Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Reviews

4.1 out of 5

109 reviews
95% willing to recommend

What is Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB offers scalable, geo-replicated, multi-model support with high performance and low latency. It provides seamless Microsoft service integration, benefiting those needing flexible NoSQL, real-time analytics, and automatic scaling for diverse data types and quick global access.

Get the Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, Elastic Search and more!

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is the #1 ranked solution in top Managed NoSQL Databases, #1 ranked solution in top Vector Databases solutions, #2 ranked solution in top NoSQL Databases, and #4 ranked solution in top Database as a Service vendors. PeerSpot users give Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is most commonly compared to PostgreSQL: Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs PostgreSQL. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is popular among the small business segment, accounting for 48% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a legal firm, accounting for 13% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

January 2026

Get the report

Helped 880,490 peers since 2012

Featured Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB reviews

reviewer2724105

Senior Director of Product Management at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

Overall, Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is phenomenally easy to use; it is very good. As NoSQL databases go, or as an Azure product, it's great. The search, configuration, and ease of cost management have been a really great experience. The efficiency of search capabilities is significant, particularly when it comes to the flexibility of conducting in-depth, almost recursive searches that are both efficient and cost-effective. We are currently part of an early access program for a new feature called Fleet Spaces. This feature allows us to manage costs across different tenants effectively. In our setup, each customer has a dedicated tenant in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, which means we do not share databases. This approach provides the additional security and restrictions our customers desire, and it helps avoid issues related to noisy neighbors. However, the challenge with this model is that we cannot easily share costs between tenants. Fleet Spaces offers a solution that combines the benefits of multi-tenancy while still isolating each customer's tenant. This is especially important for large enterprises and marketing companies that prefer to keep their content completely separate from others. Additionally, we can share bursts of resources across these tenants, allowing us to gain some advantages of multi-tenancy without compromising security. The vector search functionality is also noteworthy, as it provides all the necessary tools for implementing AI-driven search capabilities. My architect could probably add more insights, but overall, we are pleased with the solid uptime and reliability of this new feature. The speed of search with Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is 10 to 100 times faster, and while I don't have a metric yet for recall, I can say that the actual ability to get more content does not have a static metric currently.

Read full review

Michael Hasenfang

Director, Platform Engineering - Infrastructure Systems and Automation at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

The features that I find most valuable within Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB are probably the cost, as the cost optimization is good. The storage and queryability are good for what we're doing; it's a lot of unstructured data, so having a platform to put that in and then be able to harvest that data out for the reporting we do is essential. In terms of cost saving, it was probably easily 30 to 40% cheaper than doing a standard SQL, which is what we saw just on piloting and getting in there. We were initially thinking 20 to 25%, but we were probably more at the 35 to 40%. We are using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB's hybrid search today. The value that it has added to my AI or search workloads is that I think it's optimized that process and made it easier. We have a lot of unstructured data coming from different dissimilar systems and different data sources, so correlating those things together and making sense of it has been very beneficial. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB has had pretty good performance with searching through large amounts of data; it's been fast, and we haven't seen a lot of performance degradation while building larger queries and bringing in a large set of data. The dynamic auto-scale or serverless model from Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB has helped reduce costs and operational effort; however, it's hard to quantify how that plays out since you're using a shared service. It shifts my focus away from building, managing, and upgrading to adding value.

Read full review

Siddharth Sameer

Senior Data Engineer at Bajaj Finserv

The best features of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB are the way it maintains the data in partitions and its retention policies. Their new feature, dynamic data masking, is very cool and useful for us. Since we are one of the largest NBFCs in India, maintaining customer data in a DB, we have to take care of their personal information related to their identity. Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB rolled out this feature about six months ago. Though it's not GA yet, we are running our POC on that feature where you can hit a particular API which Microsoft has provided. Whatever fields you define in JSON, when hitting the API, it will automatically mask all personally identifiable information for each customer in the database. If you have 100 million data points for customers, according to that JSON set of rules, it will automatically mask everything. This is really helpful in our business. Regarding search capabilities through large amounts of data, Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB performs well when using combinations of primary keys. If we want to search through one of the instances or databases, it works efficiently. The performance largely depends on how optimized your SQL query is and how effectively you use the primary keys.

