Amazon Neptune vs Amazon Athena vs Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) Comparison
Amazon Neptune
Starting at Contact for pricing
- Free Trial
- Large Enterprises
- Medium Business
Introducing Amazon Neptune - the ultimate solution for building and managing graph database applications. With advanced tools and a fully-managed service, Neptune allows for seamless execution of identity, knowledge, and…
Amazon Athena
Starting at Contact for pricing
- Free Trial
- Large Enterprises
- Small Business
Introducing Amazon Athena, the cutting-edge serverless interactive query service designed to revolutionize the way you analyze massive amounts of data stored in Amazon S3. With Amazon Athena, users can effortlessly query…
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Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)
Starting at Contact for pricing
- Free Trial
- Large Enterprises
- Small Business
Introducing Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), a robust software solution that simplifies the management, operation, and scalability of databases in the cloud. Tailored for various database engines, Amazon RDS com…
Amazon Athena leads on user satisfaction with a 4.1-star rating across 46 reviews.
Amazon Neptune vs Amazon Athena vs Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) — at a glance
| Feature | Amazon Neptune | Amazon Athena | Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.0 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Reviews | 13 | 46 | 240 |
| Starting price | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free version | No | No | No |
| Best for | Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business | Large Enterprises, Small Business, Medium Business | Large Enterprises, Small Business, Medium Business |
| Category | Database as a Service (DBaaS) Provider | Database as a Service (DBaaS) Provider | Database as a Service (DBaaS) Provider |
| Platforms | SaaS/Web/Cloud | Browser Based (Cloud) | Browser Based (Cloud) |
| API | Available | Available | — |
| Support modes | Online | Online | Online |
| Certifications | SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001 | SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001 | SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001 |
| Data residency | US | Global | Global |
Key differences between Amazon Neptune and Amazon Athena
- User satisfaction: Amazon Athena scores higher with a 4.1-star average.
- Deployment: Amazon Neptune supports SaaS/Web/Cloud; Amazon Athena supports Browser Based (Cloud).
Compare Amazon Neptune vs Amazon Athena vs Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) — and walk away knowing which one fits.
Which tool fits your team best
Which is actually cheaper for your team size
Where each product wins, per real buyers
Most Database as a Service (DBaaS) Provider tools look identical on paper. This comparison cuts to the differences that matter — pricing structure, team fit, and what real buyers found after signing up.
Biggest differences
Features
Pricing
Buying details
Security
Buyer feedback
Integrations
Product tour
Other options
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Biggest differences
Start here before you go deeper into features.
Best for high-performance, multi-language graph database applications in AWS environments.
- You need to run over 100,000 graph queries per second with low latency.
- You require support for multiple open-source graph query languages like Gremlin and openCypher.
- You want a fully managed graph database integrated with the AWS ecosystem to reduce operational overhead.
- Your team lacks specialized graph database expertise and prefers simpler relational databases.
- You need transparent, straightforward pricing without complex quotation-based models.
Best for serverless SQL querying of large datasets stored in Amazon S3.
- You need fast, pay-per-query analytics directly on S3 data without managing infrastructure.
- Your team consists of data engineers or analysts familiar with SQL and AWS ecosystem.
- You want seamless integration with AWS security and cloud data warehousing services.
- Your data is not primarily stored in Amazon S3 or requires multi-cloud querying.
- You require advanced ETL or data transformation features beyond basic querying.
Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)
Best for scalable, managed cloud databases integrated with AWS services.
- You need a managed database service with automated backups and scaling.
- Your applications require support for multiple database engines in the cloud.
- You want seamless integration within the AWS ecosystem for enterprise workloads.
- You require on-premises or hybrid database deployments outside AWS cloud.
- Your team lacks AWS expertise or needs granular control over infrastructure.
Amazon Neptune: Best for high-performance, multi-language graph database applications in AWS environments. Amazon Athena: Best for serverless SQL querying of large datasets stored in Amazon S3.
Description | Introducing Amazon Neptune - the ultimate solution for building and managing graph database applications. With advanced tools and a fully-managed service, Neptune allows for seamless ... Read More about Amazon Neptune | Introducing Amazon Athena, the cutting-edge serverless interactive query service designed to revolutionize the way you analyze massive amounts of data stored in Amazon S3. With Amazon ... Read More about Amazon Athena | Introducing Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), a robust software solution that simplifies the management, operation, and scalability of databases in the cloud. Tailored for various ... Read More about Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) |
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User RatingsBased on verified Spotsaas reviews | |||
Best Company Size | 51-500 employees500+ employees | 51-500 employees500+ employees | 51-500 employees500+ employees |
Get pricing help | Get pricing help | Get pricing help |
Software Demo
Demo |
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Compare Amazon Neptune, Amazon Athena and Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) on pricing
Review starting price, plan structure, and free-trial access side by side so you can see which option fits your budget and buying process.
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Other Details
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Get help choosing | Get help choosing | Get help choosing |
Security & Compliance
Certifications, data handling, and security controls for IT and compliance evaluators.
SOC 2 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
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HIPAA | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
GDPR | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
ISO 27001 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Single Sign-On (SSO) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Multi-Factor Auth (MFA) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Data Encryption | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Audit Logs | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Data Residency | 🇺🇸 US | 🌐 Global | 🌐 Global |
Amazon Neptune vs Amazon Athena User Reviews & Rating Comparison
User Ratings | 4 (based on 13 reviews) | 4.1 (based on 46 reviews) | 4.4 (based on 240 reviews) |
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Rating Distribution | |||
List of Customers
Customers |  ADP  Cox Automotive  Careem |  Siemens  Betterment  Finra |  Oracle  Cathay Pacific  Amazon Aurora |
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Media and Screenshots
Videos |  1 Videos |  3 Videos |  3 Videos |
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Alternatives
Alternatives |
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Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better, Amazon Neptune or Amazon Athena?
- Amazon Athena edges out the other on user ratings (4.1 vs 4.0). That said, the best pick depends on your use case — use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
- Do Amazon Neptune and Amazon Athena offer a free trial?
- Yes, both Amazon Neptune and Amazon Athena offer a free trial.
- What is the starting price of Amazon Neptune vs Amazon Athena?
- Amazon Neptune starts at Contact for pricing. Amazon Athena starts at Contact for pricing.
- What are the top alternatives to Amazon Neptune?
- Top alternatives to Amazon Neptune include Hasura, Dgraph, Neo4j Graph Database, Nebula Graph, Oracle Spatial and Graph.
- What are the top alternatives to Amazon Athena?
- Top alternatives to Amazon Athena include Amazon DocumentDB, Azure Cosmos DB, Xata, Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), DataStax Astra.