About
Couchbase Capella is a fully managed, multicloud NoSQL database-as-a-service. It provides SQL++ query support, key-value access, search, mobile app services, RBAC, scopes and collections, and managed backups across cloud regions.
The free plan includes 1 node and 8 GB, with SQL++ (Capella iQ) and key-value access, search for vector/FTS/geo use cases, and Mobile App Services. It is aimed at prototyping, POCs, and learning, while paid tiers add higher availability, backup intervals, SLA coverage, and larger cluster options.
- 1-node free cluster
- 8 GB included storage
- SQL++ and key-value access
- Search: vector, FTS, geo
- Mobile App Services
- RBAC, scopes, and collections
- Forum support
Free Tier Value
This free tier is a capped, always-available starter environment with no credit card required, so it has real ongoing value but not unlimited value. The closest paid entry point is the Basic plan at about $0.15 per node-hour; a one-node free cluster with 8 GB plus SQL++, search, mobile services, and RBAC is roughly a small fraction of that paid capability, so about $1.50/month is a fair buyer-facing estimate.
What's included in the free tier
- Access to SQL++ (Capella iQ) and key-value operations.
- Access to Search, including vector, full-text, and geospatial search.
- Access to Mobile App Services.
- Role-based access control with scopes and collections.
- One-node cluster.
- 8 GB included capacity.
See Couchbase Capella pricing for current limits.
Paid plans
Basic
- node
- 1 minimum
- backup interval
- 24 hours
- uptime SLA
- 99.5% (multi-node clusters)
- SQL++, search, and indexing
- RBAC; scopes & collections
- Single-cluster availability zone
- 1-node minimum
- Cross data center replication (XDCR)
- 24-hour backup interval
- Analytics, Eventing
- Billion-scale vector search with flexible indexing
Developer Pro
- node
- 1 minimum
- cluster AZs
- multiple (3 nodes)
- Basic capabilities, plus
- 1-node minimum
- Multiple cluster availability zones (3 nodes)
- Up to 1-hour backup interval
- 8-hour response, 24×7 support
- 99.99% uptime SLA (multi-node clusters)
Enterprise
- node
- 3 minimum
- backup interval
- up to 1 hour
- Basic capabilities, plus
- 3-node cluster minimum
- Multiple cluster availability zones
- Up to 1-hour backup interval
- Cluster & App Services auditing
- Customer-managed encryption keys (KMIP)
- 30-minute response time, 24×7 support
- 99.99% uptime SLA
Pricing extracted from Couchbase Capella's pricing page. Always verify current pricing before committing.
