Azure SQL Database vs SQLite
Azure SQL Database
azure.microsoft.com
SQLite
sqlite.orgSide by side
| Figure | Azure SQL Database | SQLite |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $12.50/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 16 |
| Spec score · Relational Databases | 8.9 (#3) | 8.6 (#6) |
| Spec score · Database Software | 9.0 (#7) | 9.4 (#2) |
| Spec score · Transaction Data Store Software | 8.8 (#6) | 8.7 (#8) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Licence | Azure SQL Database is a proprietary Microsoft cloud service rather than an open-source database; licensing is bundled or discounted through Azure pricing and Azure Hybrid Benefit. | SQLite source code is dedicated to the public domain and may be used for any purpose. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.8 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings | 5.0 out of 5 from 1 rating |
| Rating on G2 | 4.5 out of 5 from 242 reviews | 4.3 out of 5 from 260 reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 1.7 out of 5 from 60 reviews | 2.9 out of 5 from 2 reviews |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 8.3 out of 10 from 291 reviews and ratings | 8 out of 10 from 47 reviews |
| Security | Its security and governance features include a multilayered approach that includes Microsoft Defender for SQL. | The security guidance says SQLite is extensively fuzz-tested and recommends defensive settings and lower input limits for applications accepting untrusted SQL. |
| Self-hosting | Azure SQL Database is delivered as Microsoft’s cloud PaaS service; Microsoft separately documents SQL Server containers and virtual machines for self-managed deployments. | SQLite has no separate server process and reads and writes ordinary local disk files, so applications embed and operate it themselves. |
| What it does | Azure SQL Database is Microsoft’s managed cloud relational database service for transactional and analytical workloads. | SQLite is an in-process C library that provides a self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration SQL database engine. |
Plans
Azure SQL Database
- Free offerFree
- Azure SQL Database free offerFree
- Azure SQL Database free tierFree
- Azure SQL Database pay-as-you-goPrice not published
- Pay as you goPrice not published
SQLite
- Public ForumFree
- SQLiteFree
- SQLite Consortium Membership$150 a year
- Technical Support$885 a year
- Annual Maintenance Subscription$1,500 a year
- Annual Maintenance Subscription$1,500 a year
- CEROD$2,000, paid once
- CEROD$2,000, paid once
- SQLite Encryption Extension (SEE)$2,000, paid once
- SQLite Encryption Extension (SEE)$2,000, paid once
In their own words
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Database is a cloud-native relational database service built on the SQL Server engine and delivered as a fully managed PaaS. Microsoft manages provisioning, patching, backups, monitoring, and high availability. The service supports standard T-SQL and can be accessed through the Azure portal, SQL Server Management Studio, Visual Studio Code's MSSQL extension, and compatible application frameworks. It supports native JSON and REST and GraphQL APIs through Data API builder. Hyperscale independently scales compute and storage and supports scale-out with up to 30 named replicas. For AI application development, it offers native vector search and connections to Azure OpenAI and Azure AI Search. It can connect to Azure Functions and replicate SQL data into Microsoft Fabric for near-real-time querying and analysis. Security and governance include a multilayered approach with Microsoft Defender for SQL; recovery features include disaster recovery and snapshot-based backups. The free offer allows up to 10 General Purpose databases per subscription, each with 100,000 vCore seconds, 32 GB of data, and 32 GB of backup storage monthly. Once limits are reached, a database can auto-pause or remain online with excess use billed at standard rates.
SQLite
SQLite is a transactional SQL database engine that runs within an application, without a separate server process or configuration. Each complete database resides in a single disk file that works across platforms. Its SQL features include partial indexes, indexes on expressions, JSON, common table expressions, and window functions. Transactions are atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable, including after system crashes and power failures. A database file can have unlimited simultaneous readers, but only one writer at a time. The project recommends SQLite for device-local storage with low writer concurrency and less than a terabyte of content. SQLite is free for commercial or private use, with source code in the public domain. Downloads include source and precompiled binaries for Android, Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows, along with WebAssembly and JavaScript bundles for web applications. A free public forum is available, alongside paid private email and technical support options. The maker is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was founded in 2000.