I am a senior manager of the infrastructure team and MySQL is one of the products that I work with. We use it in an e-commerce portal. The database is light and everything works smoothly.
IT Infrastructure & Data Platform Sr. Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Lightweight with good performance, but deployment with clustering needs to be simplified
Pros and Cons
- "The performance is great, as this is a lightweight product that is not demanding on the resources, which is what I think gives it the edge."
- "The product is a little bit complex and it is difficult to find sufficient documentation."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The performance is great.
This is a lightweight product that is not demanding on the resources, which is what I think gives it the edge.
What needs improvement?
We faced some details in clustering, although this may have been because we did not have enough knowledge about MySQL clustering. In general, an easier implementation for clustering would be an improvement.
The product is a little bit complex and it is difficult to find sufficient documentation.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using MySQL for approximately six months.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not had any problems with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
MySQL is easy to scale.
How are customer service and support?
We have dealt with Oracle support regarding other products such as Oracle Database and Oracle WebLogic. I believe that it will be of the same standard, although I'm not sure.
I am not a technical person but my understanding is that they are competent.
My complaint about them is that when we have a problem, we have to explain the same thing many different times to different engineers. Every time we engage with a new engineer, we have to start all over again. This is a nightmare that we chased three months ago.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In addition to MySQL, we use Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server.
Oracle is an enterprise-level product but it is very straightforward to install and it has sufficient documentation and guides, which we did not easily find for MySQL.
How was the initial setup?
Implementing clustering depends on a few different layers or different components. The clustering layer handles requests from the applications, and it is all a bit more complex than Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle.
The design, review, and deployment took approximately one week.
What other advice do I have?
At the moment, because of the issue that we are having with the clustering, I may not recommend MySQL. It would first need to have the clustering problem fixed and then have a sufficient deployment guide.
I would rate this solution 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 Technology Infrastructure Manager at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
Feature-rich, cost-effective, and allows us to implement clustered solutions
Pros and Cons
- "MySQL gives us all of the critical features that we need in a database, but without the costs."
- "I would like to have features that allow us to jump between the cloud and our on-premises system."
What is most valuable?
MySQL gives us all of the critical features that we need in a database, but without the costs.
The most valuable feature is that we can implement clustered solutions.
What needs improvement?
I would like to have features that allow us to jump between the cloud and our on-premises system.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using MySQL for about 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
MySQL is a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I know that it is scalable, and in fact, that is why we chose it. We always have it in mind that in some number of years, you have to scale the solution to something different in terms of architecture.
As it is now, our databases are not big. They are critical, but not large in size. We are not dealing with Big Data.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have never contacted Oracle for MySQL support.
The documentation that is available is enough for my needs.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This was the first database solution that we used. I have used other database products such as Oracle, for example. Oracle comes at a heavy cost.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an open-source product that can be used free of charge.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
This is the product that was proposed to us and we implemented it.
What other advice do I have?
MySQL is a product that I can strongly recommend. However, it is important for you to have the in-house knowledge to support it. Some level of in-house expertise is necessary, otherwise, you will have to rely only on external opinions. In my opinion, that's not good. Sometimes they have good intentions but don't understand the reality.
I cannot give MySQL a perfect rating because we don't use all of the features. That said, I can tell you that I am totally satisfied with it. It's a very stable product and it's something that is not difficult to deal with.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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June 2026
Learn what your peers think about MySQL. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
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Deputy Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
A good tool for learning about networked databases
Pros and Cons
- "This product is a good teaching tool for students who want to learn about networked databases."
- "The documentation is pretty weak and should be improved."
What is our primary use case?
I use MySQL to teach students about databases. They implement projects using this product.
How has it helped my organization?
MySQL is lacking some of the features that you find in a commercial product, but it is sufficient for basic functions.
What is most valuable?
This product is a good teaching tool for students who want to learn about networked databases.
What needs improvement?
The documentation is pretty weak and should be improved.
The GUI for PHP MySQL Admin can be improved because it is not very flexible and sometimes difficult to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using MySQL for more than five years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with other full-scale databases, such as PostgreSQL. For use cases where I need full functionality, I would use another product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am using the Community Edition, which is available free of charge.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CEO at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Offers valuable security features and has good connectors and backup features
Pros and Cons
- "Apart from the features that are in the enterprise part, we find the database to be valuable. The connectors and the backup features are valuable as well. We use the basic database. We don't really use the extra features. Our clients like the security features in the database."
- "Oracle should start putting in some of the enterprise features in the standard feature. There are some key features that should be part of the standard."
What is our primary use case?
The main reason that customers pick MySQL is that it's cost-efficient.
What is most valuable?
Apart from the features that are in the enterprise part, we find the database to be
valuable. The connectors and the backup features are valuable as well. We use the
basic database. We don't really use the extra features. Our clients like the security
features in the database.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see more security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using MySQL for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My customers haven't mentioned having any problems with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good enough.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't contacted Oracle in regards to MySQL but I have contacted Oracle support for other things. They're okay but from my end, the problem is that they're not proactive. From one to five, I would rate them a four.
