Firebird SQL vs PostgreSQL comparison

Read 125 PostgreSQL reviews

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Firebird SQL

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

In the competitive landscape of open-source database solutions, PostgreSQL and Firebird SQL stand out. PostgreSQL appears to have an edge due to its robust feature set and scalability, despite areas where improvement is possible.

Features: PostgreSQL is known for adhering to SQL standards, supporting complex queries, and handling scalability in write-intensive operations. Additionally, it offers extensive functionality suitable for users needing comprehensive features and standards compliance. Firebird's lightweight nature and ease of deployment across various platforms make it attractive, although it lacks the versatility and complexity found in PostgreSQL.

Room for Improvement: PostgreSQL could benefit from enhanced performance in read-only queries, improved SQL command support, and simpler installation processes. There is also a demand for better handling of large record sets and enhanced replication capabilities. Firebird users often seek improvements in database sharing, graphical interfaces, and handling large databases, especially regarding cryptography and encryption.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PostgreSQL provides flexible deployment options across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, supported by a vibrant open-source community with ample resources. Firebird primarily targets on-premises deployments, offering limited direct customer service and relying heavily on community support for technical assistance.

Pricing and ROI: Both PostgreSQL and Firebird SQL are open-source with no licensing fees, offering significant cost advantages. While PostgreSQL might incur costs for third-party support and plugins, Firebird remains a cost-effective solution. Both promise a quick ROI due to their free availability and value offered against their capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Firebird SQL vs. PostgreSQL Report (Updated: January 2025).

Firebird SQL vs. PostgreSQL

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Firebird SQL

Ranking in Open Source Databases

3rd

Average Rating

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Embedded Database (1st)

PostgreSQL

Ranking in Open Source Databases

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Vector Databases (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Open Source Databases category, the mindshare of Firebird SQL is 20.9%, down from 23.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PostgreSQL is 20.4%, down from 23.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Open Source Databases

Featured Reviews

Ruben Conti

Owner at Intersoftware sas

Offers good performance for up to a hundred end users, open source and easy to setup

Firebird can compete with well-known names like Oracle and SQL Server when you don't have more than a few hundred thousand users. It's a level below SQL Server, and the application of SQL is a kind of database you can rely on for situations where you don't have too much information to deal with. For example, you can use it for the internet or national projects, but when you have millions of users, then it's not possible for other services.

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AdityaSharma3

Vice President Business at Techmagnate: Digital Marketing Agency

Transaction processes are fast and good replication capability

Use cases include querying data warehouses and databases to fetch data for clients already working on PostgreSQL. We also use Postgres for building reports It's a transactional database, so we use Postgres for most of our reporting. That's where it's helping. The query speed is fast, and the…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Robustness is the absolutely main feature."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is reliable, offers good performance, and is easy to use."

"I can deploy it on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows — it's very easy."

"It helps us in detecting all kinds of problems in the code, such as bad quality, unclear code, or any violation in the code or best practices."

"The solution is very useful for stock management."

"The product was easy to use."

"I find the ease of deployment to be the most valuable aspect of this solution."

"I appreciate the fact that, once the database is embedded, it doesn't need to be administered, and removes the requirement for a specific server."

More Firebird SQL pros

"PostgreSQL is very easy to use. I have experience in Oracle SQL and PostgreSQL uses the same syntax which makes it is easy for me to develop."

"It's a standard reliable database management system."

"We are able to create many different types of jobs and items with this solution making it one of the most valuable features."

"We managed to reduce the storage space needed to 10% of the original size, without affecting data integrity, and we significantly improved the performance."

"One of the most valuable features is real-time data capture; it optimizes database performance. I think using real-time data capture reduces job running time and the amount of data sent at once with batch loads."

"The solution is quite stable."

"The PostgreSQL database is similar to the SQL Server but has a slightly different technology that has similar resources as well. If the customer has the confidence using SQL Server, they will be fairly comfortable using this solution."

"Postgres is rock solid when deployed according to best practices as documented by the PostgreSQL community. When it's installed correctly, PostgreSQL is an enterprise-grade solution."

Cons

"The main feature I expect is to be able to work with different databases at the same time because that's a wishlist item for me."

"Firebird SQL's performance has slowed since Firebird SQL 3 or 3.5 versions, where they developed over-the-wire encryption."

"The solution could improve by providing partitioning and encryption. It is not at the higher level of database solution but it could be with some upgrades."

"It is not easy to integrate the tool with Visual Studio."

"It would be nice to have a graphical user interface to handle the product."

"I don't think the solution is very scalable, because the scalability of the performance when using more than one process is not very good."

"Technical support and performance could be better. We have some problems with this solution, but we don't know if the problem is with the database or the configuration. For example, sometimes, the users can't access the database."

"The security of the users could improve in Firebird SQL."

More Firebird SQL cons

"A better graphic user-interface would be nice to see."

"The price could be better."

"It would be good to have machine learning functionality in this solution, similar to Microsoft SQL Server and other solutions. Machine learning capability for a basic level or a common user would be useful. It can also have good reporting capabilities."

"The database and applications can become very slow."

"It still needs to be more mature and have some backup feature. We are normally dealing with Oracle's data, and we have very strong online tools to back up the data and do other things. PostgreSQL still needs to do more in this area as well as in the high availability area. There are many external tools that you can use for PostgreSQL's high availability, but there is no embedded tool within PostgreSQL for high availability. It could have a feature similar to Oracle for working on a distributed system. It can have some scripts to improve the monitoring and some tools to do performance analysis. We have a workaround for most of such requirements except for the support for a distributed system, which is very difficult to have. This area should be included in the core of the database itself."

