Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

IBM Db2 Database vs MariaDB comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Db2 Database
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
72
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MariaDB
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
Open Source Databases (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 7.3%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MariaDB is 8.6%, down from 8.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

SimonHiggins - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
KumarManish - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to deploy, cost-effective, and integrates seamlessly with other products
We had planned for an RDBMS version and not NoSQL. We use MariaDB Galera Cluster. It's a good product. It is cheap, scalable, performs well, and is efficient. We use GCP’s BigQuery for machine learning. We must follow the best practices of the tool. We missed some best practices like the storage engine and InnoDB. It was very difficult to identify why we were having performance issues. Then, we realized that some of our tables were still on MyISAM, the default storage engine. When we switched it back to the InnoDB, it was very smooth. InnoDB is the recommended one. We must follow the best practices given in the documentation during the initial setup. Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is PowerPC support."
"It has a good, stable performance."
"The most valuable feature of the IBM Db2 Database is security."
"Its robustness, scalability, availability, and performance are valuable. All these are the major attributes of a relational database for supporting a very high-volume business, and Db2 is very good in all those areas and in all those attributes."
"The solution has many beneficial features, such as security, support, and stability."
"The most valuable features are with the industrial side."
"IBM DB2 pureScale Feature is valuable."
"Db2's best features are that it's self-maintaining and self-monitoring, which means I have to view and monitor the database far less often."
"MariaDB is scalable."
"The most valuable feature of MariaDB is the replication mode."
"We like the easy way that we can collect data from other databases."
"What I like best about MariaDB is that it is open-source and reliable."
"The initial setup of MariaDB is simple enough."
"I haven't faced any technical issues with the product, and it works fine."
"It delivers fast processing times, particularly for frequent select queries and insert/update operations."
"It is very simple to install, and the commands are exactly the same as MySQL."
 

Cons

"The price should be lower."
"The data table names are very short which is not user-friendly compared to the Oracle SQL server. It should have longer column and table names."
"Their view of it is they're maintaining it, they're continuing to upgrade it, they're continuing to grow it, however, they don't go out and try and sell that as an architectural solution the way they do Linux and Unix."
"The management of Db2 should be simplified because there are not too many specialists in this area, and the learning curve of Db2 specialists is very long. After the courses, probably it takes one and a half or two years to get to the point when you are using the product properly in the production systems. So, the complexity is very high, and the most important thing is to simplify the management of the product, including self-maintenance. They should simplify the installation, management, and monitoring to simplify the product. It takes too long for a person to be a specialist in this product."
"IBM Db2 Database could improve the user-defined functions. There are some user-defined functions that are missing, such as the spring functions. I used to have Teradata for my projects and I was used to working in the environment. They had a good set of user-defined functions."
"Db2 interface could be improved a bit. Comparing it to Oracle, Db2's interfaces could be improved."
"I would say that the tool has to be made more cloud-friendly and should have agreements with AWS, Microsoft, or Google to run things on hyperscalers."
"The GUI interface is not particularly friendly for those who do not have experience with the product."
"In the next release, I would like to see improvements in the scalability and redundancy features."
"Master-master replication is something that needs to be simplified."
"There could be a command-line prompt for repairing the database and fixing indexes, similar to what was available in the old MyISAM storage engine."
"I would like to see more compatibility going forward. This would help if there is a need to change databases."
"The features available are very basic."
"There is not much support available."
"It should work across all fields like SQLite, as it is the basis of any application, even apps for phones and the like."
"With respect to clustering and the master-slave configuration, sometimes the slave goes out of synch."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The total cost of the solution depends upon the PVU licensing"
"The solution costs less than other products."
"It is expensive. The price depends on the size of the machine on which you are installing the Db2 and the features you are using. It also depends on the country. IBM has different policies and different options for payment for this product."
"If I consider the price of IBM Db2 Database, I would say there are cheaper products in the market."
"The solution's hardware and subscription model for support are very expensive."
"Compared to Oracle, it is so much cheaper."
"We don't see what the specific price of the DB2 license is because we pay for the backup license as a package."
"It's very expensive for West African countries like ours."
"MariaDB is open-source and self-hosted."
"This is an open-source product, which can be used free of charge."
"MariaDB is available for free."
"I used the open-source version, which is available free of charge."
"When it comes to MariaDB, it should have a more cost-effective license."
"The product is not expensive."
"It's an open-source solution."
"This is an open source solution with no licensing fees."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Relational Databases Tools solutions are best for your needs.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
59%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
4%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

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.
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.
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...
What do you like most about MariaDB?
The integration with other products is seamless.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MariaDB?
I have found the price of commercial MariaDB to be pretty steep, although not as high as Oracle. Customers often prefer the Community Edition because it's free.
What needs improvement with MariaDB?
The only potential area for improvement could be the pricing model, which might benefit from being more flexible or a bit cheaper.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

DB2
No data available
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

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
Google, Wikipedia, Tencent, Verizon, DBS Bank, Deutsche Bank, Telefónica, Huatai Securities
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Db2 Database vs. MariaDB and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.