There's a lot of documentation on the Oracle support portal even though you must be contracted customer. There is also a lot of support information on the community portals and google search in general. This is the reason we picked MySQL from the rest.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup isn't so complex. You have to get a lot of support from the
community. From my end, it's not so complex. You should consult with the
community.
What other advice do I have?
My experience has been open-source. Oracle should start putting in some of the enterprise features in the standard version. There are some key features that should be part of the standard. Things like replication should be part of the standard version as opposed to it being in the enterprise version.
I would rate them an eight out of ten.Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Business Intelligence Manager at a translation and localization position with 501-1,000 employees
Enables us to query and analyze data types and data structures within the database itself but the UI should be improved
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup was pretty straightforward. I would have worked with our IT team in terms of the initial setup."
- "My use of MySQL has primarily been from a data integration point of view, a data architecture point of view, and reviewing the database itself, and the data structure, data types."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
I'm not involved from the database side as much. I primarily use it for reviewing the data structure as the architecture before I build a data model in our BI tools.
General querying is pretty much what I do, and also analyzing data types and data structures within the database itself. I review the data structure within them. And I use that to build the data model, which we have in our reporting environment. That's primarily all I use it for.
What needs improvement?
What it would compare it to, from my point of view would be, Microsoft SQL Studio. 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. But to be honest, I can work equally as well with both.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with MySQL for two and a half years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't experienced any issues with scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't directly contacted their technical support.
I haven't gotten feedback from the IT team.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty straightforward. I would have worked with our IT team in terms of the initial setup. In terms of connecting to the database and to the data sources, it is pretty straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate MySQL a seven out of ten.
To make it a perfect ten, they should improve the UI. It's got quite a narrow range, and there's a lot more obvious to the database side than what I deal with. The UI is not quite as sharp I would say as the Microsoft solution. In some cases, I find that there are better shortcuts available in Microsoft solutions.
If I was choosing, I would probably lean towards Microsoft. That may be just a purely personal preference. My use of MySQL has primarily been from a data integration point of view, a data architecture point of view, and reviewing the database itself, and the data structure, data types. In my role, I don't define data and I don't build the database, I'm purely on the interrogation and the analytics side. I probably would find the Microsoft solution slightly better. But MySQL does absolutely provide what I require from that point of view. So I would recommend it, yes.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Infrastructure Platform Engineer at a cloud solution provider with 51-200 employees
Free to use, stable and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is free to use, which is its most valuable aspect."
- "From our perspective, it's free to use, it's stable and it's fast and scalable."
- "From a user perspective, the initial setup could be simplified a bit."
What is our primary use case?
We are an IT services provider, so the solution is for our customers. I can't answer for the customers in terms of how they use it.
Typically, customers are running applications that need to connect MySQL and to store some of the data.
What is most valuable?
The solution is free to use, which is its most valuable aspect.
The interface is quite good.
The stability and scalability are very good.
Overall, it's an excellent solution. We don't have to implement anything else.
What needs improvement?
We haven't noticed and features that are lacking.
From a user perspective, the initial setup could be simplified a bit.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution since 2000. It's been about 20 years now since I first was introduced to MySQL.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. Neither we or our clients have had to deal with bugs, glitches or crashes. Everyone's been satisfied with it. Stability is one of its best features.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution is good. We haven't had trouble scaling at all.
How are customer service and technical support?
We're using the community version of the solution. I don't have any complaint with the level of support, however, it is online and there isn't a support line.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup isn't always straightforward. Sometimes it is complex. For example, if you are doing a database expansion. For database expansion, you have to configure it and you have to know SQL quite well. You have to juggle a few things, which makes it complicated. However, from an IT perspective, it's a good tool, so it's worth the effort.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution doesn't cost anything to use. It's absolutely free.
What other advice do I have?
We are IT services provider, and provide this solution to our customers. It's typically installed on a dedicated server.
When we are working with it, we are doing SQL queries, and on top of that, we are using MySQL to do some reporting as well. It does what we want it to do and our clients are also happy with the results they get. It's a fine solution.
I'd advise those considering working with the solution to be patient.
We don't have any partnership MySQL. We are mostly a Microsoft partner. We mainly use the solution because of the community and the SQL server that's different from Oracle's server. From time to time we have to use MySQL.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. From our perspective, it's free to use, it's stable and it's fast and scalable. It makes it a good option for many organizations.
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.
jmitchell@natbankmw.com at NBM
Easy to use with a straightforward setup but requires better replication
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very simple; it's easy to use, and that's the most important feature."
- "The replication needs improvement. It's becoming a native cloud product like Oracle DB or Cockroach DB."
- "According to our experience, it's not really an enterprise tool that you can easily expand and scale the way you can with, for example, Oracle."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the many small applications we use. However, we do not use it with our enterprise-level applications.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very simple. It's easy to use. That's the most important feature.
