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IBM Db2 Database vs kdb+ comparison

 

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

IBM Db2 Database
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
76
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
kdb+
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
35th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 6.3%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of kdb+ is 0.9%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Db2 Database6.3%
kdb+0.9%
Other92.8%
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2708292 - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Nitin Garg - PeerSpot reviewer
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…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is highly scalable, and its performance related to database pruning is very good, and 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."
"It has a good, stable performance, and it's not Oracle."
"The solution's initial setup is straightforward."
"After migrating to DB2, the performance and stability of our Wealth Management system is much better than it was on Microsoft SQL Server."
"The most valuable feature of IBM Db2 Database is its ability to perform automatic self-management, reducing the need for manual tasks such as managing logs and folders."
"The solution's querying feature is most valuable. It allows me to retrieve data quickly."
"It's very secure."
"The solution has many beneficial features, such as security, support, and stability."
"The solution returns data quickly, and data retrieval is fast in kdb+."
 

Cons

"The data table names are very short which is not user-friendly compared to the Oracle SQL server. It should have longer column and table names."
"The performance could be improved."
"It would be helpful to have more querying tools and more development tools for us to work easily with Microsoft."
"IBM's products tend to be quite costly, especially given the availability of free, open-source alternatives."
"There could be better integration with some cloud solutions."
"We need some time to improve the performance. We have to perform a weekly REORG, or else RUNSTATS for the databases."
"Applications are used within the boundaries of their functionality and/or business purposes. While there are different situations that may occur either on a daily basis or once in a while, solutions are limited to the scope of their usage."
"Hardware and support subscriptions are very expensive. Better partnerships in the Middle East or Egypt could reduce costs."
"The solution should have a more user-friendly user interface."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Clients are required to purchase a license."
"We normally handle large size businesses and as far as I am aware, the license is negotiable based on the number of users and the quantitative data."
"We purchase the product's yearly license."
"It is expensive."
"It's very expensive for West African countries like ours."
"If I consider the price of IBM Db2 Database, I would say there are cheaper products in the market."
"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten. It's not super expensive, but also not cheap."
"They are competitive and honest (compared to how peer firms approach licensing conversations). ​"
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
44%
Energy/Utilities Company
5%
Comms Service Provider
5%
Construction Company
5%
 

Company Size

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

Questions from the Community

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?
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...
What is your primary use case for IBM Db2 Database?
I use the IBM Db2 Database for development applications. Many clients in our company have business applications currently working on it.
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Comparisons

 

Also Known As

DB2
No data available
 

Overview

 

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
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and others in Relational Databases Tools. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.