IBM Db2 Database vs IBM Informix comparison

IBM Db2 Database and IBM Informix are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. IBM Db2 Database is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.3, while IBM Informix is ranked #24 with an average rating of 6.5. IBM Db2 Database holds a 7.0% mindshare in SQL, compared to IBM Informix’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IBM Db2 Database users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of IBM Informix users who would recommend it.

IBM Db2 Database

Read 73 IBM Db2 Database reviews

7,721 Views
4,904 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

IBM Informix

Read 16 IBM Informix reviews

2,237 Views
1,235 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 Database

IBM Informix

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM Db2 Database and IBM Informix based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Relational Databases Tools solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Db2 Database vs. IBM Informix Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. IBM Informix

January 2025

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Helped 838,533 peers since 2012

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

IBM Db2 Database

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Informix

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

24th

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Embedded Database (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 7.0%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Informix is 1.8%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

SimonHiggins

Mainframe Technical Manager/Service Integration Lead at Saudi Business Machines

Very scalable with high availability and excellent technical support

The good thing is that there are improvements coming with later function levels for the z/OS Db2. I'd like it if, with the operating system that we've got, z/OS, on the mainframe, it would allow us to refresh the hardware to run Linux dockers on the mainframe. This means this might give us opportunities for different ways of coming into the Db2 environment in the future. We just want a bit more integration with Linux. That said, we are already seeing Linux more readily available on the mainframe environment. Not only have we got the premium operating systems on OS. We can run LPARs on the same mainframe footprint that is also supporting Linux. This is what has improved and made the mainframe environment more competitive. We're also looking at AI for Db2 as well, and machine learning for the future. We know that AI has come out, that we're going to get that, and we're going to evaluate that product next year for Db2. That said, I haven't got any real complaints about Db2 on the mainframe. For the most part, a lot of the problems we have nowadays are to do with communication between the various teams that you would class as stakeholders.

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Nazzareno Maria Rezzini

Senior Oracle Database and Systems Administrator at Dedagroup

Supports multiple business intelligence tools, but the technical support services need improvement

IBM Informix is a central database solution across various environments, supporting multiple applications and business intelligence tools The key areas for improvement revolve around understanding the current customer trends and demands, particularly in software and database requirements. 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

"The structure is straightforward, consisting of the test file and the logical and physical files. You have one physical file and many logical files related to it."

"It is a scalable solution."

"As part of your licensing with IBM, you get access to their case system, which lets you raise incidents related to software or hardware. This system is helpful for problem determination and quickly identifying issues."

"The solution is very stable, in both hardware and database."

"The most valuable features are the simplicity of the database and the access to Db2 and Db2 information."

"The solution can scale."

"I can easily export that to further work on it in Snowflake."

"Db2 Database has given us good results since we have started to use it. We predominantly use IBM hardware, and this is one of the reasons why we started to use Db2 Database. Db2 Database has a very good HADR capability. High availability resilience is also good in this solution. It also has pureScale, which allows you to upgrade one node to get very good and high-level resilience. If you are using a database on five nodes, you can take one node down, upgrade that, and let that node up. You can then bring the second node down, upgrade that, and so on."

More IBM Db2 Database pros

"The stability is incredible. I have customers with uptimes of several years."

"Replication, all levels of replication, query charting, and the MongoDB embedded are the most valuable features of this solution."

"IBM Informix benefits users with high availability and good integration capabilities."

"The solution's stability, performance, enhanced functionality, and replication are all great features."

"Replication is a valuable feature and easy to use."

"So far, we do not have a lot of issues. It's pretty problem-free."

"The scalability is very good."

"The most valuable feature is concurrency and locking because my customers usually use databases in OLTP mode. So, for a large number of competitive users. Other features that are well valued are quick large-scale data types. It is better than Oracle."

More IBM Informix pros

Cons

"The backup solution lacks flexibility."

"The only drawback that we see in Db2 Database is the crash recovery. When there is a crash and somebody has to do the recovery, Db2 Database first stops, and then it does any crash recovery. In Oracle Database, crash recovery happens within the database. The database is not shut down."

"The technical support can be faster."

"The licensing fees can be reduced."

"I would like to see better support for advanced analytics."

"The initial setup could be improved."

"The user interface is old and needs to be improved."

"The price should be lower."

More IBM Db2 Database cons

"This solution is in need of more current tools."

"Continue extending the SQL language for compatibility with the competition's language, including Stored Procedure Language."

"In my opinion, the packages could be improved. The version I use doesn't allow for packages. I can do some general procedures, but no packages like in Oracle. So, develop separate modules in SQL language. This would be most beneficial for me."

"This product could be made easier to use for beginners."

"The solution really doesn't add new features very often."

"I really would love to have a QT plugin."

