Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

SQL Server vs SingleStore 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

SingleStore
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Database as a Service (DBaaS) (17th), Vector Databases (17th)
SQL Server
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
272
Ranking in other categories
Relational Databases Tools (1st), Database Management Systems (DBMS) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Databases solutions, they serve different purposes. SingleStore is designed for Database as a Service (DBaaS) and holds a mindshare of 2.9%, up 1.6% compared to last year.
SQL Server, on the other hand, focuses on Relational Databases Tools, holds 11.8% mindshare, down 19.4% since last year.
Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SingleStore2.9%
Amazon RDS13.5%
MongoDB Atlas12.3%
Other71.3%
Database as a Service (DBaaS)
Relational Databases Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SQL Server11.8%
Oracle Database11.7%
SAP HANA7.1%
Other69.4%
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

VK
Solution Architect at Wipro Limited
An excellent choice for diverse data processing needs with exceptional in-memory capabilities, robust failover mechanisms, easy scalability and high performance
Scalability is its key strength. Adding servers for scalability is a straightforward process involving simply incorporating a few additional servers and recycling the cluster triggers automatic repartitioning and redistribution of data. For instance, if the initial database creation involved a hundred servers and later, four more servers are added, specific commands can be executed to increase the partitions to one hundred twenty. The data is then efficiently redistributed across the expanded partitions without the need for manual data movement, ensuring a seamless and efficient scalability process. In my current organization, approximately three projects involve the usage of SingleStore, with a team size ranging from ten to twenty individuals.
Peter Larsson - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Warehouse Lead at Resurs Bank AB (publ.)
Ledger and seamless integrations have strengthened trusted analytics and unified workloads
SQL Server's high availability and disaster recovery features work for supporting mission-critical applications, but there is much more to wish for. These features are not quite ready yet, although they do function. However, they could be significantly better. High availability and disaster recovery features should be improved in the next releases. I have noticed that everything could be improved or enhanced in the future, particularly temporal tables and window functions. Sometimes, I believe Microsoft releases features to stay ahead of competitors, but they do not make them feature-rich or feature-complete. They release something to be ahead of leaders and then seem to forget to maintain and upgrade them. I want Microsoft to pay more attention and be more mindful about the things they implement. It is fine to do a first release that works, but you cannot simply abandon it in the following years without service packs and improvements. You must continue to build on features rather than forgetting about them.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"MemSQL supports the MySQL protocol, and many functions are similar, so the learning curve is very short."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to create pipelines, streamline and extract data from the pipelines."
"The paramount advantage is the exceptional speed."
"The product can automatically reinstall and reconfigure in case of a shutdown."
"It's a distributed relational database, so it does not have a single server, it has multiple servers. Its architecture itself is fast because it has multiple nodes to distribute the workload and process large amounts of data."
"The ability to store data in memory is a standout feature, enhanced by robust failover mechanisms."
"I use it to fine tune my procedures and functions."
"It is one of the most stable relational databases out there."
"It is an extremely stable solution."
"The solution has the capability to scale."
"There is no lack of features."
"It is easy to use and very stable."
"It is fairly easy to work with. I like the high-availability options, like mirroring for example, and the high-availability groups."
"It is a stable product, and it runs seamlessly. It is not complex."
 

Cons

"Poor key distribution can significantly impact performance, requiring a backward approach in design rather than adding tables incrementally."
"There should be more pipelines available because I think that if MemSQL can connect to other services, that would be great."
"We don't get good discounts in Pakistan."
"It is not the optimal choice for direct data collection through queries, and it's more suited for aggregation tasks."
"For new customers, it's very tough to start. Their documentation isn't organized, and there's no online training available. SingleStore is working on it, but that's a major drawback."
"Having the ability to migrate servers using a single command would be extremely beneficial."
"In terms of exceptionally large databases, it doesn't scale as well as Oracle."
"The tool is expensive."
"Third-party services from Redgate should be built-in to it, like SQL Search."
"Sometimes the system hangs. Its databases should be able to deal with more data in a faster way. Its speed of processing larger amounts of information should be improved."
"Running multiple instances on the same box would be beneficial."
"Microsoft could improve SQL Server by integrating the tools better."
"The scalability and the high availability feature can be expanded or improved. Currently, there is a limitation on scalability. A feature similar to the Oracle Diagnostic feature can be included to provide a better user experience."
"I would like to see native plugins built for other platforms versus having to buy third-party plugins to tap into S3 buckets and AWS Cloud. Right now, it does not have those built-in plugins."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They have two main options: cloud installation and bare-metal installation, each with different pricing models."
"Using it for analytical purposes can be cost-effective in the long run, especially in terms of infrastructure."
"I would advise users to try the free 128GB version."
"SingleStore is a bit expensive."
"The product's licensing is not expensive. It is comparable."
"The price could be cheaper."
"There is no licensing cost for SQL Server."
"SQL Server is an expensive solution."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"The product's price is reasonable."
"We didn't have any licensing costs for SQL Server."
"It is annual."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Database as a Service (DBaaS) solutions are best for your needs.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
30%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Retailer
5%
Financial Services Firm
38%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business119
Midsize Enterprise59
Large Enterprise115
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
Would you say the price of SQL Server is high compared to that of similar products?
SQL Server is fairly priced because it has various editions, depending on the number of users, servers, or core packs you are using. If you compare the product to others in this category, the price...
Has using SQL Server helped your organization in any way?
SQL Server has helped my organization through partitioning to distribute the workload, as it splits them up into smaller pieces so the machines can easily deal with it. However, this comes with a h...
Which authentication mode is best for SQL Server?
My company connects through SQL Server authentication. We have company Windows accounts, but we do not want to connect the two, out of security concerns and to keep things separated for our own pur...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft SQL Server, MSSQL, MS SQL
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

400+ customers including: 6sense, Adobe, Akamai, Ant Money, Arcules, CARFAX, Cigna, Cisco, Comcast, DELL, DBS Bank, Dentsu, DirectlyApply, EY, Factors.AI, Fathom Analytics, FirstEnergy, GE, Goldman Sachs, Heap, Hulu, IMAX, impact.com, Kroger, LG, LiveRamp, Lumana, Nvidia, OpenDialog, Outreach, Palo Alto Networks, PicPay, RBC, Samsung, SegMetrics, Siemens, SiteImprove, SiriusXM, SK Telecom, SKAI, SONY, STC, SunRun, TATA, Thorn, ZoomInfo.
Microsoft SQL Server is used by businesses in every industry, including Great Western Bank, Aviva, the Volvo Car Corporation, BMW, Samsung, Principality Building Society, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), MongoDB and others in Database as a Service (DBaaS). Updated: February 2026.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.