MariaDB vs PostgreSQL comparison

MariaDB and PostgreSQL are both solutions in the Open Source Databases category. MariaDB is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.3, while PostgreSQL is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3. MariaDB holds a 6.5% mindshare in OSD, compared to PostgreSQL’s 14.7% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of MariaDB users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of PostgreSQL users who would recommend it.

MariaDB

Read 61 MariaDB reviews

4,882 Views
2,490 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

PostgreSQL

Read 125 PostgreSQL reviews

7,165 Views
6,305 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

MariaDB

PostgreSQL

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

PostgreSQL and MariaDB compete in the open-source database category. PostgreSQL has the upper hand in offering a wide range of features suitable for complex queries and diverse procedural languages, while MariaDB stands out for its speed and performance in web applications.

Features: PostgreSQL supports advanced SQL standards and complex queries, offers diverse procedural language support, and is fully ACID compliant, making it ideal for write-intensive tasks and scalability. MariaDB is known for its speed, handling high-traffic web applications efficiently, and its robust replication system, performing well with read-heavy workloads.

Room for Improvement: PostgreSQL could improve in handling large datasets quickly, adding more MySQL-compatible SQL functions, and simplifying its installation and configuration process. MariaDB may struggle with write-intensive applications and complex queries on large datasets, and it can enhance stability during power outages and improve support for advanced analytics and scalability features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PostgreSQL and MariaDB provide versatile deployment options across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. PostgreSQL benefits from strong community support with extensive resources, though commercial support may be necessary for consistent customer service. MariaDB also relies on community support with available commercial support options, and users appreciate the active communities that facilitate troubleshooting.

Pricing and ROI: Both PostgreSQL and MariaDB are open-source, offering cost-effective solutions without licensing fees, which is appealing to startups and smaller enterprises. PostgreSQL is considered to provide significant ROI due to its robust features available at no cost, and MariaDB offers flexibility and reliability, ensuring a favorable return on investment with adequate community support.

To learn more, read our detailed MariaDB vs. PostgreSQL Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

MariaDB vs. PostgreSQL

December 2025

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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

MariaDB

Ranking in Open Source Databases

7th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Relational Databases Tools (7th)

PostgreSQL

Ranking in Open Source Databases

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Vector Databases (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Open Source Databases category, the mindshare of MariaDB is 6.5%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PostgreSQL is 14.7%, down from 18.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Open Source Databases Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
PostgreSQL	14.7%
MariaDB	6.5%
Other	78.8%

Open Source Databases

Featured Reviews

Anand Bandi

Co-Founder at Vsigma IT Labs Pvt Ltd

Has supported web application data needs but requires design adjustments to manage complex queries efficiently

Complex queries in MariaDB where the query needs to parse thousands of lines or data values face some performance issues. For small and medium-size volume, it is pretty good. If it goes beyond certain data and complex queries, we see performance issues. We tried the advanced replication feature between different regions, replicating data specifically residing on MariaDB to two different regions of MariaDB data, and there were some technical snags in terms of slowness and longer processing time. Point-in-time recovery in MariaDB is good for small databases. When data volume increases beyond 5 GB or 10 GB per day or runs into double-digit GBs, we found some performance issues. For data below 10 GB, it works fine. Performance is the primary focus area for MariaDB, particularly during transactions or complex query jobs where slow performance is observed. MariaDB is scalable and easy to scale.

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Akhilesh Chipre

Senior Assosiate Consultant at Applied Materials

Real-time data capture optimizes database performance but Views create problems

One of the most valuable features is real-time data capture; it optimizes database performance. I think using real-time data capture reduces job running time and the amount of data sent at once with batch loads. Replicating the same data daily isn't optimal, so real-time reception improves application performance and reduces latency.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I would say that for most use cases it works fine."

"What I like best about MariaDB is that it is open-source and reliable."

"The integration with other products is seamless."

"We like the easy way that we can collect data from other databases."

"Configuration, setup, and schema design are good features in MariaDB, and typical database features we have used include backup, configuration, recovery, archiving, and ETL."

"It is an absolutely stable solution."

"Easy to use and available in most environments."

"It is a stable solution."

More MariaDB pros

"The product is very similar to the SQL Server."

"Scalable, stable, and easy to manage database system, with a straightforward installation."

"We are able to create many different types of jobs and items with this solution making it one of the most valuable features."

