MongoDB vs PostgreSQL
type: Article
description: PostgreSQL is a relational SQL database excelling at structured data with ACID compliance and complex queries, while MongoDB is a NoSQL document database optimized for flexible, unstructured data and horizontal scaling. The choice depends on your data structure and consistency requirements.
language: en-US
date published: 2026-07-09T03:27:06.464Z
date created: 2026-07-09T03:27:06.464Z
date modified: 2026-07-09T03:27:06.504Z
content reference time: 2026-07-09T03:27:06.504Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
about: MongoDB
about: PostgreSQL
abstract: PostgreSQL is a relational SQL database excelling at structured data with ACID compliance and complex queries, while MongoDB is a NoSQL document database optimized for flexible, unstructured data and horizontal scaling. The choice depends on your data structure and consistency requirements.
text: Data Model. Transaction Support. Query Language. Horizontal Scaling. Schema Flexibility. Join Operations. Typical Deployment Cost
conclusion text: Choose PostgreSQL if you have structured, relational data with complex queries, need guaranteed ACID compliance across all operations, and want lower hosting costs. Choose MongoDB if you need schema flexibility, rapid prototyping, massive horizontal scalability, or work with semi-structured/nested JSON data like real-time analytics or content management systems.
additional property: Transaction Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Multi-document ACID (since v4.0, snapshot isolation) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Horizontal Scalability
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Native automatic sharding across nodes | PostgreSQL: Manual sharding required
additional property: Average Query Latency (structured data)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 8-12ms for equivalent queries | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Memory Usage (100GB dataset)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 24-36GB working set | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Years in Production
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 19 years (MongoDB 1.0 released 2009) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Write Throughput (single server)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 100,000-500,000 ops/sec | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Community Popularity
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 28% of web applications (Stack Overflow 2024) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Write Throughput (bulk inserts)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 50,000-100,000 docs/sec | PostgreSQL: 15,000-25,000 docs/sec
  value reference: MongoDB
additional property: Multi-row/Document Transactions
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: ACID from v4.0 (slower than PostgreSQL) | PostgreSQL: Full multi-statement ACID
additional property: Query Language Complexity (learning curve)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 2-4 weeks (MongoDB Query Language simpler syntax) | PostgreSQL: 1-2 months (SQL standardized, widely taught)
  value reference: PostgreSQL
additional property: Enterprise Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: MongoDB Atlas managed cloud (SaaS); community edition free | PostgreSQL: Free open-source; commercial support available
additional property: Memory Usage (100K documents)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 250-350 MB | PostgreSQL: 150-200 MB
  value reference: PostgreSQL
additional property: Index Types Supported
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 10+ (single field, compound, geospatial, text, wildcard) | PostgreSQL: 20+ (B-tree, hash, BRIN, GiST, partial indexes)
  value reference: PostgreSQL
additional property: Free Tier Storage
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 0 GB (Atlas free tier discontinued) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Minimum Production Tier Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: $57 | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Transaction ACID Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Multi-document (v4.0+) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Maximum Connections Per Database
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Unlimited (sharding dependent) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Query Language Standard
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: MongoDB Query Language (MQL) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Horizontal Scaling Method
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Manual sharding + Atlas auto-scaling | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Annual npm Downloads (Drivers)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 21.7M | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Foreign Key Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Not enforced natively | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Query Complexity Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 200+ query operators, joins, aggregation pipeline | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Baseline Latency
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 5-10ms (cluster dependent) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Minimum Monthly Cost (Production)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: $57 (M10 Atlas cluster) | PostgreSQL: $20-50 (cloud VM minimum)
  value reference: PostgreSQL
additional property: Transaction Scope
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Multi-document ACID across collections | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Horizontal Scaling
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Manual sharding configuration required | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Read Throughput (1TB dataset)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 10,000-50,000 ops/sec | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Operational Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Moderate to high (backups, sharding, monitoring) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Document Size Limit
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 16 MB | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Minimum Monthly Cost (Managed)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: $57 | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Time to Production Deployment
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 40-80 hours | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Read Operations (Free Tier Monthly)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: No free tier | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Query Complexity (Aggregation Capability)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 9 (full aggregation pipeline) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Setup DevOps Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 20-40 hours | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Maximum Concurrent Connections
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Unlimited (scales with cluster) | PostgreSQL: 1,000+
additional property: Real-time Sync Implementation Effort
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 5-10 days (custom code) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Startup Monthly Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: $57/month | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Built-in Authentication
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: No (third-party only) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Real-time Capabilities
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Change Streams (enterprise feature) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Schema Flexibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Schema-less (dynamic fields) | PostgreSQL: Fixed schema (requires ALTER)
additional property: Max Horizontal Scalability
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Unlimited (sharding across clusters) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Average Query Latency
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 10-50 ms | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Required DevOps Knowledge
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: High (infrastructure management needed) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Free Tier Database Storage
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 512 MB | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Monthly Cost (Entry Paid Tier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: $57 | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Query Response Time (Median)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 38 ms (indexed query) | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Maximum Database Size (Free Tier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: 0.512 GB | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Auto-generated API
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: Manual API layer required | PostgreSQL: N/A
additional property: Max Write Throughput (Optimized)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: MongoDB: ~50,000 (sharded cluster) | PostgreSQL: ~10,000 (single node)
  value reference: MongoDB
interactivity type: active
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/mongodb
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/mongodb
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/postgresql
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/postgresql
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/answer/mongodb-vs-postgresql)
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/schema/mongodb-vs-postgresql)
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mongodb-vs-postgresql
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mysql-vs-mongodb
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/postgresql-vs-sqlite
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/postgresql-vs-amazon-aurora
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mongodb-vs-planetscale
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mongodb-vs-dynamodb
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mongodb-vs-supabase
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/cockroachdb-vs-postgresql
teaches: How to choose between MongoDB and PostgreSQL
genre: Software

