Couchbase offers a NoSQL database platform with two main editions: the free Couchbase Community Edition (CE) and the fully managed Couchbase Capella Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS). CE is suitable for basic applications with limitations such as a five-node cluster cap and lack of certain features like index replicas and advanced services, whereas Capella provides enhanced capabilities, including Analytics, Eventing, and mobile synchronization, along with superior performance and scalability. In a comparative analysis using the YCSB Workload E, Capella demonstrated approximately three times better throughput and reduced latency compared to CE, highlighting its efficiency and cost-effectiveness for larger, production-grade environments. Capella’s cloud-native architecture is designed to minimize operational costs while offering high availability, flexible disaster recovery, and seamless scaling, making it a compelling upgrade from CE for businesses seeking robust data management solutions.