At a glance
| Database engines | PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, ClickHouse and OpenSearch, plus Kafka and other open source services |
| Regions | More than 100 regions across AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, DigitalOcean, OVH and UpCloud (fewer clouds on Hobbyist, none selectable on Free and Developer) |
| Scaling | Change plan size or tier, add storage, add read-only replicas |
| Backups and recovery | PostgreSQL: daily full backup plus WAL for point-in-time recovery; retention 2 days (Startup), 14 days (Business), 30 days (Premium) |
| High availability | Single node on Hobbyist and Startup; primary plus one standby on Business; primary plus two standbys on Premium |
| Free tier | Yes for PostgreSQL, Kafka, OpenSearch and Valkey: 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM, 1 GB storage, no cloud or region choice; MySQL free tier retired |
| Pricing model | Hourly per plan, invoiced monthly; plan price includes VMs, network and backups |
Aiven suits teams that want the same managed open source services on more than one cloud, or a database and a streaming or search service from one vendor, with predictable plan prices that already include backups and network. High availability starts at the Business plan, and the cheapest plans do not let you pick a cloud or region.
Overview
Aiven runs open source data technologies as managed services. Its pricing page lists Apache Kafka (with Kafka Connect and MirrorMaker 2), PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, OpenSearch, ClickHouse, Grafana and a metrics service, among others. You choose a service, a cloud provider, a region and a plan; Aiven provisions the virtual machines and handles backups, patching and failover.
Plans are tiers of node count and size: Hobbyist and Startup run a single node, Business adds one standby node and Premium two. Aiven states it runs in more than 100 regions across AWS, Google Cloud, Azure and other providers, and services can be managed from the console, the CLI, a REST API or Terraform. A bring-your-own-cloud option runs services inside the customer's cloud account.
Key features
- One console and API for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, Valkey, OpenSearch, ClickHouse and other open source services
- Choice of six cloud providers on Startup plans and above, with migration between clouds, regions and plans included in the plan price
- PostgreSQL backups: a daily full backup plus WAL copied about every 5 minutes, enabling point-in-time recovery
- Standby nodes with automatic promotion on Business (one standby) and Premium (two standbys) plans
- Read-only replicas, which can be in a different region or cloud provider
- Service forking: create an independent copy of a service from its backups for testing
- Terraform provider and CLI, plus a bring-your-own-cloud deployment option
Pros and cons
Pros
- Same managed services across six cloud providers, useful for multi-cloud or cloud-neutral teams
- All-inclusive plan pricing makes bills easier to predict than metered network and backup charges
- Databases, Kafka and search from one vendor, with integrations between services
- Free and 5 USD Developer tiers for learning and small projects
Cons
- High availability needs a Business or Premium plan; Hobbyist and Startup are single node
- Free and Developer services cannot choose a cloud or region, and inactive free services may be powered off
- The MySQL free tier is retired, so free MySQL is no longer an option
- Additional storage and PrivateLink are billed on top of the plan
Pricing
Aiven bills services by the hour while they are powered on and invoices monthly, with plan prices that it describes as all-inclusive of virtual machines, network, backups and maintenance; additional storage and PrivateLink cost extra. A Free tier (0 USD, one VM with 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM and 1 GB storage, no choice of cloud or region) is offered for PostgreSQL, Kafka, OpenSearch and Valkey; the MySQL free tier is retired for new services. For PostgreSQL the pricing page lists Developer from 5 USD per month, Hobbyist from 12 USD, Startup from 75 USD, Business from 180 USD and Premium from 270 USD per month, in USD, with the final price depending on cloud, region and plan size.
Pricing checked on the vendor's official page on 7 November 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.
Who it is best for
Teams that want managed PostgreSQL, MySQL or Kafka on the cloud of their choice, or across several clouds, with predictable all-inclusive plan prices.
Who should look elsewhere
- Teams that need sharded MySQL or a provisioned three-zone cluster from a database-only specialist: see PlanetScale.
- Mostly idle or per-branch Postgres databases that should scale to zero: see Neon.
Verdict
Aiven is a practical choice when cloud choice or multi-cloud matters, or when you want databases and Kafka under one bill with backups and network included. Budget for a Business plan if you need a standby node, and note that the free tier now covers PostgreSQL but not MySQL.
Frequently asked questions
Does Aiven have a free tier?
Yes. Aiven offers free services for PostgreSQL, Apache Kafka, OpenSearch and Valkey with no time limit and no credit card, on one VM with 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM and 1 GB storage. You cannot pick the cloud or region, and Aiven may power off inactive free services. The MySQL free tier is retired; the cheapest MySQL option is the 5 USD Developer plan.
Which clouds does Aiven run on?
AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, DigitalOcean, OVH and UpCloud on Startup, Business and Premium plans. Hobbyist plans are limited to DigitalOcean, Google Cloud and OVH, and Free and Developer services run where Aiven places them.
Which Aiven plans include high availability?
For PostgreSQL, Business plans run a primary and one standby and Premium plans a primary and two standbys; the standby is promoted automatically if the primary fails. Hobbyist and Startup run a single node.
Sources
- Aiven pricing
- Aiven docs: Service pricing, free and developer tiers
- Aiven docs: PostgreSQL backups
- Aiven docs: PostgreSQL high availability
- Aiven docs: PostgreSQL read-only replicas
- Aiven: free MySQL tier retired
Checked November 2026.
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