Looking for a Cheap DynamoDB Alternative?

DynamoDB is the default choice for many AWS developers. It is serverless, fast, and integrates with everything. But once you leave the Free Tier, the costs can spiral out of control.

If you are building a startup or a side project, you might find yourself looking for a cheap DynamoDB alternative.

The Cost of "On-Demand"

DynamoDB's On-Demand pricing model charges you for every read and write unit.

• Write Request Unit (WRU): ~$1.25 per million.
• Read Request Unit (RRU): ~$0.25 per million.

This sounds cheap. But it assumes your data access is perfectly optimized.

• The Scan Trap: If you run a Scan operation instead of a Query, you read every single item in your table. One bad line of code can cost you hundreds of dollars.
• Size Matters: Pricing is based on 1KB chunks. If your JSON objects are 4KB, you pay 4x the price for every read and write.

Non-AWS Alternatives

When you look outside the AWS ecosystem, you find options that are often simpler and more predictable.

1. Cloudflare KV / D1

Cloudflare's edge storage is cheap, but it has limitations. KV is eventually consistent (changes take time to propagate), and D1 is currently in beta with limitations on database size.

2. Managed Redis (Upstash, etc.)

Serverless Redis providers offer a great "pay as you go" model. However, storage is RAM-based. If you have 10GB of cold data that you rarely access, you are still paying premium pricing to keep it in RAM.

3. Disk-Backed Key-Value Stores (BaseKV)

This is the sweet spot for cost. By using high-speed NVMe SSDs instead of RAM, you get:

• Persistence: Data is safe on disk.
• Low Cost: Disk is 10x-50x cheaper than RAM.
• Predictability: Flat pricing tiers often beat per-request billing for chatty applications.

When to Switch?

You should switch from DynamoDB if:

1. You don't need infinite scale: If you aren't doing 100,000 requests per second, you are paying for architecture you don't use.
2. You hate the API: The DynamoDB JSON format ({ "S": "some string" }) is verbose and annoying to debug.
3. You value portability: Moving away from DynamoDB is a rewrite. Moving away from a standard Key-Value store is a config change.

Conclusion

Don't default to DynamoDB just because it's there. For 90% of use cases, a simple, consistent, and cheap key-value store is faster to build with and easier on your wallet.

Check out BaseKV for a predictable alternative that respects your budget.