Read full review

Managed NoSQL Databases Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB	16.4%
MongoDB Atlas	12.1%
MongoDB Enterprise Advanced	11.5%
Other	60.0%

Type	Title	Date
Category	Managed NoSQL Databases	Jan 18, 2026	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jan 18, 2026	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs Amazon DynamoDB	Jan 18, 2026	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs MongoDB Atlas	Jan 18, 2026	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs MongoDB Enterprise Advanced	Jan 18, 2026	Download

Suggested products

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
PostgreSQL	4.2	N/A	96%	125 interviews Add to research
Elastic Search	4.1	N/A	97%	87 interviews Add to research

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Nov 20, 2025

Valuable Features

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB's valuable features include scalability, JSON data storage, TTL, ease of use, SQL-like query support, global distribution, high speed, automatic scaling, seamless integration with other Azure products, low latency, multi-model and multi-master capabilities, API flexibility, real-time analytics, strong security, and built-in vector database. Its architecture supports easy data ingestion and distribution, enhancing efficiency and performance across diverse applications, from IoT to AI integrations.

"Overall, I think Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB works fine; I don't remember any case where our developers or our clients have been disappointed with it."
"The feature I have found most valuable in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is its scalability and speed."
"Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB has helped decrease my company's total cost of ownership; it's easier because we have less to maintain, we're not trying to set up multiple SQL servers with replication and everything, and centralization helps a lot."

Room for Improvement

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB needs better documentation for integration, enterprise support, and enhanced API capabilities, especially for MongoDB. Improvements in query capabilities, user interface, indexing, cost structure, and resource governance are needed. Cross-container data joins are challenging. Users desire a local development emulator, better monitoring, streamlined data migration, and more comprehensive analytics features. Expanding AI functionalities, optimizing vector usage, and enhancing security would be beneficial. Pricing structure requires transparency and reduction.

"The only problem I face is more with infrastructure as code templates that don't cover everything that can be set up or configured on the portal, requiring some manual work which is additional work for us."
"I think it could be better if it included more in regards to AI or if it were more exposed to AI."
"I think Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB can be improved by providing continuous backup for multi-region rights. I believe it's available for non-multi-region rights, but there are many features that are locked behind continuous backup that I can't use because it's not enabled yet."

ROI

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB provides varied experiences regarding return on investment. Users mention an improvement in cost management, especially with pay-as-you-go and auto-scale features, enabling cost reduction in dynamic scaling and eliminating the need for complex database management. Despite its high cost, there is significant time saved in project development and reduced overhead costs. Some report the cloud transition offers reduced capital expenses, while others see challenges in handling large data efficiently.

Pricing

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB offers a flexible pricing model based on resource units (RUs) reflecting usage and capacity, making costs vary by specific use cases, data processed, and geographical distribution. While considered expensive when compared to conventional databases like MySQL or PostgreSQL due to its scalability, reliability, and latency-free performance, it allows for cost optimization through careful management, autoscale options, and reserved units discounts. Users highlight varying impressions, ranging from high cost concerns to competitive pricing that aligns with budgets, especially with enterprise discounts.

"It's expensive. I would rate it a seven out of ten for pricing."
"This cost model is beneficial because it allows for cost control by limiting resource units (RUs), which is ideal. However, for our needs, we can't engage with their minimum pricing, which ranges from 100 to 1,000 RUs. At the bare minimum, we need to use 4,000 RUs for a customer. I would like to find a way to gain some advantages from the lowest tier, particularly the ability to scale down if necessary. It would be helpful to have more flexibility in cost management at the lower end."
"We are not consuming so much yet since we are at the beginning of using this solution. I would rate the pricing of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB a six out of ten."

Popular Use Cases

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is used for unstructured data storage, supporting web, mobile, and IoT applications. Companies utilize it for handling large-scale, globally distributed database needs, accommodating diverse data structures like JSON documents and key-value pairs. It's popular for real-time analytics, business intelligence, transactional data management, and seamless integration with cloud services. The flexibility, scalability, and multiple API support appeal to industries such as finance, healthcare, and retail.

Service and Support

Users report mixed experiences with Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB support. Many appreciate responsive and knowledgeable assistance, particularly when contacting specialists or having premium accounts. Some users find ticket resolution slow or inadequate for complex issues, while others rely on community resources for faster solutions. Access to Microsoft's product team enhances the support experience for some, while others experience variability in support quality and responsiveness, often depending on the service tier or issue complexity.

Deployment

The setup experience of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB varies widely. Users find the initial process easy and straightforward, often completed within hours or days. Experienced teams may find setup even faster, while newcomers face a learning curve. Utilizing the cloud and available documentation helps ease configuration. Maintenance is minimal due to its Platform-as-a-Service model. Teams employing DevOps and various templates have reported efficient deployment, highlighting ease for organizations already familiar with Azure services.

Scalability

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB offers outstanding scalability, adaptable to various requirements. Users appreciate its ability to scale both horizontally and vertically, aligning with demand shifts, while maintaining cost efficiency. The platform's auto-scaling capabilities enable dynamic resource management, accommodating large user bases and extensive data sets. Partitioning and replication features enhance performance and reliability. Organizations benefit from seamless scaling, reinforced by robust backend management that ensures consistent performance and reduced overhead costs.