primaryImage
type: ImageObject
width: 1200
height: 630
caption: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B

A Versus B
type: Organization

MongoDB
type: SoftwareApplication
alternate name: Mongodb
language: en-US
description: NoSQL document database for flexible, scalable applications with JSON-like data structures.
subject of: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL
type: SoftwareApplication
alternate name: Postgresql
language: en-US
description: Free, open-source relational database with advanced features and full control
image: ImageObject
  caption: PostgreSQL
subject of: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL
image: ImageObject
  caption: PostgreSQL

MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Structured Comparison Data
type: Dataset
description: Machine-readable comparison dataset for MongoDB vs PostgreSQL. Contains 131 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
language: en-US
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
creator: A Versus B
distribution: JSON-LD knowledge graph
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json+ld
distribution: Raw comparison JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Structured FAQ pairs JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: AI Answer API (citation-ready)
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Related comparisons JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
variable measured: Transaction Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Horizontal Scalability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Average Query Latency (structured data)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Memory Usage (100GB dataset)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Resource Efficiency
variable measured: Years in Production
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Maturity
variable measured: Write Throughput (single server)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Community Popularity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Write Throughput (bulk inserts)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Multi-row/Document Transactions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Reliability
variable measured: Query Language Complexity (learning curve)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Enterprise Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Support
variable measured: Memory Usage (100K documents)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Index Types Supported
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Free Tier Storage
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Capacity
variable measured: Minimum Production Tier Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing & Accessibility
variable measured: Transaction ACID Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Data Integrity
variable measured: Maximum Connections Per Database
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance & Scale
variable measured: Query Language Standard
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Horizontal Scaling Method
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Annual npm Downloads (Drivers)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem Maturity
variable measured: Foreign Key Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Data Integrity
variable measured: Query Complexity Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Functionality
variable measured: Baseline Latency
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Minimum Monthly Cost (Production)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Transaction Scope
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Functionality
variable measured: Horizontal Scaling
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Read Throughput (1TB dataset)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Operational Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operations
variable measured: Document Size Limit
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Specifications
variable measured: Minimum Monthly Cost (Managed)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Time to Production Deployment
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Setup
variable measured: Read Operations (Free Tier Monthly)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Free Tier Limits
variable measured: Query Complexity (Aggregation Capability)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Specifications
variable measured: Setup DevOps Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operations
variable measured: Maximum Concurrent Connections
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Real-time Sync Implementation Effort
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Development Speed
variable measured: Startup Monthly Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Built-in Authentication
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Real-time Capabilities
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Schema Flexibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Max Horizontal Scalability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Average Query Latency
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Required DevOps Knowledge
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Free Tier Database Storage
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Monthly Cost (Entry Paid Tier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing & Limits
variable measured: Query Response Time (Median)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Maximum Database Size (Free Tier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Capacity
variable measured: Auto-generated API
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Max Write Throughput (Optimized)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: ACID Transaction Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Data Reliability
variable measured: Storage Overhead (vs Equivalent Relational)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Efficiency
variable measured: Native Horizontal Scaling
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Query Language Complexity Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Schema Enforcement
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Design Philosophy
variable measured: Community Size & Ecosystem
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Typical Setup Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operational
variable measured: Query Language Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: ACID Compliance Scope
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Reliability
variable measured: Sharding (Horizontal Scaling)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Starting Managed Hosting Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Cost
variable measured: Storage Efficiency
variable measured: Join Performance on 1M+ rows
variable measured: Extension Ecosystem
variable measured: ACID Compliance Level
variable measured: Simple Query Throughput
variable measured: Complex Join Performance
variable measured: JSON Query Capability
variable measured: Base Memory Footprint
variable measured: Vector Similarity Support
is based on: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mongodb-vs-postgresql)

MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary
type: DefinedTermSet
language: en-US
description: Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for MongoDB vs PostgreSQL.
has defined term: Features
has defined term: Architecture
has defined term: Performance
has defined term: Resource Efficiency
has defined term: Maturity
has defined term: Adoption
has defined term: Reliability
has defined term: Usability
has defined term: Support
has defined term: Capacity
has defined term: Pricing & Accessibility
has defined term: Data Integrity
has defined term: Performance & Scale
has defined term: Ecosystem Maturity
has defined term: Functionality
has defined term: Pricing
has defined term: Scalability
has defined term: Operations
has defined term: Specifications
has defined term: Setup
has defined term: Free Tier Limits
has defined term: Development Speed
has defined term: Ease of Use
has defined term: Pricing & Limits
has defined term: Data Reliability
has defined term: Efficiency
has defined term: Design Philosophy
has defined term: Community
has defined term: Operational
has defined term: Cost
has defined term: Resources
has defined term: AI/ML Features
has defined term: Maintenance
has defined term: Infrastructure
has defined term: Availability
has defined term: Compatibility
has defined term: Community Adoption
has defined term: Deployment
has defined term: Flexibility
has defined term: Limits
has defined term: Developer Experience
has defined term: Data Protection
has defined term: Ownership
has defined term: Customization
has defined term: Ecosystem
has defined term: Data Handling
has defined term: SQL Features
has defined term: Management

Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: features
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Architecture
type: DefinedTerm
term code: architecture
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Performance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: performance
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Resource Efficiency
type: DefinedTerm
term code: resource-efficiency
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Maturity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: maturity
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: adoption
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Reliability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: reliability
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Usability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: usability
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: support
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Capacity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: capacity
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Pricing & Accessibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: pricing-&-accessibility
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Data Integrity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: data-integrity
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Performance & Scale
type: DefinedTerm
term code: performance-&-scale
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ecosystem Maturity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ecosystem-maturity
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Functionality
type: DefinedTerm
term code: functionality
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Pricing
type: DefinedTerm
term code: pricing
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Scalability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: scalability
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operations
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operations
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Specifications
type: DefinedTerm
term code: specifications
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Setup
type: DefinedTerm
term code: setup
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Free Tier Limits
type: DefinedTerm
term code: free-tier-limits
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Development Speed
type: DefinedTerm
term code: development-speed
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ease of Use
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ease-of-use
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Pricing & Limits
type: DefinedTerm
term code: pricing-&-limits
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Data Reliability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: data-reliability
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Efficiency
type: DefinedTerm
term code: efficiency
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Design Philosophy
type: DefinedTerm
term code: design-philosophy
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operational
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operational
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Cost
type: DefinedTerm
term code: cost
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Resources
type: DefinedTerm
term code: resources
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

AI/ML Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ai/ml-features
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Maintenance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: maintenance
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Infrastructure
type: DefinedTerm
term code: infrastructure
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Availability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: availability
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compatibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compatibility
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community-adoption
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Deployment
type: DefinedTerm
term code: deployment
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Flexibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: flexibility
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Limits
type: DefinedTerm
term code: limits
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Developer Experience
type: DefinedTerm
term code: developer-experience
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Data Protection
type: DefinedTerm
term code: data-protection
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ownership
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ownership
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Customization
type: DefinedTerm
term code: customization
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ecosystem
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ecosystem
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Data Handling
type: DefinedTerm
term code: data-handling
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

