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Actian PSQL vs SAP HANA comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

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 PSQL
Ranking in Embedded Database
9th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SAP HANA
Ranking in Embedded Database
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
93
Ranking in other categories
Data Virtualization (2nd), Relational Databases Tools (3rd), Database Management Systems (DBMS) (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Embedded Database category, the mindshare of Actian PSQL is 6.4%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP HANA is 12.8%, up from 9.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Embedded Database Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
SAP HANA12.8%
Actian PSQL6.4%
Other80.8%
Embedded Database
 

Featured Reviews

辺琢也 渡 - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution Architect at Dropbox
Easy configuration, with affordable pricing, and reliable
We use Actian PSQL for analytics purposes Actian PSQL is easy to configure and the performance is affordable. It would be great to have some sizing guides to configure the on-premise software to make it easier. We need to improve the security options for the on-premise option. I would like to…
Bassem Mohammed - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Application Manager at TBTD
Integrated business processes have improved real-time analytics and financial performance
Whether I or my customers utilize SAP HANA's real-time analytics depends on the data needed to be displayed, and then choosing how to transfer the data to the analytic object, data source, or database to be displayed in the reports. It may be near real-time, real-time, or running batch every day. There are tools for integration between third-party systems, such as OData or APIs from SAP to get in or push data to other systems. Support for both structured and unstructured data helps organizations unify data sources depending on the needed data to be displayed. There are many ways to store it for report displays, but structured data will be better than unstructured data.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"MySQL is too poor in functionality, Oracle is too big slow and the price is not quite good."
"Actian PSQL is easy to configure and the performance is affordable."
"As I only worked part-time on SAP HANA, I did not have the opportunity to explore the advanced features of the solution. However, I did work with basic features, such as user administration and access controls for the accounting department. The feature that stood out to me the most was the Single Sign-On and user administration, backup, and server management. My experience with SAP HANA was mainly focused on basic server improvements."
"It is in the internal control system and with the most important decisions for the management of the enterprise, the process of decision-making."
"The most valuable features I have found are speed, dashboard, and reporting."
"The in-memory database is a good and valuable feature."
"The solution is easy to scale."
"The UX experience is very good."
"The most value for us was in terms of using it to issue tenders online. We host our server, but it is open to the public, so clients who want to buy those tenders were able to go online, put their tender documents up, and we could evaluate them using SAP."
"The solution is easy to manage enterprise resources and the reporting and analytics are including. It is good for company growth and all module are managed well."
 

Cons

"We need to improve the security options for the on-premise option."
"When we are using SAP HANA we have some difficulty with the customization. We would like to be able to add and make customized menus."
"The documentation can be improved in the future."
"It is challenging to integrate it with third-party tools."
"The pricing on this product could be reduced, and the installation process could be more straightforward."
"The interface is a little bit hard to customize. You almost have to consult the SAP original developer to change it."
"I'd just like to see some more improvements done on the training, both on the functional training and technical training sides as a part of the complete solution."
"The initial setup of SAP HANA is quite difficult as it has a steep learning curve."
"The setup process and deployment process for SAP HANA is complex."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have found Actian PSQL to be affordable."
"Price-wise, the product falls on the higher side of the spectrum. There is no need to pay for maintenance and support additionally. Support is available for bug fixes in the product."
"SAP HANA is expensive, but unfortunately, we do not have any alternatives."
"The pricing is relatively high for both customers and partners."
"The price of licensing is dependent on the size of the project, however, we have found that there is scope to negotiate the cost. If the solution is implemented on-premises there may be some extra costs for hosting etc."
"The price of SAP HANA is very expensive and it is paid annually."
"We pay for a maintenance license, and the licensing cost is high. In general, it is a very expensive solution."
"The pricing is a bit on the high side."
"The licensing cost for SAP HANA is approximately $200 per user per month."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise64
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
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What are the biggest benefits of using SAP HANA?
Based on my work with SAP HANA, the biggest benefit that it can bring to your business is total data management. This product is by SAP - a company that serves almost all needs a client may have co...
Is SAP HANA’s customer and technical support reliable?
We have been using SAP HANA for a fairly short period of time and have only taken advantage of their customer support. So far, we have not had issues that required specialized help from technical s...
Is SAP HANA difficult to set up and start using?
SAP HANA is fairly easy to set up, however, I do not think a complete beginner can do it. You certainly need some preparation - either you need to have experience with similar solutions, or with ot...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

PSQL, Pervasive PSQL
SAP High-Performance Analytic Appliance, HANA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Datamatics, Medical Data Vision, Inferenda, Sheetz, SecureAlert, Zilliant
Unilever, NHS 24, adidas Group, CHIO Aachen, Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited
Find out what your peers are saying about Actian PSQL vs. SAP HANA and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.