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IBM Informix vs Oracle Database In-Memory comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

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 Informix
Ranking in Embedded Database
9th
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
25th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Database In-Memory
Ranking in Embedded Database
3rd
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
10th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Embedded Database category, the mindshare of IBM Informix is 3.6%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Database In-Memory is 11.7%, up from 8.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Embedded Database Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Oracle Database In-Memory11.7%
IBM Informix3.6%
Other84.7%
Embedded Database
 

Featured Reviews

Nasir Niamat - PeerSpot reviewer
DB Consultant at i2c
Has offered a cost-effective option despite frequent technical issues and limited market demand
We find some bugs in IBM Informix. Maybe we are using it more aggressively than others. Every month or every second month, we find some bugs in it, which is not ideal. It should be rare, not this frequent. The good thing is they cover those bugs in the next release within weeks or days on demand. IBM Informix should become hybrid and should include AI features similar to other DBMS systems such as Snowflake, Redshift, and DataBricks. This would help its value rise with the market.
Hosney Osman - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Solution Architect at Vodafone
Real-time analytics have transformed response times and support huge data volumes with compression
I do not have any comment related to the improvement of the solution; for sure, it needs improvement, but for my use cases, it is very sufficient, and I think for the biggest companies, it needs a very powerful infrastructure. The area where improvement is required the most in the product is the UI. The problem with the UI is that it is not complex for understanding, but it needs some training to know what each button does, how it works, and the many variables needed.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution's stability, performance, enhanced functionality, and replication are all great features."
"Every version is faster than the previous."
"Informix can support huge quantities of data with less memory and less capacity."
"The initial setup is very simple."
"Replication, all levels of replication, query charting, and the MongoDB embedded are the most valuable features of this solution."
"The stability is incredible. I have customers with uptimes of several years."
"It supports in-house-built applications in .NET and VB6"
"Overall, this is a great product. It works really well, is very stable, and is very scalable."
"We have recently deployed our database on cloud with Oracle Database In-Memory; we have a single standby on cloud, and on contingency occasions, we switch over to cloud and use it for four to five months."
"The most valuable feature is that Database In-Memory is more consistent and faster than traditional databases as it requires fewer CPUs to process instructions."
"The most valuable aspects of this solution are the fast caching and improved performance to the database"
"We find the dashboard and the speed of data processing very valuable in Oracle Database In-Memory."
"The benefits of data compression in Oracle Database In-Memory are great because we are using data, and it saves a lot regarding sizing."
"The on-premise version is stable. We have different teams and resources for the server side, for admin, and for development. We can easily take care of all the services and applications."
"After we started using the in-memory product, we saw really dramatic figures."
"I find the performance features of Oracle Database In-Memory to be most beneficial, with system performance in milliseconds, dual format architecture positively impacting our data processing, and clear financial benefits from its efficient operation that improve our overall operational efficiency."
 

Cons

"The solution doesn't include functionality like data anonymization."
"The solution lacks some functionality."
"The support team could include local engineers to establish efficient communication. It will help us speed up the escalation process."
"Every month or every second month, we find some bugs in it, which is not ideal."
"It would be helpful to have IBM salespeople know that Informix exists, and sell it. Currently, it is completely ignored by IBM."
"This product could be made easier to use for beginners."
"I would like to see backups from secondary servers."
"I really would love to have a QT plugin."
"In the next release, Oracle should include column store or advanced query optimization so a database can be optimized by enabling analytic queries to run faster."
"Especially, if you have large data, then it's not very efficient."
"The high cost of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The product could be more economical."
"I would like Oracle Database In-Memory to include a data replication feature."
"Technical support is below our expectations currently. It could be improved."
"The solution is quite expensive."
"You need to have platinum service to get good support. Otherwise, you'll have to struggle a bit."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I am not aware of the licensing costs or terms."
"The free edition can be enough to handle moderate-size implementations, but you may want a pay for edition to benefit from more functionality, such as replication."
"The product has reasonable pricing. We purchase its yearly license."
"For me, it's always too expensive."
"There is a need to make a yearly payment towards the licensing costs, after which there is any to pay towards the support cost attached to the solution."
"Oracle Database In-Memory is expensive."
"I rate the pricing a zero out of ten because Database In-Memory is too costly."
"The pricing is pretty good so I rate it an eight out of ten."
"The product is expensive."
"The solution's pricing is high."
"Database In-Memory is priced a bit higher than its competitors like Microsoft."
"The platform's licensing cost needs improvement."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise23
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Informix?
There is a cost reason to move from IBM Informix. It is relatively cheaper than Oracle. The second reason is that moving the whole application to a new database would require significant cost. The ...
What needs improvement with IBM Informix?
We find some bugs in IBM Informix. Maybe we are using it more aggressively than others. Every month or every second month, we find some bugs in it, which is not ideal. It should be rare, not this f...
What is your primary use case for IBM Informix?
We are using IBM Informix for OLTP systems. We are using IBM Informix although it is a technology that is not very popular compared to others. We are using it because our application was initially ...
What needs improvement with Oracle Database In-Memory?
I do not have any comment related to the improvement of the solution; for sure, it needs improvement, but for my use cases, it is very sufficient, and I think for the biggest companies, it needs a ...
What is your primary use case for Oracle Database In-Memory?
The major use case for Oracle Database In-Memory is real-time applications that need a fast response between the application and the database directly without any latency.
 

Also Known As

Informix
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Shaspa, Hildebrand, Kaifa, Ranhill Powertron, Federaci‹ Farmacutica (FedeFarma), Camden Council, The German Aerospace Center (DLR), Myers, Votorantim Group, Doosan Infracore, GreenIvory
Shanghai Customs
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Informix vs. Oracle Database In-Memory and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.