Couchbase vs MySQL

Capella Free includes one node, 8GB, SQL++, key-value, search and forum support. MySQL Community Edition is free under GPL; its socket and seat limits are not published. Capella’s paid plans bill per node per hour: Basic starts at $0.15, Developer Pro at $0.35 and Enterprise at $0.49. Minimums and included features vary: Enterprise requires three nodes, while Developer Pro requires three for multiple availability zones. MySQL’s commercial editions are licensed per server and priced annually. Standard Edition lists $2,140 per year for 1–4 socket servers and $4,280 for 5+ sockets; Enterprise lists $5,350 and $10,700, respectively. As deployments grow, Capella costs rise with node-hours and applicable storage, backup and transfer charges. MySQL costs rise with the number and socket tier of licensed servers. The pricing page lists MySQL monthly prices as unpublished.

Couchbase is an operational data platform that combines storage, search, caching, analytics and AI capabilities. Its Capella plans list SQL++, key-value access and search; the homepage says teams can use existing SQL skills. The platform also targets mobile and edge deployments, with data synchronization for offline use. MySQL offers Community, Enterprise, Cluster and HeatWave options. HeatWave combines transactions with lakehouse-scale analytics in a cloud service, and the homepage says applications can be deployed in a choice of cloud providers. MySQL also highlights integrated machine learning and generative AI, plus embedded use by ISVs, OEMs and VARs. Neither homepage names programming-language SDKs, API protocols or a CLI. Confirm those details, along with supported versions and deployment-specific documentation, before choosing; the listed SQL capabilities alone do not establish application-driver compatibility. MySQL’s cloud-provider choice and embedded ecosystem are the clearer named integration paths, while Couchbase emphasizes synchronization across cloud, mobile and edge.

MySQL Community Edition is open source under GPL, and MySQL describes community participation and transparent governance. MySQL can be self-hosted; paid Standard, Enterprise and Cluster editions add commercial licensing options, while HeatWave is a cloud service. Couchbase is self-hostable, and Capella provides managed plans. Its open-source status and licence are not stated, so teams with licence or redistribution requirements should confirm terms with Couchbase. Couchbase Enterprise is also offered for enterprise clusters in a customer’s cloud. Neither homepage describes a specific data-export or migration path. Treat portability as a design review: check how each database represents application data, which query features your code relies on, and what export and restore mechanisms are available for your chosen edition. Moving between the products may require application and data-model changes; do not assume SQL familiarity makes the databases interchangeable.