MySQL vs Percona Server comparison

Oracle and Percona are both solutions in the Open Source Databases category. Oracle is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4, while Percona is ranked #16. Oracle holds a 10.8% mindshare in OSD, compared to Percona’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Oracle users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Percona users who would recommend it.

MySQL

Read 149 MySQL reviews

6,931 Views
5,377 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Percona Server

Read 2 Percona Server reviews

1,061 Views
974 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

MySQL

Percona Server

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 23, 2025

MySQL and Percona Server are competitive solutions in the database market. Although MySQL offers a straightforward and widely adopted platform, Percona Server edges ahead with advanced features and superior performance and scalability.

Features: MySQL provides user-friendliness and strong performance for general needs, with key features like data replication and robust security options. Percona Server enhances performance with optimized storage engines and advanced replication, offering flexibility and superior capabilities for developers.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: MySQL is easily deployed and backed by widespread community support, enabling smooth integration. Percona Server demands more technical expertise but offers notable flexibility and scalability, complemented by dedicated support and premium service for complex deployments.

Pricing and ROI: MySQL presents a low-cost entry, appealing to small and medium enterprises with a strong ROI in general cases. Percona Server, while potentially requiring higher initial investment for support and advanced features, ensures significant ROI with enhanced performance and scalability, making it valuable for high-performance environments.

To learn more, read our detailed MySQL vs. Percona Server Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

MySQL vs. Percona Server

April 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

MySQL

Ranking in Open Source Databases

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

149

Ranking in other categories

Relational Databases Tools (3rd)

Percona Server

Ranking in Open Source Databases

16th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Open Source Databases category, the mindshare of MySQL is 10.8%, down from 17.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Percona Server is 1.7%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Open Source Databases

Featured Reviews

Muzzamil Hussain

Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan

Native encryption ensures secure data management with a simple deployment

The most valuable feature is the on-premises data encryption facilities. By default, we can provide encryption, and this feature in MySQL is why we prefer it over other databases. The native encryption in MySQL encourages us to use this database model more frequently compared to Oracle and other databases. With Oracle, we have to buy another solution for encryption and masking, but MySQL supports native encryption, which enhances our return on investment. It perfectly supports our ROI, and we have no issues with its functionality.

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Umair Hassan

Database Administrator at Systems Limited

Open-source and free to use with a good community

I would love to see the flashback in Percona MySQL or even in Percona PostgreSQL. It's available in Oracle, the flashback. In Oracle, there's the utility of a flashback. It stores all the information in the tables for a few days. That way, if I accidentally delete my records from the table or I need to check the value of a column or row two days back, I can. If Percona had flashback capabilities, it would be ideal. I would love to see training be easier to find. I had some complications finding the training that Percona provides. It is not displayed on the website. For example, if I want to train myself via a Percona expert through virtual files or through recorded videos or something like that, it's really difficult to find any sort of course. You have to email them first, and they will ask you whether it is for yourself or it is for the corporate sector. The course content should just be readily available and not hidden.

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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

"The connectivity with PHP is quite good."

"It is free, which is probably its most valuable feature. It is a pretty full-featured relational database. It really does everything we need it to do."

"For starters, it's free, which is always nice, and it's also pretty straightforward to use. It's a nice conventional database."

"MySQL is open-source. There are a lot of open-source communities trying to come up with their own patches, and to come up with their own features, which help MySQL develop faster than traditional databases like Oracle, which is closed source."

"The tool is open-source and there is no cost involved in its use."

"I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten since it has been running flawlessly."

"The one interesting thing about this product is that it is open source. It comes from an open source product. MySQL has been positioned as open source, but it also provides support."

"The solution is easy to use."

More MySQL pros

"We find the product mostly stable."

Cons

"I would rate the stability a seven out of ten. It does break down a little at times."

"Scalability could be improved."

"As for areas that could be improved, the tool is often used as a local database on laptops. But now, we're moving to cloud-based solutions that are more scalable and highly available. I think the tool should offer a cloud database option. This would let users keep a local copy of data if needed, but also have their data available across different regions through a cloud account."

"Its performance should be better. When we use big data, it is slow in performance. We should be able to use mirroring for improved performance."

"I find the Microsoft solution a bit better. But mostly in terms of the UI layout, I would say. I just find it a little bit more efficient."

"There are some issues with compatibility with Java environments that need to be improved. When Oracle bought this solution there were some driver changes that caused some issues with operations."

"Improvements to MySQL depend on the specific use case. For example, in my scenario, I frequently need to maintain and store data, which can then be utilized to generate reports. On the other hand, others may suggest incorporating a feature that allows for easier visualization of the data, such as what is available in Power BI or other similar tools."

"The product is a little bit complex and it is difficult to find sufficient documentation."

More MySQL cons

"If Percona had flashback capabilities, it would be ideal."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are using the free community edition of MySQL."

