MySQL vs PostgreSQL comparison

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MySQL

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 2025

PostgreSQL and MySQL are both prominent contenders in the open-source database management system category. While PostgreSQL often has an edge due to its advanced functionality and compliance with standards, MySQL attracts users with its speed and ease of deployment.

Features: PostgreSQL is known for comprehensive SQL standard support, robustness, and advanced functionality, ideal for feature-rich applications. It handles complex queries and data integrity well. MySQL excels in speed and reliability for web applications, integrates well with programming languages, and is known for fast transaction handling and web integration.

Room for Improvement: PostgreSQL lacks MySQL's broad compatibility with open-source applications, struggles with read-only queries, and does not support some SQL operations like 'INSERT IGNORE'. It also has challenges in user-friendliness and documentation complexity. MySQL faces limitations in standard SQL compliance, complex features like clustering, and lacks advanced replication features available in premium offerings.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PostgreSQL offers a wide deployment range, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, supported by a strong community but lacking formal technical support. MySQL provides similar deployment flexibility, enhanced by extensive community and enterprise-level support options from Oracle.

Pricing and ROI: Both PostgreSQL and MySQL are open-source with a low total cost of ownership. PostgreSQL's costs are mainly in training and implementation, with support available through consultancy. MySQL offers a free community version and a commercial enterprise edition with advanced features and support, delivering high ROI due to its functionality and cost-effectiveness.

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

MySQL vs. PostgreSQL

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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

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

150

Ranking in other categories

Relational Databases Tools (4th)

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 (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Open Source Databases category, the mindshare of MySQL is 8.9%, down from 14.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PostgreSQL is 16.6%, down from 19.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Open Source Databases Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
MySQL	8.9%
PostgreSQL	16.6%
Other	74.5%

Open Source Databases

Featured Reviews

Prabir Kumar Kundu

SR AVP–Presales Cloud & Platform Management Services at Path Infotech ltd

Offers robust security and availability with impressive replication capabilities

Regarding their documentation and interface, there is room for improvement. Documentation is definitely required when running multiple databases on a cluster system. The load balancer, MySQL LB, which is used to connect to the application, lacks clear documentation. When there are multiple application servers connecting to the MySQL cluster and going through the MySQL load balancer, the documentation is not user-friendly. It's there, but only technical persons with deep knowledge of the MySQL database can implement it. Most of the community users or ISVs who use MySQL don't have many technical persons or DBA experts, so they face some challenges for the high availability of connecting high available databases from high available applications. That documentation should be simplified.

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PavithrarajShetty

Software Architect at Tetherfi

Offers simplicity and is cheaply priced

I haven't gone through the scalability aspect since I was using MySQL Server. I haven't worked to a high level in PostgreSQL, but with MySQL Server, I have managed clustering and partitioning. I think I haven't put much focus on PostgreSQL, so I am not sure how it behaves or how it works.

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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 most valuable feature of MySQL is its reliability and performance."

"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 solution helps us perform with our databases and extract data."

"I like MySQL because of its community."

"The replication feature is the most valuable. We are replicating our servers."

"For sure, the solution is very stable."

"The initial setup for the SQL database is not complex and it even integrates into the platform. You set up the recipe and then just follow the runbook, the build book. Then it works as long as you follow the procedures."

"A lot of the software components have been trialed and tested for often more than 10 years."

More MySQL pros

"The solution has many valuable features such as it easy to use and the interface is intuitive."

"The solution is scalable, it is very good."

"The built-in code procedural language is the most valuable. It has a built-in layer for code procedures. Its installation is very easy and quick, and it is free. It is also stable, and its performance is also good."

"The product is easy to use and works fast for relational databases."

"It is easy to use."

"With the database, you can provide a multi-component at the same service with the same performance, scalability, or all those things."

"The performance is good."

"The community support and the open-source community for it are good."

Cons

"The user interface could be more user friendly. Mainly because most of the times we see black and white digital lines. Something like Python."

"There should be more tools to manage the on-premises version and more automation features."

"It isn't as reliable as an SQL Server."

"Even for the best database, we always want the database to perform much better, so we wish MySQL would be much better, in terms of performance."

"The workbench could be improved. In particular, error messages can be improved, which are horrific and completely unhelpful. I'd like to see improved parsing of errors. When you write SQL and it crashes, it usually is something completely irrelevant and not helpful. I've started to use GPT 3.5 for finding out how to do things. I got to do something a bit different, and that I found to be very useful. If there was some way to tie it into one of the new AI tools, that would probably be a good idea."

