OCI Autonomous Database Pricing (2026)
Managed relational database services handle provisioning, patching, backups, and replication so you can focus on your application. Support for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and other engines with high availability built in. Autonomous Database is self-driving, self-securing, and self-repairing. 2 instances with 20 GB each are Always Free. Starting from $0.0807/hr ($58.91/mo) for Autonomous Lakehouse - ECPU -BYOL.
Key Features
- ✓Automated backups, patching, and failover
- ✓Multi-AZ / multi-region replication for high availability
- ✓Support for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, and Oracle
- ✓Read replicas for scaling read-heavy workloads
- ✓Automatic storage scaling
Common Use Cases
Web Applications
Backend database for web apps with automated backups and multi-AZ failover for reliability.
SaaS Platforms
Multi-tenant database infrastructure with read replicas for scaling customer workloads.
Data Warehousing
OLAP workloads with read replicas and optimized instance types for analytical queries.
On-Demand Pricing
Pay-as-you-go pricing with no upfront commitment. You are billed per hour of usage and can start or stop at any time. Hourly rates start at $0.0807/hr ($58.91/mo) for Autonomous Lakehouse - ECPU -BYOL.
| Instance | vCPU | Memory | Price/hr | Price/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous Lakehouse - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.3360 | $245.28 |
| Autonomous Transaction Processing - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.3360 | $245.28 |
| Autonomous Lakehouse - ECPU -BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 |
| Autonomous Transaction Processing - ECPU - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 |
| Autonomous Lakehouse - Dedicated - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.3360 | $245.28 |
| Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.3360 | $245.28 |
| Autonomous Lakehouse - Dedicated - ECPU - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 |
| Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated - ECPU - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 |
| Globally Distributed Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated | 1 | - | $0.3864 | $282.07 |
| Globally Distributed Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0928 | $67.74 |
| Globally Distributed Autonomous Lakehouse - Dedicated | 1 | - | $0.3864 | $282.07 |
| Globally Distributed Autonomous Lakehouse - Dedicated - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0928 | $67.74 |
| Autonomous JSON Database - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 |
Reserved Instance & Savings Plans Pricing
Commit to 1 or 3 years for lower hourly rates.
| Instance | vCPU | Memory | Price/hr | Price/mo | 1yr RI/hr | 3yr RI/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous Lakehouse - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.3360 | $245.28 | - | - |
| Autonomous Transaction Processing - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.3360 | $245.28 | - | - |
| Autonomous Lakehouse - ECPU -BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 | - | - |
| Autonomous Transaction Processing - ECPU - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 | - | - |
| Autonomous Lakehouse - Dedicated - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.3360 | $245.28 | - | - |
| Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.3360 | $245.28 | - | - |
| Autonomous Lakehouse - Dedicated - ECPU - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 | - | - |
| Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated - ECPU - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 | - | - |
| Globally Distributed Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated | 1 | - | $0.3864 | $282.07 | - | - |
| Globally Distributed Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0928 | $67.74 | - | - |
| Globally Distributed Autonomous Lakehouse - Dedicated | 1 | - | $0.3864 | $282.07 | - | - |
| Globally Distributed Autonomous Lakehouse - Dedicated - BYOL | 1 | - | $0.0928 | $67.74 | - | - |
| Autonomous JSON Database - ECPU | 1 | - | $0.0807 | $58.91 | - | - |
How Autonomous Database Pricing Works
On-Demand
Pay per hour with no long-term commitment. Ideal for variable workloads and development environments.
Reserved / Committed Use
Commit to 1 or 3 years for significant discounts.
Spot / Preemptible
Use spare capacity at steep discounts. Best for fault-tolerant, batch, and stateless workloads.
Monthly Cost Examples
OCI Autonomous Database Free Tier
Free limit: 2 instances, 1 OCPU + 20 GB each. This free tier never expires and renews monthly.
Free Tier Comparison
| Provider | Service | Free Offering | Duration | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCI | Autonomous Database | Transaction/JSON/APEX | Always | 2 instances, 1 OCPU + 20 GB each |
| AWS | RDS | db.t2.micro / db.t3.micro | 12 months | 750 hrs/mo |
| Azure | SQL Database | Serverless | 12 months | 100K vCore-sec, 32 GB |
| GCP | Cloud SQL | None | - | - |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OCI Autonomous Database?
OCI Autonomous Database is a cloud service offered by OCI. It provides various configurations (13 pricing tiers available) with pay-as-you-go and committed-use pricing options.
How much does OCI Autonomous Database cost per month?
Prices range from $58.91/month for Autonomous Lakehouse - ECPU -BYOL to $282.07/month for Globally Distributed Autonomous Transaction Processing - Dedicated on On-Demand pricing in us-ashburn-1.
Does OCI Autonomous Database have a free tier?
OCI offers various free tier options. Check the official OCI pricing page for the most current free tier details for Autonomous Database.
How many OCI Autonomous Database pricing tiers are available?
There are 13 pricing tiers available for OCI Autonomous Database. These range from entry-level configurations to high-performance options for enterprise workloads.
What pricing models does OCI Autonomous Database offer?
OCI Autonomous Database offers On-Demand (pay-per-hour, no commitment), Reserved/Committed Use (1-3 year commitments for significant discounts), and in some cases Spot/Preemptible pricing for interruptible workloads at the lowest cost.
Is a managed database worth the extra cost over self-hosted?
Managed databases cost 20-40% more than running your own on a VM, but include automated backups, patching, failover, and monitoring. For most teams the operational savings outweigh the price premium. Self-hosting makes sense only when you need custom configurations or have dedicated DBA expertise.
What is included in managed database hourly pricing?
Hourly pricing covers the compute instance, OS license, and database engine. Storage, backups, and data transfer are billed separately. Some providers bundle a limited amount of backup storage. Always check for I/O costs, which can be significant for write-heavy workloads.