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Actian Ingres vs IBM Db2 Database comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Actian Ingres
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
29th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Data Warehouse (17th)
IBM Db2 Database
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
74
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Actian Ingres is 1.2%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 6.5%, down from 7.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Db2 Database6.5%
Actian Ingres1.2%
Other92.3%
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

GH
Sr Sales Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Reliable performance enhances operations with good technical support
We run the entire IRS system, the income system, and the tax system. We also manage the entire Absa banking system in Africa. There's a lot of database applications, similar to those used in banks and the IRS The most valuable features for us are reliability and performance. Our system is used…
Sathyan K - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder, Director at perfTech Solutions Pvt Ltd
Database has secured high-volume transactions and supports fast, compliant workflow processing
Sterling B2B Integrator is a highly transactional-oriented application, which can be described as an OLTP application. Any data that flows through the application is stored in the database for each step that it performs. IBM Db2 Database helps the application work much faster from an OLTP perspective. IBM Db2 Database is SSL enabled, which means that from the security point of view, any access to the database is through SSL. Additionally, all compliance-related aspects have been taken care of from the database point of view, including database encryption and security-related features. It is highly scalable, and its performance related to database pruning is very good. It can be scaled vertically or horizontally so that data insertions and data access are much faster and more secure compared to how Oracle or other databases work.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Ingres is the only database solution that has maintained a level of consistency and integrity about the way users interact with it."
"The deployment of our solution across a number of servers using Ingres .NET has meant that we can protect the database server behind a highly secure firewall and deploy the front end solutions on a normal web server."
"The most valuable features for us are reliability and performance."
"It's easy to search and extract data from the warehouse using queries."
"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."
"We have had a good experience with customer service and support."
"If you want horizontal scaling and reliability, DB2 for i is absolutely the way to go."
"When comparing IBM Db2 and Oracle Database, I would go for IBM Db2 because it has complete functionality."
"This is definitely a stable solution."
"The self-management and optimization features are probably the best on the market"
"In summary, this is a good solution and one that I recommend."
 

Cons

"The seamless integration is a bit of an issue."
"The ability to reset the log file without stopping the DBMS would be helpful for us."
"Right now, the setup for AWS/Azure licensing is very confusing and not cost-effective."
"The problem with this environment is that any software that you install is very costly because there are no free tools for this environment."
"In terms of improvements, IBM Db2 can improve its interface and its functionality. Also, the embedded functions should be much richer than the current ones - the functions which are embedded in the engine itself."
"Microsoft SQL Server is comparatively very simple to use. I wish IBM would move towards making Db2 easy to use for both basic and advanced users. This is where I see room for advancement. Db2 is also more expensive than Microsoft SQL Server, and its price can be reduced. The replication feature needs to be there in Db2. Microsoft provides similar functionality in SQL Server. IBM also has similar functionality, but it exists in a different product. So, to have the replication ability, you have to buy a different product. It makes sense to have this functionality within Db2 instead of a different product. It will also be helpful in terms of competition. In Africa, the problem for Db2 is competition. Oracle Database and Microsoft SQL Server have been in this market for a very long time. These companies have built the ecosystem and the brand within this market for a very long time. So, they are very popular with users. Db2 or IBM came a little later in the game, and that's where the problem lies. They also don't do a lot of marketing for it, which is also a problem."
"The initial setup could be improved."
"The price should be lower."
"The capabilities of this solution could improve."
"​Not very solid compared to its competitors' products.​"
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"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."
"The solution costs less than other products."
"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."
"The solution's pricing is fine."
"There is a license for this solution and we pay every three years."
"Clients are required to purchase a license."
"It is expensive when compared to other products."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
16%
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise48
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Actian Ingres?
The seamless integration is a bit of an issue. I would like to see more direct connectors and stuff like SQLAlchemy. It's there but isn't available as a standard, so it involves going to GitHub to ...
What is your primary use case for Actian Ingres?
We run the entire IRS system, the income system, and the tax system. We also manage the entire Absa banking system in Africa. There's a lot of database applications, similar to those used in banks ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Actian Ingres?
Initially, it's a lot less expensive than competitors. Price performance has always been a priority, ensuring we remain competitive in the market.
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?
A potential area of improvement is better documentation. From an educational perspective, it is difficult for people to understand IBM Db2 Database much faster compared to databases such as Oracle ...
What is your primary use case for IBM Db2 Database?
We use IBM Db2 Database for B2B Integrator, specifically Sterling B2B Integrator, which requires a database to store all configuration details. Any workflow that is created, any configuration messa...
 

Also Known As

Ingres, Ingres 2006
DB2
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Groupe Adeo, IsCool Entertainment
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Actian Ingres vs. IBM Db2 Database and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.