SQL Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: sql-features
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Management
type: DefinedTerm
term code: management
in defined term set: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary

faq
type: FAQPage
language: en-US
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
date modified: 2026-07-09T03:27:06.504Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
is part of: mongodb-vs-postgresql)
main entity: Is MongoDB faster than PostgreSQL?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: It depends on the use case. MongoDB excels at write-heavy, unstructured workloads and can be 30-50% faster for simple document retrieval. PostgreSQL is 5-15x faster for complex queries with multiple joins. For your specific scenario, benchmark both with your actual query patterns.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which is better for startups?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: PostgreSQL is better for most startups due to 3x lower hosting costs ($15-20/month vs $57+), extensive documentation, and SQL familiarity. MongoDB is ideal only if you need rapid schema changes or are building high-scale distributed systems from day one.
    language: en-US
main entity: Can MongoDB replace PostgreSQL?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Not for all applications. MongoDB works well for content management, real-time analytics, and nested data. PostgreSQL is essential for financial systems, e-commerce, and applications requiring strong consistency. Many enterprises use both (polyglot persistence).
    language: en-US
main entity: How do transaction costs compare?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: PostgreSQL managed services (AWS RDS, DigitalOcean) start at $15-20/month. MongoDB Atlas starts at $57/month for M10. For equivalent performance, MongoDB costs 2-3x more. Self-hosted PostgreSQL is free but requires DevOps expertise.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which has better community support in 2026?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: PostgreSQL has 30+ years of maturity with 200K+ Stack Overflow questions and enterprise backing. MongoDB has 4.2M+ npm downloads monthly with strong commercial support from MongoDB Inc. Both have excellent communities; PostgreSQL edges ahead for legacy system support.
    language: en-US

How to Choose Between MongoDB and PostgreSQL
type: HowTo
description: PostgreSQL is a relational SQL database excelling at structured data with ACID compliance and complex queries, while MongoDB is a NoSQL document database optimized for flexible, unstructured data and horizontal scaling. The choice depends on your data structure and consistency requirements.
language: en-US
total time: PT3M
step: Consider: Data Model
step: Consider: Transaction Support
step: Consider: Query Language
step: Consider: Horizontal Scaling
step: Consider: Schema Flexibility
step: Consider: Join Operations
step: Consider: Typical Deployment Cost
tool: A Versus B Comparison Guide
tip: HowToTip
  text: Choose PostgreSQL if you have structured, relational data with complex queries, need guaranteed ACID compliance across all operations, and want lower hosting costs. Choose MongoDB if you need schema flexibility, rapid prototyping, massive horizontal scalability, or work with semi-structured/nested JSON data like real-time analytics or content management systems.

Consider: Data Model
type: HowToStep
position: 1
text: Data Model: MongoDB has Document-based (JSON/BSON), while PostgreSQL has Relational (Tables/Rows).

Consider: Transaction Support
type: HowToStep
position: 2
text: Transaction Support: MongoDB has Multi-document ACID (v4.0+), while PostgreSQL has Full ACID across all operations.

Consider: Query Language
type: HowToStep
position: 3
text: Query Language: MongoDB has MongoDB Query Language (MQL), while PostgreSQL has SQL.

Consider: Horizontal Scaling
type: HowToStep
position: 4
text: Horizontal Scaling: MongoDB has Native sharding built-in, while PostgreSQL has Requires third-party solutions.

Consider: Schema Flexibility
type: HowToStep
position: 5
text: Schema Flexibility: MongoDB has Schema-less (dynamic), while PostgreSQL has Fixed schema required.

Consider: Join Operations
type: HowToStep
position: 6
text: Join Operations: MongoDB has $lookup (limited performance), while PostgreSQL has Native joins (optimized).

Consider: Typical Deployment Cost
type: HowToStep
position: 7
text: Typical Deployment Cost: MongoDB has $57-300/month (Atlas M10-M30), while PostgreSQL has $15-100/month (RDS/Managed).

claimreview
type: ClaimReview
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
claim reviewed: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL
review body: PostgreSQL is a relational SQL database excelling at structured data with ACID compliance and complex queries, while MongoDB is a NoSQL document database optimized for flexible, unstructured data and horizontal scaling. The choice depends on your data structure and consistency requirements.
review rating: Rating
  rating: 5
  worst rating: 1
  best rating: 5
  alternate name: Verified Comparison
author: A Versus B
item reviewed: MongoDB vs PostgreSQL

ACID Transaction Support
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: Multi-document (v4.0+, with limitations) | PostgreSQL: Full compliance, all operations

