Side by side
Amazon ElastiCache vs Memcached
Both stand on caching software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxMac+2
ElastiCache offers serverless and node-based deployment choices alongside multiple caching engines and AWS integrations. Check the serverless data-tiering limit and the applicable billing model before selecting a setup.
Visit Amazon ElastiCache Free plan APILinuxMac+1
Memcached is a developer-oriented cache with configurable expiration and an LRU default eviction policy. Its independent servers do not synchronize or replicate, and optional extstore has a restart-related data limitation.
Visit MemcachedThe facts
| Amazon ElastiCache | Memcached | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | aws.amazon.com | memcached.org |
| On caching software | #4 of 27 | #8 of 27 |
Amazon ElastiCache: what it does well
- Supports Valkey, Memcached and Redis OSS.
- Serverless option scales with compute, memory and network use.
- Replicates serverless cache data across multiple Availability Zones.
- CloudWatch includes more than 40 operational metrics at no additional charge.
- Valkey serverless starts at $6/mo.
What to know first
- Data tiering is unavailable with ElastiCache Serverless.
- On-demand node pricing depends on node type and count.
- Redis OSS Extended Support can carry an 80% or 160% premium.
Memcached: what it does well
- Free and self-hosted, with no hosted price listed.
- Caches database, API and page-rendering results.
- Items can expire; default eviction is least recently used.
- API available for most popular languages.
- TLS authentication and encryption supported in qualifying setups.
What to know first
- Servers do not synchronize or replicate.
- Cited item-size limit is 1 MB.
- SASL does not encrypt communications and is not suitable over the internet.
- Extstore data is effectively emptied by a restart.
Alternatives to Amazon ElastiCache Alternatives to Memcached The whole list