MongoDB Atlas

Freemium

MongoDB Atlas is the #1 modern, multi-cloud database that accelerates and simplifies how you…

Unlimited Free Tierfrom $8/mo

Free plan checked against MongoDB Atlas's pricing page on 2 September 2026. Re-checked monthly.

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About MongoDB Atlas

MongoDB Atlas is the managed cloud version of MongoDB, running on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. Developers reach for it as the default document database for Node, Python and mobile apps. The Free tier, called M0, is a shared cluster that MongoDB describes as free forever.

What the free plan gives you

One M0 cluster per project with 512 MB of storage
Shared RAM and vCPU, on your choice of AWS, Azure or Google Cloud in a supported region
Up to 100 operations per second
Atlas Search, the Atlas CLI, Charts and the Data Explorer UI
Vector search, so you can prototype retrieval-augmented AI features without paying
No credit card to create the cluster

Where the free plan stops

512 MB fills quickly with anything beyond a side project, and shared hardware means unpredictable latency under load. M0 also lacks backups, and MongoDB pauses idle free clusters. Flex is the next step, a usage-based shared tier that costs a minimum of $8/mo (0 to 100 ops per second at $0.011 per hour) and caps at $30/mo (400 to 500 ops per second). For dedicated hardware, M10 starts at $0.08 per hour, about $56.94 a month, with 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPUs and 10 to 128 GB of storage, plus continuous backups.

Who it suits

M0 is the right home for learning MongoDB, hackathon projects, and low-traffic prototypes that can tolerate a paused cluster. A small production app with modest traffic should sit on Flex at $8 to $30 a month. Anything that needs guaranteed performance, point-in-time restore or more than a few hundred ops per second belongs on M10 or above.

Key Features

Database

Vector Search

Charts

Atlas CLI

Data Federation

Online Archive

Pros & Cons

Free tier has no hard usage ceiling

Free plan limits are published clearly

Covers database on the free plan

Free plan verified against the vendor's pricing page

Hosted only — no self-hosting escape hatch

The free plan in practice

What you can actually do on MongoDB Atlas's free plan (Free forever M0 cluster with 512MB), where it stops, and when it's worth paying.

What you can do free

M0 shared cluster with 512 MB storage, free forever
Up to 100 operations per second
AWS, Azure or Google Cloud regions
Atlas Search, vector search, Charts and CLI
No credit card required

Where it stops

512 MB storage cap
Shared RAM and vCPU, no backups
Idle clusters get paused; Flex from $8/mo removes the limits

When to upgrade to a paid plan

Stay on the free plan while you're comfortably under the free plan's limit (Free forever M0 cluster with 512MB). It's worth moving to a paid plan once you consistently bump into that ceiling, need to remove branding, or want features the free tier holds back. Paid plans start at $8/mo.