adds a $400 signup credit on top of that recurring allowance, with no credit card required.
Cloudflare D1 vs CockroachDB free tier, side by side
| Cloudflare D1FTV 46 | CockroachDBFTV 51 | |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 5 GB total | 10 GiB per month |
| Usage allowanceDifferent metering models; CockroachDB bundles compute, storage, and network into request units instead of separate row counts. | 5 million rows read + 100,000 rows written per day | 50 million request units per month |
| Multi-region support | Not specified | AWS and GCP, select regions |
| Availability | Not specified | 99.99% |
| Access control | Not specified | IP allowlist |
| Signup creditSeparate from the recurring monthly free allowance. | Not specified | $400 |
| Credit card required | Not specified | No |
After you outgrow the free tier
D1's paid tier is a flat $5 a month. CockroachDB's Standard plan is metered by the hour, starting at $0.18 an hour for 2 vCPUs.
When to pick each one
Pick Cloudflare D1 when…
- You want a SQLite-compatible database with a flat storage cap and no request-unit math.
- You are already building on Cloudflare Workers or Pages.
- Your traffic fits inside the daily read and write reset.
Pick CockroachDB when…
- You need a Postgres-compatible database that can span multiple regions.
- You want the request-unit model instead of separate read and write caps.
- You want a confirmed no-card signup plus a $400 credit to test the paid tiers.
Bottom line
D1 is the simpler option if you just need a database bolted onto Workers. CockroachDB is the better fit if you need distributed SQL and want the no-card guarantee plus a credit to explore further.
Read the full listings: Cloudflare D1 and CockroachDB. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.