Quick answer
Turso - Turso edges ahead for a straightforward free database, with a bigger monthly read allowance and no request-unit math to track.
How the free tiers compare
Both free tiers skip the credit card, but they meter usage differently. CockroachDB bundles compute, storage, and network into 50 million request units and 10 GiB of storage a month, plus a $400 signup credit and multi-region support across AWS and GCP. Turso keeps the numbers simpler: 5 GB of storage, 500 million rows read and 10 million rows written a month, spread across up to 100 databases, with a 1-day restore window and a small sync budget for edge replicas. Turso does not publish a signup credit or multi-region support the way CockroachDB does.
CockroachDB vs Turso free tier, side by side
| CockroachDBFTV 51 | TursoFTV 56 | |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 10 GiB per month | 5 GB total |
| Usage allowanceCockroachDB folds compute, storage, and network into request units, so there is no direct row count to compare. | 50 million request units per month | Not specified |
| Rows read | Not specified | 500 million per month |
| Rows written | Not specified | 10 million per month |
| Multi-region support | AWS and GCP, select regions | Not specified |
| Signup credit | $400 | Not specified |
| Credit card required | No | No |
After you outgrow the free tier
CockroachDB's Standard plan is metered by the hour, starting at $0.18 an hour for 2 vCPUs. Turso's Developer plan is close to $5 a month and scales with usage.
When to pick each one
Pick CockroachDB when…
- You need a Postgres-compatible database that can span multiple regions.
- You want a signup credit on top of the recurring free allowance.
- Request-unit billing fits your workload better than separate read and write caps.
Pick Turso when…
- You want a bigger monthly read allowance without doing request-unit math.
- You are running many small SQLite-style databases instead of one distributed cluster.
- You need edge replica syncing and a point-in-time restore window.
Bottom line
Pick CockroachDB if you need distributed SQL across regions and want a credit to explore the paid tiers. Pick Turso if you want a simpler monthly allowance without request-unit accounting.
Read the full listings: CockroachDB and Turso. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.