"We managed to reduce the storage space needed to 10% of the original size, without affecting data integrity, and we significantly improved the performance."

"It's a standard reliable database management system."

"It's a transactional database, so we use Postgres for most of our reporting. That's where it's helping."

"Clustering will be the number 1 feature. It is also open-source so it is free. It can also be clustered, to allow fault tolerance."

"What I like is that it's quite powerful in terms of performance."

Cons

"In future releases, mainly the addition of security features would be beneficial for MariaDB."

"Integration with AWS could be improved."

"It does not have tools for debugging procedures and functions."

"I would like to see more compatibility going forward. This would help if there is a need to change databases."

"It would be good if they can maybe improve the mass import in the database. Currently, for importing a large number of data, we create a CSV file and upload all the things in the system. The system does not activate them by default. We have to do this manually. This may be due to the version we are using, but this is something we would like to see improved."

"While MariaDB is a good relational database, it can be inflexible for complex use cases."

"MariaDB can improve by adding more features. There are a lot of features, which are available in Oracle, and which are not available in MariaDB. We hope they will introduce the features soon."

"MariaDB's GUI is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

More MariaDB cons

"When you get a large number of records in a database and start doing various queries, it can adversely impact the performance of the live running systems. That's an area we continue to look at and mean to improve, but it is not only because of PostgreSQL. It is also because of the way the schemas are put together, and certain events are triggered. So, it is because of both parties."

"Postgres should focus on building a stronger knowledge base. They also need to expand their integration capabilities, so more tools and resources are available to manage it."

"The interface climate could be better."

"It would be great if the solution offered even more integration capabilities."

"It could be more secure."

"I have noticed that user and access management should be improved."

"It could be improved by using parallelization. You want basically, distributed computing."

"PostgreSQL could improve by adding data warehousing tools."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of this solution represents a very good compromise between the cost and what it offers."

"There is a monthly subscription to use MariaDB."

"The licensing cost is approximately $4000.00 per year and the licensing is based on the software and the number of posts that you make."

"The cost is quite good. You can have the open source, free version, which has adequate capacity."

"The solution is free, but if you want the enterprise version you will need to pay for some licenses but the cost is less than other solutions, such as Oracle."

"We use the solution's free version."

"It is an open-source solution."

"MariaDB is a free-to-use solution."

More MariaDB pricing and cost advice

"It could be much cheaper. If you would like to build an application on Amazon today, PostgreSQL is the standard database with Redshift. If you want other databases, you can add them, but PostgreSQL is the basis of everything. It's a question of money, that's it."

"It is free, but if you need support, you can go for the commercial version called EnterpriseDB. They provide paid support, and they can even do hosting for you if you want standby and support."

"The tool is cheaply priced compared to other RDBMS providers in the market."

"It is an open-source platform."

"PostgreSQL is a free and open-source database."

"It is free. There is no license on it."

"Affordable solution."

"We use the open-source version of PostgreSQL and not the enterprise edition."

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

University

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	27
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	26

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	57
Midsize Enterprise	26
Large Enterprise	46

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about MariaDB?

The integration with other products is seamless.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MariaDB?

MariaDB is in the pricey range, especially for huge databases handling terabytes of data. The cost depends on the volume of data and different features enabled during configuration, such as backup ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with MariaDB?

See all answers

How does Firebird SQL compare with PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL was designed in a way that provides you with not only a high degree of flexibility but also offers you a cheap and easy-to-use solution. It gives you the ability to redesign and audit yo...

See all answers

What do you like most about PostgreSQL?

It's a transactional database, so we use Postgres for most of our reporting. That's where it's helping.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PostgreSQL?

The tool is free of cost. For now, it's not about making money. But once we perfect it, we can offer it to customers willing to pay for support and other services. Most of my deployments are free.