"PostgreSQL doesn't have a feature for temporal SQL, which is useful for gathering versions of data. This feature should be included in PostgreSQL. This feature is available in MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle Database, and DB2."

"PostgreSQL could improve by adding data warehousing tools."

"The scalability is limited."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is freely available."

"There is no licensing cost for this solution, as it is open-source."

"It is okay."

"Firebird SQL is an open-source solution, which means it is a free product."

"I was using the free version of Firebird SQL."

"It is a public domain system as every customer can install it on their system without paying any license fee."

"The tool is open source."

"We are using the free solution, so there is no cost involved."

More Firebird SQL pricing and cost advice

"It is free. There is no license on it."

"The tool is cheaply priced compared to other RDBMS providers in the market."

"It is also open-source so it is free."

"We are using the free version of PostgreSQL."

"It could be much cheaper. If you would like to build an application on Amazon today, PostgreSQL is the standard database with Redshift. If you want other databases, you can add them, but PostgreSQL is the basis of everything. It's a question of money, that's it."

"It is free, but if you need support, you can go for the commercial version called EnterpriseDB. They provide paid support, and they can even do hosting for you if you want standby and support."

"This solution can offer a cheaper choice for customers since it is open-source."

"It is open-source. If you use it on-premise, it is free. It also has enterprise or commercial versions. If you go for the cloud version, there will be a cost, but it is lower than Oracle or Microsoft."

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Firebird SQL compare with PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL was designed in a way that provides you with not only a high degree of flexibility but also offers you a cheap and easy-to-use solution. It gives you the ability to redesign and audit yo...

What do you like most about Firebird SQL?

Firebird SQL is an open-source solution.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Firebird SQL?

It's open-source and free.

What do you like most about PostgreSQL?

It's a transactional database, so we use Postgres for most of our reporting. That's where it's helping.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PostgreSQL?

The tool is free of cost. For now, it's not about making money. But once we perfect it, we can offer it to customers willing to pay for support and other services. Most of my deployments are free.

What needs improvement with PostgreSQL?

Postgres should focus on building a stronger knowledge base. They also need to expand their integration capabilities, so more tools and resources are available to manage it. But it is more secure t...

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Product Reports

Embedded Database

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Firebird

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Overview

Firebird SQL is an open-source, cross-platform relational database management system that offers an enterprise-level database solution. The solution is designed to be highly secure, efficient, and compatible with various platforms and programming languages. Firebird can operate in both embedded and server modes.

Firebird is an open-source project with an active community of developers and users. It is released under the Initial Developer's Public License (IDPL) and the InterBase Public License, allowing for free use, modification, and distribution.

The Firebird solution requires minimal configuration and its architecture allows it to efficiently handle databases ranging from a few KB to multiple terabytes. It is available for various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, and several Unix-like platforms.

What are the key features of Firebird SQL?

ACID Compliance: Firebird provides full support for ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions, ensuring data integrity and consistency, even in the event of system failures or concurrent access.
SQL Language Support: Firebird SQL provides extensive support for ANSI SQL, which is the standard SQL language, making it compatible with a wide range of applications and tools.
Multi-Generational Architecture: Firebird employs a multi-generational architecture, which allows multiple versions of the same data to coexist within the database.
Concurrency and Performance: Firebird offers efficient concurrency control mechanisms, including multi-version concurrency control (MVCC), which allows multiple transactions to access and modify data simultaneously without locking or blocking each other, improving overall performance.
Embedded mode: In the embedded mode, the database engine is integrated directly into the application.
Security Features: Firebird provides user authentication, role-based access control, and encryption capabilities. It supports various authentication methods, such as native Firebird user accounts, external authentication sources (e.g., Windows domains), and single sign-on (SSO) mechanisms.
Backup and Restore: Firebird offers built-in backup and restore utilities, allowing users to create full or incremental backups of the database, as well as restore from these backups when needed.

As part of being a commonly used open-sourced solution, Firebird boasts a vibrant community of developers and users. The community provides extensive documentation, third-party tools, and active forums for support. Businesses can also opt for professional support services offered by third-party vendors for added assurance.

To summarize, Firebird SQL is a robust, scalable, and cost-effective database solution suitable for a wide range of applications and business sizes. Its comprehensive SQL support, security features, and cross-platform compatibility, combined with the active community support, make it a compelling choice for businesses looking to leverage the power of open-source software without compromising on performance or security.

PostgreSQL is a versatile and reliable database management system commonly used for web development, data analysis, and building scalable databases.

It offers advanced features like indexing, replication, and transaction management. Users appreciate its flexibility, performance, and ability to handle large amounts of data efficiently. Its robustness, scalability, and support for complex queries make it highly valuable.

Additionally, PostgreSQL's extensibility, flexibility, community support, and frequent updates contribute to its ongoing improvement and stability.

Sample Customers

Elekt Labs, Streamsoft, wobe-systems GmbH, DRB Systems, Moscow City Hospital #31

1. Apple 2. Cisco 3. Fujitsu 4. Instagram 5. Netflix 6. Red Hat 7. Sony 8. Uber 9. Cisco Systems 10. Skype 11. LinkedIn 12. Etsy 13. Yelp 14. Reddit 15. Dropbox 16. Slack 17. Twitch 18. WhatsApp 19. Snapchat 20. Shazam 21. SoundCloud 22. The New York Times 23. Cisco WebEx 24. Atlassian 25. Cisco Meraki 26. Heroku 27. GitLab 28. Zalando 29. OpenTable 30. Trello 31. Square Enix 32. Bloomberg

Firebird SQL vs. PostgreSQL