"Microsoft licensing for SQL Server is probably ten times more expensive. I used to work for the government, and I remember when we were looking into upgrading to the enterprise version of SQL Server 2019, the licensing was going to cost 350,000. To get the equivalent in the cloud, it was going to be about four grand to get the same processing power and everything else. With MySQL, it was going to be about 300 for the same licensing. Cost-wise, for sure, there is a huge difference. Would you prefer to pay 300 a month or 3,000 to have the same amount of data resources? You might lose a few options that you need, but it isn't worth the price difference."

"It's an open-source database management system that can be used free of charge."

"There is a license for this solution. A lot of the time the solution gets bundled with other hardware or software purchases."

"The tool is open source."

"The pricing falls within the moderate range."

"Can range from free to quite expensive, depending on the environments and requirements, so better to really set goals ahead of setting it up."

"There is a licensing cost because we are going for a proprietary product. There are some other versions for which there is no licensing cost."

More MySQL pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

24%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

Why are MySQL connections encrypted and what is the biggest benefit of this?

MySQL encrypts connections to protect your data and the biggest benefit from this is that nobody can corrupt it. If you move information over a network without encryption, you are endangering it, m...

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Considering that there is a free version of MySQL, would you invest in one of the paid editions?

I may be considered a MySQL veteran since I have been using it since before Oracle bought it and created paid versions. So back in my day, it was all free, it was open-source and the best among sim...

See all answers

What is one thing you would improve with MySQL?

One thing I would improve related to MySQL is not within the product itself, but with the guides to it. Before, when it was free, everyone was on their own, seeking tutorials and how-to videos onli...

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Comparisons

Firebird SQL vs MySQL

Compared 27% of the time

PostgreSQL vs MySQL

Compared 14% of the time

SAP HANA vs MySQL

Compared 9% of the time

MariaDB vs MySQL

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Db2 Database vs MySQL

Compared 2% of the time

More MySQL Competitors

MariaDB vs Percona Server

Compared 36% of the time

PostgreSQL vs Percona Server

Compared 25% of the time

EDB Postgres Advanced Server vs Percona Server

Compared 11% of the time

More Percona Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

MySQL

May 2025

Download MySQL product report

Buyer's Guide

Open Source Databases

May 2025

Download Percona Server product report

Overview

MySQL is a cost-efficient and scalable relational database management system widely used in web, mobile applications, and academic projects.

MySQL is utilized for backend operations, data analysis, reporting, financial transactions, and ERP databases. It supports deployment on local servers, Cloud, and Kubernetes. Its free, open-source nature along with strong community support make it popular among companies. MySQL's compatibility with multiple platforms and programming languages enhances its appeal. While it remains stable and easy to use, areas such as replication, clustering, and backup require improvement to better serve enterprise applications. Enhanced security, error messages, and monitoring tools are also desired for a better user experience.

What are the most important features of MySQL?

Free and Open-Source: No licensing costs, perfect for budget-conscious projects.
Compatibility: Works with multiple platforms and programming languages.
High Performance: Efficient performance across large datasets.
Scalability: Easily scales to meet growing business needs.
Clustering and Replication: Ensures data availability and redundancy.
Easy Installation: Quick setup process on various operating systems.
Community Support: Extensive resources and community assistance.
Cross-Platform: Operates seamlessly on different operating systems.
Data Management Interface: Simplifies data handling and manipulation.

What are the benefits of using MySQL?

Cost Efficiency: Reduce expenses with a free, open-source database.
Scalability: Adapt to increasing data demands effortlessly.
Performance: Handle large datasets with ease and speed.
Community Support: Access a vast pool of knowledge and resources.
Flexibility: Integrate with various platforms and languages for diverse use cases.
Data Reliability: Clustering and replication for high data availability.

In multiple industries, MySQL supports internal applications, billing systems, academic teaching purposes, and ERP databases. Companies leverage MySQL for Cloud and local deployments, ensuring effective data manipulation and backend operations in diverse projects. Its role in financial transactions and reporting further emphasizes its versatility.

Oracle

Percona Server for MySQL is a free, fully compatible, enhanced, open source drop-in replacement for MySQL that provides good performance, scalability and instrumentation. With over 3,000,000 downloads, Percona Server for MySQL's self-tuning algorithms and support for extremely high-performance hardware delivers excellent performance and reliability.

Percona

Sample Customers

Facebook, Tumblr, Scholastic, MTV Networks, Wikipedia, Verizon Wireless, Sage Group, Glassfish Open Message Queue, and RightNow Technologies.

Pricefalls Marketplace, Micpoint, Rent the Runway, Transmart, Wattpad, Singular Group, Invoca, 3E

Buyer's Guide

MySQL vs. Percona Server

April 2025

Free Report: MySQL vs. Percona Server

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