In our company, we are providing an application in PHP language and we need to use another database and we made the decision to use MySQL.
Solution Architect at KIAN company
Ease to use, high performance, and has quick startup times
Pros and Cons
- "When comparing MySQL to other solutions it is easier to use and boots up faster. Additionally, when you want to query a lot of data, MySQL is better in performance."
- "The solution could improve the monitoring. At the present time, you need to use third-party monitoring solutions."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
When comparing MySQL to other solutions it is easier to use and boots up faster. Additionally, when you want to query a lot of data, MySQL is better in performance.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve the monitoring. At the present time, you need to use third-party monitoring solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately one year.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
When it comes to stability SQL server is better than MySQL. This is an area they could improve.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately five users using this solution in my organization.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used SQL Server.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate MySQL an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

IT Specialist at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliable, responsive technical support, and straightforward installation
Pros and Cons
- "One of the best features is this solution is easy to use."
- "The solution could improve by having better performance and security."
What is our primary use case?
We are using this solution for database management.
What is most valuable?
One of the best features is this solution is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by having better performance and security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is relatively stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For what we have been using the solution for it is scalable. However, it could be more scalable.
We have a lot of customers using this solution with more projects coming up. We have overall approximately 500 users using this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is very good and responsive.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward. It can easily be installed onto a laptop or any computer.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is not a license required for this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate MySQL an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
MySQL
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about MySQL. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT at a construction company with 201-500 employees
Reliable, easy to use and install, and good community support but the documentation could be better
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the ease of use."
- "The manuals or documentation could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for billing, accounting, and data analysis.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ease of use.
What needs improvement?
The manuals or documentation could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using MySQL for ten years.
We are using version 8.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We do not have any issues with the stability of MySQL.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For our needs, it's sufficient.
We have 10 users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
It has more than enough support available for our needs. There is plenty of support from the community.
We rely on the forums and other channels for help. It's pretty good at the moment.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
The installation can take approximately an hour.
You need to be aware of databases to make use of it. You need a moderate level of competence.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We use the community edition.
There is no cost involved, no licensing fees.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other products.
What other advice do I have?
It's a good product for new startups.
I would rate MySQL a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Information Systems Computer System Controller at a insurance company with 11-50 employees
Small application for easy deployment but has Java compatibility issues
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is a small application and is very easy to deploy."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
I have used the solution for a database tied to application development.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately eight years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are approximately 300 users using the solution in my organization.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is a small application and is very easy to deploy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license for this solution. A lot of the time the solution gets bundled with other hardware or software purchases.
What other advice do I have?
I have plans to continue using the solution in the future.
I rate MySQL a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Director IP led Services (PES) at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A very good traditional database; simple, easy to use and provides decent service
Pros and Cons
- "A good traditional database that supports JSON."
- "Could use some additional JSON query support in the solution."
What is our primary use case?
We store mostly the metadata-related information and that's our primary use case for MySQL, storing a transactional database.
What is most valuable?
This is a good traditional database, it supports JSON and it is whatever you need for a simple solution. It fits well, is easy to use and provides good service.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see some additional JSON query support in the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is fine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution is fine although we haven't tested it too much.
How are customer service and technical support?
There is no need to contact technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy, it's not a big installation and there's no effort required with maintenance-related issues because it's a whole product and is more stabilized. So I don't recall any issues and getting issues on the database side.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this product if it suits your needs.
I rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Data Analyst at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Easy to use and stable, but not very powerful and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to use."
- "It is not as powerful as SQL Server. It can be more powerful. It is not scalable and has certain limitations, which is not the case with SQL Server."
What is our primary use case?
It is the database for a web application. I am using it for personal and official purposes.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
It is not as powerful as SQL Server. It can be more powerful.
It is not scalable and has certain limitations, which is not the case with SQL Server.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is not scalable. We have around 10 to 15 web developers who are currently using it.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not interacted with them.
How was the initial setup?
Its installation is not very complex. It takes two hours.
What about the implementation team?
I installed it on my own. We have four or five people for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For the on-premise version, no license is required.
What other advice do I have?
We plan to keep using this solution. I would rate MySQL a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Has a lot of documentation and bug fixing is better in the latest version
Pros and Cons
- "However, it is easy to scale MySQL using the functions provided with the product."
What is our primary use case?
It is deployed on local servers, and we are using version 8. The whole company uses our database. Our users don't communicate with the database directly. They use a web interface. All programs are deployed using MySQL. We have hundreds of thousands of users accessing MySQL via the website. Two of us manage the database, but it's enough for only one person to manage daily operations.
How has it helped my organization?
As we are using the latest version of the database, it has many functions that have improved it. There are many new features in this version, and it is more powerful in what it can achieve.
What is most valuable?
MySQL has a lot of documentation, and bug fixing is better in the latest version.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using MySQL for about 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
MySQL is scalable. We didn't scale it via the database tools provided but on the program side. However, it is easy to scale it using the functions provided with the product.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support is fast and helps to find faster fixes to existing bugs. They recently advised us to downgrade to fix one particular bug, which resolved the problem we were having.We only use technical support for bug fixes, and the calls are usually closed quickly.
How was the initial setup?
I was able to install it myself in about half an hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
MySQL is free.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have also used PhpStorm and DataGrip.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend that others use MySQL. I would rate it 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Open source, stable, and has a lot of features
Pros and Cons
- "It has a lot of features. The RDBMS, consistency, and multi-user features are valuable."
- "We want high availability and replication features, which are currently missing in this solution. It would be great if they can provide an in-built replication feature, similar to Oracle RAC, in MySQL."
What is our primary use case?
We are doing POCs for our clients in our testing lab, and if a POC is working fine, then we give it for the production release.
What is most valuable?
It has a lot of features. The RDBMS, consistency, and multi-user features are valuable.
What needs improvement?
We want high availability and replication features, which are currently missing in this solution. It would be great if they can provide an in-built replication feature, similar to Oracle RAC, in MySQL.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable RDBMS. There is no doubt about that.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have been using it for POCs. It has been consistent for a hundred users. Currently, we have three groups that use this, and each group has 20 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not contacted their technical support.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is open source. We prefer it for POCs because it saves the license cost.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate MySQL an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner

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