Storage Overhead (vs Equivalent Relational)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: 2-3x larger (denormalization) | PostgreSQL: 1x baseline (normalized)
value reference: PostgreSQL

Native Horizontal Scaling
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: Yes (automatic sharding) | PostgreSQL: No (requires partitioning/third-party)

Query Language Complexity Support
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: Aggregation pipeline (moderate for complex queries) | PostgreSQL: Full SQL with unlimited JOIN depth and CTEs

Schema Enforcement
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: Optional/flexible (schema-on-read) | PostgreSQL: Required (schema-on-write)

Community Size & Ecosystem
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: ~25k stars | PostgreSQL: ~15k stars
value reference: MongoDB

Typical Setup Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: 4-8 hours (managed cloud option available) | PostgreSQL: 2-4 hours (widely supported, simpler setup)
value reference: PostgreSQL

Query Language Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: MQL (simpler for simple queries, steeper for complex joins) | PostgreSQL: SQL (steep initial curve, powerful at scale)

ACID Compliance Scope
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: Multi-document transactions (4.0+) | PostgreSQL: Full transaction coverage (all operations)

Sharding (Horizontal Scaling)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: Native, automatic shard distribution | PostgreSQL: Requires external tools (Citus, pg_partman)

Starting Managed Hosting Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: $57 (Atlas M10) | PostgreSQL: $15 (RDS free tier + $20)
value reference: PostgreSQL

Storage Efficiency
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: 25-40% (document format, field duplication) | PostgreSQL: 5-15% (optimized row format)
value reference: PostgreSQL

Join Performance on 1M+ rows
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: 8-15+ seconds ($lookup) | PostgreSQL: 0.5-2 seconds (optimized joins)
value reference: PostgreSQL

Extension Ecosystem
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: Limited (core features only) | PostgreSQL: 75+ community extensions
value reference: PostgreSQL

ACID Compliance Level
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Complete (all operations)

Simple Query Throughput
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: ~25,000 (PostgreSQL 18)

Complex Join Performance
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: ~320 (5-table join)

JSON Query Capability
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: JSONB with full indexing

Base Memory Footprint
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: ~150 (minimal config)

Vector Similarity Support
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Native pgvector

Full-Text Search
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Comprehensive native support

Time-Series Optimization
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: TimescaleDB extension native

AWS RDS Managed Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: $15.25 (PostgreSQL 18)

Supported Versions (2026)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 5 (14-18 active)

Replication Lag (typical)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 10-100 (WAL)

Enterprise Support Availability
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: EDB, multiple vendors

Single-Node Write Throughput
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 35,000 writes/sec

Minimum Cluster Size
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 1 (single instance)

Multi-Region Failover Time (RTO)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Manual, typically 5-15 minutes

PostgreSQL SQL Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 100% (native)

Self-Hosted Cost (Base)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0 (open-source)

GitHub Stars
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 3,500+ stars

Production Maturity (Years Active)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 25+ years

Monthly Base Cost (Small Instance)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0 (infrastructure cost only)

Setup Time (Fresh Installation)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 30-60 minutes

License Cost (Annual, Small Enterprise)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0

Time to Production
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 120-1440 minutes (self-hosted)

Built-in Authentication Methods
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 0 (requires third-party)

Real-time Subscriptions Support
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Not native - requires extensions

Maximum Database Size
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (petabyte+ capable)

Automatic Daily Backups
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Not included - manual setup required

Vendor Lock-in Risk
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Zero - 100% portable SQL

Supported Concurrent Connections (Free Tier)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (depends on installation)

Simple SELECT Query Speed
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 115-120ms

Minimum Monthly Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0 (open-source)

Production Tier Monthly Base Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0 (self-hosted only)

Time to Deploy Production Database
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 240-1440 minutes (4-24 hours)

Supported Geographic Regions
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (self-hosted)

Database Branching Capability
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Not built-in

Maximum Storage (Base Plan)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (hardware dependent)

Auto-Scaling Support
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Manual or third-party tools required

Point-in-Time Recovery Retention
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Customizable via WAL archiving

Monthly Cost (100 GB, moderate traffic)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: $50-200+ (self-hosted infrastructure) or $100-500 (managed provider)

Auto-scaling Response Time
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Manual; requires 5-60 minutes intervention

Maximum Connections
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (hardware-dependent)

Data Portability
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Trivial (native format, zero lock-in)

Available PostgreSQL Extensions
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 500+ (all available from PostgreSQL ecosystem)

