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MariaDB vs SAP SQL Anywhere comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

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

MariaDB
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
Open Source Databases (7th)
SAP SQL Anywhere
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
31st
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of MariaDB is 4.7%, down from 7.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP SQL Anywhere is 1.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
MariaDB4.7%
SAP SQL Anywhere1.3%
Other94.0%
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

AB
Co-Founder at Vsigma IT Labs Pvt Ltd
Has supported web application data needs but requires design adjustments to manage complex queries efficiently
Complex queries in MariaDB where the query needs to parse thousands of lines or data values face some performance issues. For small and medium-size volume, it is pretty good. If it goes beyond certain data and complex queries, we see performance issues. We tried the advanced replication feature between different regions, replicating data specifically residing on MariaDB to two different regions of MariaDB data, and there were some technical snags in terms of slowness and longer processing time. Point-in-time recovery in MariaDB is good for small databases. When data volume increases beyond 5 GB or 10 GB per day or runs into double-digit GBs, we found some performance issues. For data below 10 GB, it works fine. Performance is the primary focus area for MariaDB, particularly during transactions or complex query jobs where slow performance is observed. MariaDB is scalable and easy to scale.
Crewmem67 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Consultant at College Notre Dame de Nazareth
Reliable and able to expand but needs to be more secure
It is not as good as a SQL Server. I prefer to work with the SQL Server for Microsoft or Oracle. These are better as there are some comments on SQL Anywhere that makes me feel that I'm blocked. We'd like to have them update to a new version. They should update more often. I find I can't move to a new version without running tests as there are chances of bugs that can get into my system. The initial setup is not simple or straightforward, and it took a while to deploy. It is not as secure as it could be. This is an aspect they need to improve. There needs to be more encryption.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product has good documentation and you can find many examples online."
"The solution has PL/SQL compatibility."
"The most valuable feature of MariaDB is the power it provides. It is a powerful solution."
"What I like best about MariaDB is that it is open-source and reliable."
"The solution runs very quickly. It's not slow at all."
"The most valuable feature is that it uses multiple cores, which is better than some of the other databases."
"We use MariaDB for identity provider services. Most of the things that we are doing are deployed in the container mode. All such solutions require a database, and MariaDB is easier to use for these kinds of deployments."
"The speed and functionality are the most valuable features."
"The auto-backup replication is a perfect feature. That is the feature I liked the most."
"SAP SQL Anywhere is very helpful."
"We've found the solution very reliable overall. It's very fast."
"The most valuable features of SAP SQL Anywhere are the ease of use and the user interface is intuitive."
"It works well in general."
 

Cons

"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."
"The customer service and support are okay. But the response time is slow. Moreover, the material is not available freely."
"Maria DB has to improve from a management perspective."
"MariaDB could be improved by adding more automation."
"It doesn't have the same level of maturity metrics as Postgres."
"I would like to see more compatibility going forward. This would help if there is a need to change databases."
"The GUI could be improved a bit. The user interface needs to be improved."
"We have had some stability issues with SAP SQL Anywhere, but I am not sure if it is an application or network issue. We sometimes have a large amount of data being queried and it cannot handle it."
"It is not as secure as it could be."
"SAP SQL Anywhere needs to incorporate functionalities like SAP S/4HANA."
"A problem we are experiencing now is when doing a backup in SQL 2012 and 14."
"The interface is not easy in comparison to the SQL Server. It could be more user-friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"MariaDB is available for free."
"It is an open-source solution."
"We pay for a yearly license."
"I used the open-source version, which is available free of charge."
"The cost is quite good. You can have the open source, free version, which has adequate capacity."
"MariaDB is an open-source software, meaning I don't need to pay for the product."
"MariaDB is a free-to-use solution."
"We use the solution's free version."
"SAP SQL Anywhere is affordable."
"SQL Anywhere cost us about $400."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
University
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
9%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise25
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about MariaDB?
The integration with other products is seamless.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MariaDB?
MariaDB is in the pricey range, especially for huge databases handling terabytes of data. The cost depends on the volume of data and different features enabled during configuration, such as backup ...
What needs improvement with MariaDB?
Complex queries in MariaDB where the query needs to parse thousands of lines or data values face some performance issues. For small and medium-size volume, it is pretty good. If it goes beyond cert...
Ask a question
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Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Sybase SQL Anywhere
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Google, Wikipedia, Tencent, Verizon, DBS Bank, Deutsche Bank, Telefónica, Huatai Securities
AOK Bundesverband, Surgutneftegas Open Joint Stock Company, Molson Coors Brewing Company, City of Buenos Aires, ASR Group, Citrix, EarlySense, Usha International Limited, Automotive Resources International, Wªrth Group, Takisada-Osaka Co. Ltd., Coelba, RZD Russian Railways, National Basketball Association, TALLY WEiJL
Find out what your peers are saying about MariaDB vs. SAP SQL Anywhere and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,672 professionals have used our research since 2012.