MySQL vs PostgreSQL comparison

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MySQL

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

PostgreSQL and MySQL are both key players in the open-source database category, with PostgreSQL often considered superior for complex queries and diverse applications due to its advanced features, while MySQL is favored for its speed and simplicity in platforms that demand quick read and write operations.

Features: PostgreSQL provides advanced features that support complex queries and offers scalability in write-intensive operations, maintaining full ACID compliance. It is known for its extensibility and custom data types. MySQL focuses on delivering high-speed performance and simplicity, which makes it suitable for rapidly changing data environments. It supports multiple storage engines, making it a versatile choice for developers.

Room for Improvement: PostgreSQL could improve by enhancing its capabilities in managing complex read-only queries and incorporating additional SQL features such as 'INSERT IGNORE.' The setup process can be complex, and it has a smaller community. MySQL struggles with performance issues when using InnoDB and lacks certain advanced features, such as active directory integration. It also might be less robust compared to some proprietary databases.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PostgreSQL offers flexibility with deployment in both on-premises and cloud environments, backed largely by community support unless third-party options are chosen. MySQL also supports diverse deployment setups but has some gaps in debugging and management tools, although it benefits from strong community engagement and comprehensive documentation.

Pricing and ROI: Both PostgreSQL and MySQL offer their core database systems for free under open-source licenses. PostgreSQL demands investment in skilled personnel for optimum setup and use but provides significant ROI due to minimal operational costs. MySQL's ROI can fluctuate depending on the complexity of deployment and any additional licensing needed for enterprise features, yet both systems offer a cost-effective alternative to proprietary database solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed MySQL vs. PostgreSQL Report (Updated: March 2025).

MySQL 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

MySQL

Ranking in Open Source Databases

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

148

Ranking in other categories

Relational Databases Tools (3rd)

PostgreSQL

Ranking in Open Source Databases

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Vector Databases (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Open Source Databases category, the mindshare of MySQL is 11.6%, down from 18.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PostgreSQL is 18.4%, down from 21.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Open Source Databases

Featured Reviews

Muzzamil Hussain

Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan

Native encryption ensures secure data management with a simple deployment

The most valuable feature is the on-premises data encryption facilities. By default, we can provide encryption, and this feature in MySQL is why we prefer it over other databases. The native encryption in MySQL encourages us to use this database model more frequently compared to Oracle and other databases. With Oracle, we have to buy another solution for encryption and masking, but MySQL supports native encryption, which enhances our return on investment. It perfectly supports our ROI, and we have no issues with its functionality.

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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

"The connectivity with PHP is quite good."

"MySQL is a light database. It's not very complex. It's easy to develop, easy to maintain, and easy to back up and restore."

"I like the simplistic view of MySQL to build custom queries and things like that as compared to SQL Server, which seems more cluttered. SQL Server has a query analyzer. MySQL pretty much does the same, and performance-wise, it has less overhead for connecting to our ERP system. It seems more responsive and cleaner. With MySQL, you get what you need without any overbloating, for which Microsoft is known. That's why they have so many constant security patches for everything because there is so much stuff, which degrades performance."

"It creates a unified view of the entire architecture and performance factor, helping to manage the network more easily."

"Table partitioning is most valuable. It is easy to use."

"It was easy to install."

"The solution is easy to use."

"MySQL is open-source. There are a lot of open-source communities trying to come up with their own patches, and to come up with their own features, which help MySQL develop faster than traditional databases like Oracle, which is closed source."

More MySQL pros

"Clustering will be the number 1 feature. It is also open-source so it is free. It can also be clustered, to allow fault tolerance."

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

"This is an open-source solution, operates at a high speed, and supports more than one SQL language."

"The most valuable features are the price, stability, it is scalable and is used by our clients in small business environments, and it is a simple product to use."

"PostgreSQL is very powerful, easy to manage, and has many features."

"The initial setup is quick and easy."

"The product is easy to use and works fast for relational databases."

"I like that you can move any relational database from Oracle to PostgreSQL. I also like that it's pretty stable."

Cons

"The interface could be improved."

"If the customer is already using or has already used Oracle for a long time they will know the look and feel and the character of this database that can fit into their business."

"The availability of tools could be improved in the MySQL open-source platform. They can provide more analytical tools. I haven't had any particularly difficult issues to troubleshoot on MySQL, but in the past, on Microsoft SQL Server, I had to troubleshoot some difficult issues, and better tools were in place to see what was going on in real-time on the server. So, that's the bit that is lacking on the MySQL open-source platform."

"At times, the autoscaling does not happen when there is a surge in load."

"It would be helpful if there were a graphical user interface to administer, configure, and tune it."

"The documentation is pretty weak and should be improved."