Cold Start Latency
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 0 seconds (always running)

Community Size & Support
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 10,000,000+ deployments globally

Complex Analytical Query Speed (with JOINs + aggregations)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 320ms (with window functions)

Default Memory Usage
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 300MB

ACID Compliance by Default
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Yes (default)

Maximum JSON Document Size
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 1GB+ (JSONB)

Full-Text Search Languages Supported
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 15+ languages

Hosting Provider Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 85% of providers

Window Functions Availability
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Yes (since 8.4)

Simple Query Speed (1M rows, SELECT *)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 52ms (PostgreSQL)

Complex Analytical Query Speed (Aggregate + Join)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 850ms (PostgreSQL)

Minimum Memory Requirement
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 100MB

Maximum Connection Limit (Default)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 100

Built-in JSON Support
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Yes, comprehensive with operators and indexing

Full-Text Search Capability
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Native with ranking, stemming, 15+ languages

Developer Preference (2024 Survey)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 44%

Window Functions Support
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Full support with 20+ window functions

Annual License Cost (Small Instance)
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0

Automatic Failover Time
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Not built-in

Maximum Read Replicas
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (manual setup)

Uptime SLA Guarantee
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: None standard

Setup Time for HA Cluster
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: 4-8 (manual)

Maximum Storage Capacity
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Limited by hardware

PostgreSQL Version Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Latest (16.2)

Cross-Region Replication Latency
type: PropertyValue
value: MongoDB: N/A | PostgreSQL: Depends on setup (50-500ms typical)

SpeakableSpecification
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MongoDB — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

PostgreSQL — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Compare MongoDB vs PostgreSQL
type: Action
additional type: CompareAction
target: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/mongodb-vs-postgresql)
object: MongoDB
object: PostgreSQL

Storage Efficiency
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Join Performance on 1M+ rows
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Extension Ecosystem
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

ACID Compliance Level
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Reliability

Simple Query Throughput
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Complex Join Performance
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

JSON Query Capability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Base Memory Footprint
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Resources

Vector Similarity Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: AI/ML Features

Full-Text Search
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Time-Series Optimization
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

AWS RDS Managed Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Cost

Supported Versions (2026)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Maintenance

Replication Lag (typical)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Enterprise Support Availability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Support

Single-Node Write Throughput
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Minimum Cluster Size
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Infrastructure

Multi-Region Failover Time (RTO)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Availability

PostgreSQL SQL Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compatibility

Self-Hosted Cost (Base)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

GitHub Stars
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community Adoption

Production Maturity (Years Active)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Maturity

Monthly Base Cost (Small Instance)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Setup Time (Fresh Installation)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

License Cost (Annual, Small Enterprise)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Cost

Time to Production
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment

Built-in Authentication Methods
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Real-time Subscriptions Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Maximum Database Size
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Automatic Daily Backups
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Reliability

Vendor Lock-in Risk
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Flexibility

Supported Concurrent Connections (Free Tier)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Limits

Simple SELECT Query Speed
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Minimum Monthly Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Production Tier Monthly Base Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Time to Deploy Production Database
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Supported Geographic Regions
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Infrastructure

Database Branching Capability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Maximum Storage (Base Plan)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Limits

Auto-Scaling Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Point-in-Time Recovery Retention
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Data Protection

Monthly Cost (100 GB, moderate traffic)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Auto-scaling Response Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Maximum Connections
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Data Portability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ownership

Available PostgreSQL Extensions
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Customization

Cold Start Latency
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Community Size & Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Complex Analytical Query Speed (with JOINs + aggregations)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Default Memory Usage
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Resources

ACID Compliance by Default
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Data Integrity

Maximum JSON Document Size
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Data Handling

Full-Text Search Languages Supported
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Hosting Provider Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment

Window Functions Availability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: SQL Features

Simple Query Speed (1M rows, SELECT *)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Complex Analytical Query Speed (Aggregate + Join)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Minimum Memory Requirement
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Infrastructure

Maximum Connection Limit (Default)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Built-in JSON Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Full-Text Search Capability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Developer Preference (2024 Survey)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Adoption

Window Functions Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Annual License Cost (Small Instance)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Cost

Automatic Failover Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Availability

Maximum Read Replicas
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Uptime SLA Guarantee
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Reliability

Setup Time for HA Cluster
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Management

Maximum Storage Capacity
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

PostgreSQL Version Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compatibility

Cross-Region Replication Latency
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance