--- title: "AWS Database Migration Service vs Estuary Flow: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "AWS Database Migration Service vs Estuary Flow compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which change data capture (cdc) tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/aws-dms-vs-estuary retrieved: 2026-11-10 --- ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) vs ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/estuary.ico) # AWS Database Migration Service vs Estuary Flow: Which is Better in 2026? Change Data Capture (CDC) [AWS Database Migration Service](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/aws-dms) and [Estuary Flow](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/estuary) are both Change Data Capture (CDC) tools, made for different people. AWS Database Migration Service is for teams moving databases into AWS, or keeping a source and target in sync during a migration, inside their own AWS account. Estuary Flow is for teams that need database changes in their warehouse or stream within seconds and want a managed service priced by data volume. Quick verdict There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose AWS Database Migration Service if your target, your source or both already live on AWS. Choose Estuary Flow if you want real-time CDC without running Kafka or Debezium yourself. ## AWS Database Migration Service vs Estuary Flow: Side by Side | | AWS Database Migration Service | Estuary Flow | | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | Category | Change Data Capture (CDC) | Change Data Capture (CDC) | | What it is | Managed database migration and replication (AWS) | Managed real-time CDC and ELT | | Source databases | Major commercial and open-source databases | Databases plus SaaS sources (200+ connectors) | | Where it runs | Your AWS account | Estuary’s cloud or private deployment | | How you pay | Hourly per instance or per DCU | $0.50 per GB plus a monthly fee per connector | | Free access | AWS Free Tier credits for new accounts | Free up to 10 GB and 2 connectors a month | | Pricing | Usage-based | Free · then usage-based | | Starting price | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier available | | Free tier | — | ✓ | | Rating | 4.1 | 4.3 | | Best for | Change Data Capture (CDC): database migration, AWS, cut-over sync | Change Data Capture (CDC): managed CDC, per-GB pricing, real-time | Ratings are App Stack Builder’s editorial score out of 5, not an average of user reviews. ## Pros & Cons ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) [AWS Database Migration Service](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/aws-dms) * ✓Pay-as-you-go with no licence * ✓Heterogeneous migrations plus free schema conversion * ✓Serverless option scales itself * ✓Lives inside your AWS account * ✗Tied to AWS as source or target * ✗Tuning large ongoing replications takes work * ✗Hourly rates live in a calculator, not on the page ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/logos/estuary.ico) [Estuary Flow](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/estuary) * ✓Real-time CDC rather than batch * ✓Pricing you can predict from data volume * ✓Backfill and streaming in one pipeline * ✓Cheaper than MAR billing on busy tables * ✗Smaller connector catalogue * ✗Per-connector fee hurts wide, thin pipelines * ✗Younger product with a smaller community ## Key Features Compared ### AWS Database Migration Service * ✓Homogeneous and heterogeneous migrations from Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and others * ✓Billed hourly per replication instance (Single-AZ or Multi-AZ), or by DCU-hour on DMS Serverless * ✓Burstable instances include 50 GB of storage; compute and memory-optimized ones include 100 GB * ✓Schema Conversion is free apart from the S3 storage it uses * ✓New accounts since July 15 2025 get up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits instead of free DMS hours ### Estuary Flow * ✓Developer: free for up to 10 GB a month and 2 connector instances, no card and no time limit * ✓Cloud: $0.50 per GB plus $100 a month per connector instance, $50 each after the sixth * ✓Data counts once on capture and again on delivery, so 100 GB moved can bill as 200 GB * ✓Connector fees prorated by the hour; no minimum on pay-as-you-go * ✓Cloud starts with a 30-day free trial once you pass the Developer limits * ✓Enterprise: annual contract with committed usage and discounts ### Choose AWS Database Migration Service if… * ✓Your target, your source or both already live on AWS. * ✓You are converting between engines, for example Oracle to PostgreSQL. * ✓You want pay-by-the-hour with nothing to install. [AWS Database Migration Service review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/aws-dms) ### Choose Estuary Flow if… * ✓You want to start free. Estuary Flow has a free tier and AWS Database Migration Service does not. * ✓You want real-time CDC without running Kafka or Debezium yourself. * ✓You prefer a bill based on GB moved over one based on rows changed. * ✓You need a backfill and a live stream in the same pipeline. [Estuary Flow review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/estuary) ## Frequently Asked Questions Is AWS Database Migration Service better than Estuary Flow?⌄ There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose AWS Database Migration Service if your target, your source or both already live on AWS. Choose Estuary Flow if you want real-time CDC without running Kafka or Debezium yourself. What is the difference between AWS Database Migration Service and Estuary Flow?⌄ What it is. AWS Database Migration Service: Managed database migration and replication (AWS). Estuary Flow: Managed real-time CDC and ELT. Source databases. AWS Database Migration Service: Major commercial and open-source databases. Estuary Flow: Databases plus SaaS sources (200+ connectors). Where it runs. AWS Database Migration Service: Your AWS account. Estuary Flow: Estuary’s cloud or private deployment. How you pay. AWS Database Migration Service: Hourly per instance or per DCU. Estuary Flow: $0.50 per GB plus a monthly fee per connector. Free access. AWS Database Migration Service: AWS Free Tier credits for new accounts. Estuary Flow: Free up to 10 GB and 2 connectors a month. AWS Database Migration Service vs Estuary Flow: which is cheaper?⌄ AWS Database Migration Service pricing: Usage-based. Estuary Flow pricing: Free · then usage-based. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change. Which is rated higher, AWS Database Migration Service or Estuary Flow?⌄ On our editorial score, AWS Database Migration Service is 4.1 out of 5 and Estuary Flow is 4.3 out of 5, so Estuary Flow is slightly ahead. This is our own score, not an average of user reviews. When should I skip both AWS Database Migration Service and Estuary Flow?⌄ Skip AWS Database Migration Service if you need long-running CDC into a warehouse outside AWS. Estuary Flow or Debezium fit that better. Skip Estuary Flow if you have many small sources. The per-connector fee adds up; Debezium is free to self-host. Sources · tool facts checked November 2026 1. 1.[AWS DMS pricingaws.amazon.com ](https://aws.amazon.com/dms/pricing/) 2. 2.[AWS Database Migration Serviceaws.amazon.com ](https://aws.amazon.com/dms/) 3. 3.[Estuary pricingestuary.dev ](https://estuary.dev/pricing/) See more options in our guide to the [best change data capture (cdc) tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/cdc). ## Still not sure which to pick? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack, including the best change data capture (cdc) pick for your budget and team, in 60 seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)