"It isn't as reliable as an SQL Server."

"Some problems with big table operations, and a struggle to keep the servers responding in peak situations."

More MySQL cons

"As PostgreSQL is an open-source product, you do have to do a bit more configuration and management yourself."

"It could be more secure."

"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."

"We have to set up event API, which takes a lot of events from the user."

"The price could be better."

"The scalability is limited."

"Instead of the installation agent downloading all the packages for the install, it should allow the user to download the packages separately on their own to do the install."

"I'm not really able to customize it."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are using the free community edition of MySQL."

"It has a community version."

"The price of the solution is good because we have a good partner."

"There is no licensing fee."

"We are using the licensed version of MySQL."

"My company uses MySQL's corporate licenses."

"I would rate the solution’s pricing a six out of ten. The solution is not cheap but it’s a fair value. The pricing depends on the use cases of our customers. Some of our customers use the community edition which is license free and a good fit for their use cases. However, we encourage our bigger customers to sign up because of the scalability issues. The paid versions get direct technical support from Oracle."

"MySQL is a free and open-source solution."

More MySQL pricing and cost advice

"There is an annual license."

"It is an open-source platform."

"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."

"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."

"The community version of Postgre is basically free."

"Our company pays for it. There are free versions available, but for advanced features, you obviously have to pay."

"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."

"The licensing model is good."

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

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

Why are MySQL connections encrypted and what is the biggest benefit of this?

MySQL encrypts connections to protect your data and the biggest benefit from this is that nobody can corrupt it. If you move information over a network without encryption, you are endangering it, m...

Considering that there is a free version of MySQL, would you invest in one of the paid editions?

I may be considered a MySQL veteran since I have been using it since before Oracle bought it and created paid versions. So back in my day, it was all free, it was open-source and the best among sim...

What is one thing you would improve with MySQL?

One thing I would improve related to MySQL is not within the product itself, but with the guides to it. Before, when it was free, everyone was on their own, seeking tutorials and how-to videos onli...

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 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.

Firebird SQL vs PostgreSQL

Comparisons

Firebird SQL vs MySQL

Compared 28% of the time

SAP HANA vs MySQL

Compared 8% of the time

MariaDB vs MySQL

Compared 6% of the time

Teradata vs MySQL

Compared 6% of the time

SQL Server vs MySQL

Compared 5% of the time

More MySQL Competitors

Compared 38% of the time

EDB Postgres Advanced Server vs PostgreSQL

Compared 12% of the time

MariaDB vs PostgreSQL

Compared 8% of the time

Chroma vs PostgreSQL

Compared 7% of the time

OpenSearch vs PostgreSQL

Compared 3% of the time

Product Reports

MySQL

Download MySQL product report

Download PostgreSQL product report

Overview

MySQL is a cost-efficient and scalable relational database management system widely used in web, mobile applications, and academic projects.

MySQL is utilized for backend operations, data analysis, reporting, financial transactions, and ERP databases. It supports deployment on local servers, Cloud, and Kubernetes. Its free, open-source nature along with strong community support make it popular among companies. MySQL's compatibility with multiple platforms and programming languages enhances its appeal. While it remains stable and easy to use, areas such as replication, clustering, and backup require improvement to better serve enterprise applications. Enhanced security, error messages, and monitoring tools are also desired for a better user experience.

What are the most important features of MySQL?

Free and Open-Source: No licensing costs, perfect for budget-conscious projects.
Compatibility: Works with multiple platforms and programming languages.
High Performance: Efficient performance across large datasets.
Scalability: Easily scales to meet growing business needs.
Clustering and Replication: Ensures data availability and redundancy.
Easy Installation: Quick setup process on various operating systems.
Community Support: Extensive resources and community assistance.
Cross-Platform: Operates seamlessly on different operating systems.
Data Management Interface: Simplifies data handling and manipulation.

What are the benefits of using MySQL?

Cost Efficiency: Reduce expenses with a free, open-source database.
Scalability: Adapt to increasing data demands effortlessly.
Performance: Handle large datasets with ease and speed.
Community Support: Access a vast pool of knowledge and resources.
Flexibility: Integrate with various platforms and languages for diverse use cases.
Data Reliability: Clustering and replication for high data availability.

In multiple industries, MySQL supports internal applications, billing systems, academic teaching purposes, and ERP databases. Companies leverage MySQL for Cloud and local deployments, ensuring effective data manipulation and backend operations in diverse projects. Its role in financial transactions and reporting further emphasizes its versatility.

Oracle

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

Facebook, Tumblr, Scholastic, MTV Networks, Wikipedia, Verizon Wireless, Sage Group, Glassfish Open Message Queue, and RightNow Technologies.

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

MySQL vs. PostgreSQL