"MySQL's performance needs to be improved for enterprise-level applications compared to Oracle and Postgres."

"There should be an arrangement for end-users to get trained to use the tool...Improvement-wise, a graphical interface could be added for new users, eliminating the need to memorize the complex syntax."

"We have encountered some performance issues, and the solution takes time for performing complex queries."

More MySQL cons

"The search option is not very good."

"I don't think PostgreSQL supports bulk databases, so it needs to have more capabilities in terms of managing the bulk data."

"I find it difficult to get connectors on the tool. For example, .NET has only one free provider in PostgreSQL. I need to pay the provider if I need something more sophisticated features. Other languages like PHP and Java have good community support. We need community support for .NET."

"PostgreSQL’s performance could be improved."

"The interface could be much better."

"The database and applications can become very slow."

"They need to improve the user experience of the management."

"The solution could improve the integration."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution’s pricing depends on customer requirements. A license is not required for the community edition."

"When you know the setup will continue to grow, make sure you have the paid support."

"We are using the free community version of the solution."

"We've never bought a commercial license. We just use the open-source community edition."

"MySQL is very cheap. It could be free. It also has a yearly licensing option."

"Enterprise editions and support are definitely needed for the heavy users who need direct support. "

"We do have a couple of clients who choose to use the paid, enterprise version of the solution and who take full advantage of it."

"MySQL is free."

More MySQL pricing and cost advice

"It is open-source. If you use it on-premise, it is free. It also has enterprise or commercial versions. If you go for the cloud version, there will be a cost, but it is lower than Oracle or Microsoft."

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

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

"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."

"There is an annual license."

"It is also open-source so it is free."

"Our company pays for it. There are free versions available, but for advanced features, you obviously have to pay."

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

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	73
Midsize Enterprise	31
Large Enterprise	61

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	58
Midsize Enterprise	26
Large Enterprise	45

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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.

Firebird SQL vs PostgreSQL

Comparisons

Firebird SQL vs MySQL

Compared 22% of the time

SAP HANA vs MySQL

Compared 7% of the time

MariaDB vs MySQL

Compared 6% of the time

SQL Server vs MySQL

Compared 6% of the time

Oracle Database vs MySQL

Compared 5% of the time

More MySQL Competitors

Compared 31% of the time

MariaDB vs PostgreSQL

Compared 7% of the time

EDB Postgres Advanced Server vs PostgreSQL

Compared 7% of the time

Chroma vs PostgreSQL

Compared 6% of the time

LanceDB vs PostgreSQL

Compared 5% of the time

Product Reports

MySQL

Download MySQL product report

Download PostgreSQL product report

Overview

MySQL is an open-source database known for its ease of use and high performance. It offers features like replication and clustering, making it ideal for diverse applications. Its cost-effectiveness and LAMP integration are key advantages for businesses.

MySQL supports a variety of languages and platforms, providing reliable, scalable data management. Its graphical interface and LAMP architecture integration enhance its usability, while community support further strengthens its appeal. Challenges include scalability issues with large databases, lack of advanced clustering, and limited high-availability features. Complex queries may affect performance, and integration can pose difficulties. The outdated interface and insufficient documentation are also concerns, along with replication and backup reliability issues.

What are MySQL's key features?

Open-source nature: Freely available and customizable.
Cross-platform compatibility: Supports multiple operating systems.
Scalability: Capable of handling large volumes of data.
Replication and clustering: Ensure data redundancy and load balancing.
Full-text search: Provides powerful search capabilities.
LAMP integration: Seamlessly integrates with Linux, Apache, and PHP.

What benefits should users consider?

Cost-effectiveness: Reduces expenses due to its open-source nature.
High performance: Efficiently processes large volumes of data.
Active community support: Access to a wide range of resources and expertise.
Versatile use cases: Suitable for varied applications including web development and IoT.

MySQL is widely implemented in industries such as web development, e-commerce, and finance. It's used for managing dynamic websites, powering e-commerce platforms, and supporting financial applications. Its compatibility with PHP and cost-effectiveness make it suitable for CMS platforms like WordPress. With cloud services integration, MySQL is a backend choice for scalable applications in various sectors.

Oracle

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.

Sample Customers

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

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

MySQL vs. PostgreSQL