Stability

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is highly stable with excellent reliability, often achieving up to 99.99% availability. Users appreciate its low latency, robust performance, and reliable failover capabilities. While many report no significant downtime or stability issues, some mention occasional resource configuration challenges. Feedback consistently emphasizes its strong performance in data handling and latency management, although there are considerations for managing resource units effectively for optimal stability.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	33
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	50

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews
Company Size	Count
Small Business	466
Midsize Enterprise	91
Large Enterprise	419

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Legal Firm

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Marketing Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Government

Educational Organization

Performing Arts

University

Insurance Company

Media Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Retailer

Outsourcing Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Construction Company

Non Profit

Hospitality Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Transportation Company

Consumer Goods Company

Logistics Company

Agriculture

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Sports Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Compare Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB with alternative products

Learn more about Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

Azure Cosmos DB is designed to store, manage, and query large volumes of both unstructured and structured data. Its NoSQL capabilities and global distribution are leveraged by organizations to support activities like IoT data management, business intelligence, and backend databases for web and mobile applications. While its robust security measures and availability are strengths, there are areas for improvement such as query complexity, integration with services like Databricks and MongoDB, documentation clarity, and performance issues. Enhancements in real-time analytics, API compatibility, cross-container joins, and indexing capabilities are sought after. Cost management, optimization tools, and better support for local development also require attention, as do improvements in user interface and advanced AI integration.

What are the key features of Azure Cosmos DB?

Scalability: Effortlessly handles scaling for large workloads.
Geo-replication: Provides global data access with low latency.
Multi-model Support: Compatible with diverse data types.
NoSQL Flexibility: Offers a non-relational database experience.
Real-time Analytics: Facilitates data-driven decision-making.
Automation: Simplifies scaling and maintenance processes.

What benefits can users expect from Cosmos DB?

High Performance: Ensures rapid processing and low latency.
Ease of Use: Features a user-friendly interface enhancing deployment speed.
Seamless Integration: Connects effortlessly with Microsoft services.
Security: Offers robust measures to protect data integrity.
Consistent Availability: Ensures continuous access to data worldwide.

Industries use Azure Cosmos DB to support business intelligence and IoT data management, using its capabilities for backend databases in web and mobile applications. The platform's scalability and real-time analytics benefit sectors like finance, healthcare, and retail, where managing diverse datasets efficiently is critical.

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB was previously known as Microsoft Azure DocumentDB, MS Azure Cosmos DB.

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB customers

TomTom, KPMG Australia, Bosch, ASOS, Mercedes Benz, NBA, Zero Friction, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Kinectify

Author info	Rating	Review Summary
Senior Director of Product Management at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees	4.5	We rebuilt our content management system on Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, appreciating its ease of use, search efficiency, and reliable uptime. However, vector search costs and limited configuration options need improvement. Our deployment timeframe is significantly shorter than our competitor's.
Director, Platform Engineering - Infrastructure Systems and Automation at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees	4.0	I use Azure Cosmos DB for compliance data reporting, appreciating its cost efficiency, performance with unstructured data, and scalability, though it lacks native plugins. Setup was easy, and overall, it's worked well for our evolving data needs.
Senior Data Engineer at Bajaj Finserv	3.5	We use Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB for managing user databases and personalization, benefiting from its partitioning, data retention, and dynamic data masking features. Improvements are needed in security. Switching from Postgres, we've seen a modest cost reduction of 6% to 10%.
Architecte Cloud at Visiativ SA	4.0	We recently implemented Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB as a vector database for AI purposes. It's user-friendly and reliable with global replication, but the RU autoscaling model needs more precision. I previously used MongoDB before switching to Azure Cosmos DB.
Associate Data Scientist	3.5	I've used Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB for two years to support a high-load chatbot application; it's fast, scalable, and secure, though documentation, live updates, and vector search features could be improved. I’d rate it seven out of ten.
Solutions Architect at a retailer with 10,001+ employees	4.0	I use Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB primarily for fast data operations in a warehouse setting; its multi-region support, scalability, and auto-scaling reduce our overhead, though continuous backup for multi-region rights could use improvement.
Senior Data & Ai Engineer at Cluster Reply	4.0	I've used Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB for AI and real-time applications, valuing its speed, scalability, and integration ease, though I'd like more granular access controls; its SDK simplifies deployment and has reduced our operational costs significantly.
Integration lead at Mastech Digital Inc	4.0	I use Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB for storing JSON documents in the insurance sector due to its consistency options and geo-replication. However, improvements in cross-container joins and SQL injection security are needed. Its ease of setup and uptime surpass Amazon DynamoDB.