See all answers

Comparisons

Firebird SQL vs MariaDB

Compared 19% of the time

SQL Server vs MariaDB

Compared 16% of the time

MySQL vs MariaDB

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle Database vs MariaDB

Compared 6% of the time

Percona Server vs MariaDB

Compared 5% of the time

More MariaDB Competitors

Firebird SQL vs PostgreSQL

Compared 25% of the time

MySQL vs PostgreSQL

Compared 10% of the time

Chroma vs PostgreSQL

Compared 5% of the time

LanceDB vs PostgreSQL

Compared 5% of the time

EDB Postgres Advanced Server vs PostgreSQL

Compared 4% of the time

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

MariaDB

January 2026

Download MariaDB product report

Buyer's Guide

PostgreSQL

January 2026

Download PostgreSQL product report

Overview

MariaDB is an open source relational database created by the original founders of MySQL. It is considered one of the most popular and trusted database servers throughout the world. MariaDB is a valued component found in most cloud offerings and is the default in many Linux tools. It is also widely used by Wikipedia, WordPress, and Google, among other well-known sites. Maria DB easily melds data into concise information from a vast array of applications, such as banking, online shopping, websites, and more.

MariaDB was originally created to improve MySQL performance. It is the most widely chosen database server due to the solution being super fast, robust, user-friendly, and easily scalable. MariaDB also offers a substantial ecosystem of plugins, storage engines, and numerous other valuable tools that make it very attractive for a significant offering of use cases.

The solution’s newest functionalities include compatibility with Oracle Database and Temporal Data Tables, and advanced clustering with Galera Cluster 4, which make it easier for users to research data history from any point in the past. Additionally, the most recent versions include JSON and GIS features. MariaDB is committed to staying an open source solution.

MariaDB Features

More storage: MariaDB works with more storage engines than MySQL and most other database servers available. Some storage options include, but are not limited to ARCHIVE, MERGE, CSV, MEMORY, BLACKHOLE, MyISAM, ColumnStore, MyRocks, and Cassandra.
Super fast: MariaDB offers faster authentication checks. The FlushSSL permits SSL certificates to be reloaded without a server restart, resulting in huge time savings.
Improved testing: MariaDB offers an extending testing suite that runs faster and can test more than ever before. Bugs can be easily fixed and invalid tests removed.
Genuinely open source: Every code in MariaDB is GPL, LGPL, or BSD. Client libraries [for Windows (ODBC), Java (JDBC), or C] allow linking to closed source software. All fixed bug cases and development plans are completely public. MariaDB is a community-developed solution representing the true spirit of open source products.

Reviews from Real Users

Faustine C., Engineering Supervisor- Corporate Data Solutions and Services at TZ Telecoms Corporation, shares, “The software provides a lot of information on what is happening inside the database. For most performance parameters it is easy to know if something is not right in the configuration or optimization which helps engineers take remedial fine-tuning measures. For example, if the database is underperforming it is easy to know which performance parameter can be adjusted to handle the workload. It is difficult to troubleshoot database issues if many performance parameters can not be monitored or debugged which is the case with some database management systems. It provides great monitoring of data storage, processing, and performance stability which is really important for real-time data storage and processing. It's a user-friendly product.”

A PeerSpot user who is a Senior Engineer at a tech services company relates, “ The solution's high availability is its most valuable aspect. We have found the product to be stable and the initial setup is pretty simple. I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten. I'm very happy with it overall. I would recommend the solution to others. It's easy to find details about the product online and to learn about it.”

MariaDB

PostgreSQL is a versatile and reliable database management system commonly used for web development, data analysis, and building scalable databases.

It offers advanced features like indexing, replication, and transaction management. Users appreciate its flexibility, performance, and ability to handle large amounts of data efficiently. Its robustness, scalability, and support for complex queries make it highly valuable.

Additionally, PostgreSQL's extensibility, flexibility, community support, and frequent updates contribute to its ongoing improvement and stability.

PostgreSQL

Sample Customers

Google, Wikipedia, Tencent, Verizon, DBS Bank, Deutsche Bank, Telefónica, Huatai Securities

1. Apple 2. Cisco 3. Fujitsu 4. Instagram 5. Netflix 6. Red Hat 7. Sony 8. Uber 9. Cisco Systems 10. Skype 11. LinkedIn 12. Etsy 13. Yelp 14. Reddit 15. Dropbox 16. Slack 17. Twitch 18. WhatsApp 19. Snapchat 20. Shazam 21. SoundCloud 22. The New York Times 23. Cisco WebEx 24. Atlassian 25. Cisco Meraki 26. Heroku 27. GitLab 28. Zalando 29. OpenTable 30. Trello 31. Square Enix 32. Bloomberg

Buyer's Guide

MariaDB vs. PostgreSQL

December 2025

Free Report: MariaDB vs. PostgreSQL

Find out what your peers are saying about MariaDB vs. PostgreSQL and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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