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Vela vs AWS RDS: The Complete Comparison

See why development teams are switching from AWS RDS to Vela for better performance, lower costs, and modern database workflows.

At a Glance

Key differences that matter for your team

6x Faster

290,000 TPS vs RDS's 45,000 TPS for read workloads

60-80% Savings

Transparent pricing with no hidden costs or egress fees

Instant Cloning

Copy-on-write clones vs RDS's slow backup/restore

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

See how Vela compares across all dimensions

Performance

V

Vela

  • 290,000 TPS read throughput
  • 23,000 TPS write throughput
  • Sub-millisecond latency
  • Linear scaling
R

AWS RDS

  • 45,000 TPS read throughput
  • 18,000 TPS write throughput
  • 8ms latency
  • Limited scaling

Cost Structure

V

Vela

  • $19/vCPU fixed monthly
  • No data egress fees
  • No usage-based billing
  • BYOC flexibility
R

AWS RDS

  • Complex pricing tiers
  • High data egress costs
  • Instance + storage + I/O fees
  • Vendor lock-in

Database Management

V

Vela

  • Instant copy-on-write cloning
  • Git-like branching
  • Zero-downtime deployments
  • Enterprise RBAC
R

AWS RDS

  • Manual backup/restore
  • Complex environment setup
  • Planned downtime
  • Basic IAM

Development Workflow

V

Vela

  • Supabase Studio interface
  • CI/CD integration
  • Feature branch databases
  • Real-time collaboration
R

AWS RDS

  • Basic AWS console
  • Limited CI/CD support
  • Manual environment provisioning
  • Traditional workflows

Real Cost Comparison

See actual monthly costs for different team sizes

Team Size Vela Cost AWS RDS Cost Monthly Savings
Small Team (5 developers) $456/month $1,800/month 75%
Medium Team (20 developers) $1,368/month $7,200/month 81%
Large Enterprise (100+ developers) $4,560/month $28,000/month 84%

* Based on equivalent compute resources and typical usage patterns. RDS costs include instance, storage, and data transfer fees.

Calculate Your Savings

Why Teams Switch from RDS to Vela

Real reasons development teams are making the move

Eliminate Surprise Costs

RDS billing with data egress, I/O operations, and backup storage adds up fast. Vela's transparent $19/vCPU pricing has no hidden fees.

Modern Development Workflows

Database branching and instant cloning enable CI/CD practices that RDS can't match. Test with production data safely.

Better Developer Experience

Supabase Studio interface vs AWS Console. Git-like workflows vs manual processes. Modern tooling that developers love.

No Vendor Lock-in

BYOC deployment means you control your infrastructure. Move between clouds or on-prem without vendor restrictions.

Enterprise Security & Compliance

Advanced RBAC, LDAP/SAML integration, and compliance features that RDS charges extra for or doesn't provide.

Exceptional Performance

6x better read performance and sub-millisecond latency. Optimized for modern workloads without manual tuning.

Migrate from RDS to Vela

Simple migration path with zero downtime

1

Assessment & Planning

Analyze your current RDS setup, identify optimization opportunities, and plan the migration timeline.

2

Parallel Deployment

Set up Vela in parallel with your existing RDS instance. Test performance and validate functionality.

3

Gradual Cutover

Migrate traffic gradually with zero downtime. Validate performance improvements and cost savings.

Ready to Switch from RDS?

Join hundreds of teams who've made the switch to Vela for better performance, lower costs, and modern workflows.

Try Interactive Demo Calculate Savings