"The support team could include local engineers to establish efficient communication. It will help us speed up the escalation process."

"I would like to see backups from secondary servers."

More IBM Informix cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think that everyone knows that with IBM the standard price is higher than the others."

"It is expensive when compared to other products."

"Compared to Oracle, it is so much cheaper."

"They are competitive and honest (compared to how peer firms approach licensing conversations). "

"There is a license for this solution and we pay every three years."

"We did not buy it. It came with our hardware without any complimentary maintenance. If I compare Db2 Database with Oracle Database, its price is lower than Oracle Database."

"The solution's hardware and subscription model for support are very expensive."

"Among Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and Db2, Microsoft SQL Server is the cheapest one, and Oracle is the most expensive one. Db2 is in the middle. As compared to SQL Server, its price could go down. It will be good for customers."

More IBM Db2 Database pricing and cost advice

"The free edition can be enough to handle moderate-size implementations, but you may want a pay for edition to benefit from more functionality, such as replication."

"The product has reasonable pricing. We purchase its yearly license."

"I am not aware of the licensing costs or terms."

"For me, it's always too expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

62%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

66%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Db2 Database?

Db2 database scalability and performance capabilities match our database needs. It covers pretty much everything a database administrator or engineer might need.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Db2 Database?

IBM Db2 is an expensive solution. While I am not heavily involved with pricing, additional companies provide capabilities or products like those from BMC, which many installations might also purchase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Db2 Database?

The usage of Db2 could be simplified, as it is quite complex and requires substantial knowledge of Db2 and zOS. Modern features are being implemented, but further simplification and the inclusion o...

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What do you like most about IBM Informix?

It supports multiple applications and business intelligence tools.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Informix?

The product has reasonable pricing. We purchase its yearly license.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Informix?

The key areas for improvement revolve around understanding the current customer trends and demands, particularly in software and database requirements. The product's performance could be better com...

See all answers

Comparisons

SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 32% of the time

Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 19% of the time

SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 17% of the time

Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 13% of the time

IBM Netezza Performance Server vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM Db2 Database Competitors

Oracle Database vs IBM Informix

Compared 38% of the time

SQL Server vs IBM Informix

Compared 30% of the time

MySQL vs IBM Informix

Compared 11% of the time

MariaDB vs IBM Informix

Compared 6% of the time

Teradata vs IBM Informix

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Informix Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database

February 2025

Download IBM Db2 Database product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Informix

February 2025

Download IBM Informix product report

Also Known As

DB2

Informix

Overview

DB2 Enterprise for Linux, UNIX, and Windows is the ideal data server for the most demanding workloads. New XML support is designed to help firms minimize the time and effort it takes to persist and use their XML data reducing development costs and improving business agility.

IBM

IBM Informix is a widely used and scalable relational database management system designed to handle large amounts of data and high transaction volumes. It is known to provide exceptional performance, thanks to its Parallel Data Query Engine (PDQ) that enables parallel processing of queries and operations, significantly reducing response times for complex queries and large data sets. Additionally, Informix supports online operations like backup, restore, index maintenance, and table reorganization, minimizing downtime and ensuring continuous availability.

Informix provides robust high availability and replication features, including shared-disk clustering, remote data replication, and high-availability data replication (HDR). These features ensure data redundancy, failover protection, and disaster recovery capabilities, making it a reliable choice for mission-critical applications. Furthermore, Informix offers specialized features for data warehousing and analytics, such as in-database analytics, data compression, and parallel load capabilities, making it suitable for business intelligence (BI) and data analysis applications.

Informix can be deployed as an embedded database, allowing it to be tightly integrated with applications and systems, reducing overhead and simplifying deployment. It includes workload management capabilities, enabling organizations to prioritize and manage different types of workloads, such as online transaction processing (OLTP) and analytical queries, ensuring efficient resource utilization and meeting service-level agreements (SLAs). Informix also provides robust security features, including role-based access control, data encryption, auditing, and compliance with industry standards like FIPS 140-2 and Common Criteria.

IBM

Sample Customers

Knorr-Bremse, Mizuho Bank Ltd., Australian Government Department of Defence, SCHWENK Zement, Friedhelm Loh Group, YAZAKI Europe Limited, Ekornes ASA, Baldor Electric, VSN Systemen BV, Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, PLANSEE Group, TE Connectivity, Hansgrohe SE, Openmatics, University of Toronto

Shaspa, Hildebrand, Kaifa, Ranhill Powertron, Federaci‹ Farmacutica (FedeFarma), Camden Council, The German Aerospace Center (DLR), Myers, Votorantim Group, Doosan Infracore, GreenIvory

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. IBM Informix

January 2025

Free Report: IBM Db2 Database vs. IBM Informix

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Db2 Database vs. IBM Informix and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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