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IBM Db2 Database vs kdb+ comparison

IBM and Kx Systems are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. IBM is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while Kx Systems is ranked #33. IBM holds a 6.6% mindshare in SQL, compared to Kx Systems’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Kx Systems users who would recommend it.
IBM Db2 Database
Read 75 IBM Db2 Database reviews
  • 3,607 Views
  • 3,463 Comparison Views
90% willing to recommend
kdb+
Read 1 kdb+ review
  • 421 Views
  • 370 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between IBM Db2 Database and kdb+ based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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Buyer's Guide
Relational Databases Tools
January 2026
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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

IBM Db2 Database
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
kdb+
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
33rd
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 6.6%, down from 6.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of kdb+ is 0.9%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Db2 Database6.6%
kdb+0.9%
Other92.5%
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2708292 - PeerSpot reviewer
reviewer2708292
Associate Director, Data Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Support improves setup and maintenance while pricing influences decision
If you have a similar use case and the same deal with IBM as our company, it is definitely a good option and choice. The company I work with has more than 50,000 people and more than 500 support staff. We are not locked into one database vendor. We typically work with multiple database vendors simultaneously, selecting the top choice based on the deals we make and other considerations. We do not use IBM Db2 Database related to AI at this moment because our AI project PLC is still very small scale. We may consider it in the future if we have enough scale. Overall rating for IBM Db2 Database is 8.5 out of 10.
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Nitin Garg - PeerSpot reviewer
Nitin Garg
Vice President - Financial Services at Evalueserve
An easy-to-deploy solution that can be used for data ingestion and usage
I work for a fintech company where we create several strategies generally built on finance data, which are like one-time series data. We deal with huge bulk data on a daily basis, and we use kdb+ for data ingestion and usage The most valuable feature of kdb+ is the speed at which it returns the…
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's the best solution in terms of security, performance, and availability because the system is available 24/7."
"The solution can scale."
"The solution is a very stable relational database and has integration with legacy systems. It is a great product."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the integration with other IBM products."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"I believe that because the support is good, they jump in and assist us in determining the root cause."
"It's a very mature product."
"The initial setup was easy."
More IBM Db2 Database pros
"The solution returns data quickly, and data retrieval is fast in kdb+."
 

Cons

"The solution's data retrieval speed could be improved, especially for heavy queries. Better optimization or indexing might also be involved."
"GUI needs improvement."
"The usage of Db2 could be simplified, as it is quite complex and requires substantial knowledge of Db2 and zOS."
"They could enhance the product's cloud integration and general-purpose database capabilities."
"There could be more user-friendly tools with features such as drag-and-drop functionality, visual basics, and low-code capabilities."
"End-to-end encryption specifically is something the solution needs to have in the next release."
"The solution could be more modern and have updated database technology."
"The command line part of this solution could be much better."
More IBM Db2 Database cons
"The solution should have a more user-friendly user interface."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's hardware and subscription model for support are very expensive."
"Clients are required to purchase a license."
"We don't see what the specific price of the DB2 license is because we pay for the backup license as a package."
"Compared to Oracle, it is so much cheaper."
"It's very expensive for West African countries like ours."
"They are competitive and honest (compared to how peer firms approach licensing conversations). ​"
"We purchase the product's yearly license."
"The solution costs less than other products."
More IBM Db2 Database pricing and cost advice
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
42%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Energy/Utilities Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise48
No data available
 

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.
See all answers
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.
See all answers
What needs improvement with IBM Db2 Database?
The IBM Db2 Database is a good solution, but now there is a high maintenance charge. The IBM Db2 Database needs improved support, and there are many difficulties in using it. We tend to use the clo...
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Earn 20 points
 

Comparisons

SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database Logo
SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database
Compared 40% of the time
Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database Logo
Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database
Compared 17% of the time
SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database Logo
SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database
Compared 9% of the time
Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database Logo
Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database
Compared 9% of the time
MySQL vs IBM Db2 Database Logo
MySQL vs IBM Db2 Database
Compared 5% of the time
More IBM Db2 Database Competitors
SingleStore vs kdb+ Logo
SingleStore vs kdb+
Compared 20% of the time
SQL Server vs kdb+ Logo
SQL Server vs kdb+
Compared 18% of the time
MariaDB vs kdb+ Logo
MariaDB vs kdb+
Compared 17% of the time
Oracle Database vs kdb+ Logo
Oracle Database vs kdb+
Compared 16% of the time
Kinetica vs kdb+ Logo
Kinetica vs kdb+
Compared 15% of the time
More kdb+ Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Db2 Database
January 2026
IBM Db2 Database reportDownload IBM Db2 Database product report
Buyer's Guide
Relational Databases Tools
January 2026
kdb+ reportDownload kdb+ product report
 

Also Known As

DB2
No data available
 

Overview

DB2 Enterprise for Linux, UNIX, and Windows is the ideal data server for the most demanding workloads. New XML support is designed to help firms minimize the time and effort it takes to persist and use their XML data reducing development costs and improving business agility.
IBM

Kx is the world leader in high-performance, in-memory computing, streaming analytics and operational intelligence. The company’s focus is on delivering the best possible performance and flexibility for high-volume, data-intensive analytics and applications. Kx software includes the time-series database kdb+ with a built-in programming language called q, and a robust suite of visualization tools built on top of the database platform providing business intelligence for all users.

Kx Systems
 

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
UniCredit, AIRBUS
Buyer's Guide
Relational Databases Tools
January 2026
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