We do have it supported by various programs we run with it.
What needs improvement?
The replication needs improvement. It's becoming a native cloud product like Oracle DB or Cockroach DB.
For how long have I used the solution?
We started using MySQL in various products about 10 years ago when it was still an independent community product.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has proven to be quite stable. We haven't experienced any bugs or glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
According to our experience, it's not really an enterprise tool that you can easily expand and scale the way you can with, for example, Oracle. It's good for small to medium-sized applications. It is not ideal for very big applications.
We have a data center that uses the application and it isn't very heavy on traffic. It basically runs on its own. We only use it occasionally. It's like a co-operation management system.
We do plan to increase usage, but we plan on looking at different databases. We're in the process of researching how scaling up would work. Chances are, we'll need to move to a different platform.
How are customer service and technical support?
We've never been in touch with technical support. For us, so far, things have been working perfectly so there hasn't been a need to.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This is the first solution we've used. We don't use any other product. It's very popular with the in-house program, as we advised them to stick with this application.
How was the initial setup?
We've used the solution for ten years and the setup hasn't changed much over time. It is, more or less, simple when you compare it to other databases.
Deployment takes less than an hour.
It only takes one person to maintain the solution. The individual doesn't have to be an engineer. They just need to be a support person.
What about the implementation team?
We don't need a consultant for the implementation. This is used by someone in our company that uses databases and has an average knowledge of the product. We don't even need a vendor. We can handle setup ourselves at this point. It's not like Oracle or other products that can be quite complicated.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We use the community edition of the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We didn't evaluate anything before choosing this solution. However, there are a few new products coming up that are growing in popularity and we will need to research them. Products like the Cockroach DB, Nuo DB, etc. are on our radar to be evaluated in the future.
What other advice do I have?
The most important thing other potential users need to do is to look at the use cases for this application and to evaluate how it's able to handle heavy loads, etc. Users should evaluate how it handles high-traffic. They'll need to ask themselves: is the solution usable for my applications?
I'd rate the solution 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.
Partner at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Has the ability to run on any operating system
Pros and Cons
- "Yes, MySQL has improved numerous processes; it has given us the ability to create applications without absorbing major costs."
- "Also, security measures could always be improved, and the clustering process could be enhanced as well."
What is our primary use case?
We utilize the DB as a data-repository solution for our front-end applications. The solution gives us the ability to run numerous instances on various geographical cloud servers.
How has it helped my organization?
Yes, MySQL has improved numerous processes; it has given us the ability to create applications without absorbing major costs.
What is most valuable?
- Its ease of use
- It's secure.
- It's fast.
- It has high-end processing.
- It can distribute across clouds.
- It has the ability to run on any operating system.
What needs improvement?
- I think a better front end would be a better solution (web application front end, similar to what Red Hat is doing to Fedora).
- Another nice solution for MySQL clustering would be the use of Webmin.
- Also, security measures could always be improved, and the clustering process could be enhanced as well. I recommend using UFW, iptables, and firewalld.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution works extremely well. It is easy to install and works on any platform. The price is good because we utilize various versions of the software/DB.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If the user sets up DB up using MySQL Cluster (creates a grid type of design), then we find the solution from a hardware perspective using NVMe, NVMe-oF, 10GE network connections, and 32-100GB of DDR4 memory (dependent upon customer requirements).
Scalability can be initiated using high-speed connections across IPv6 connections (IPSec AES-256 ESP/AH VPN connections without purchasing VPN concentrators — this can be done at the network layer).
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use various versions, but most of the time this is based on the client's requirements.
How was the initial setup?
After the initial training, the installation worked pretty well. I would suggest setting it up in a lab. This gives the user room to test the installation and configuration process. It is recommended to use PhpMySQLadmin — (https://www.phpmyadmin.net) — after the installation process is completed.
What about the implementation team?
It was implemented in-house. Most of the applications are tested in our cloud and on-premise servers.
What was our ROI?
60% ROI (There are DLs — direct labor costs and overhead costs, but once it is set up, we image the configuration and deploy our designs in docker).
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would suggest testing MariaDB before jumping in. This will give the user the ability to test the DB before using it. It is very easy to set up. MariaDB is free, and licensing is based on GNU.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
N/A.
What other advice do I have?
I would suggest running tests against MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MS SQL to determine which one best suits your needs (cost, development, and integration should all play in your decision-making process).
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Co-Founder at Mero Reading Room
It has a remote access feature to manage the database from a remote location
Pros and Cons
- "It creates a unified view of the entire architecture and performance factor, helping to manage the network more easily."
- "It has a remote access feature to manage the database from a remote location. This enables in-work collaboration."
- "The only service which could be improved is its usability. The entire user experience needs to be revamped to meet the 2018 design standards."
What is our primary use case?
I used it to obtain insight into the entire network and the resources being utilized. The current GUI lets us see the traffic happening east to west and the total bandwidth consumed by it.
How has it helped my organization?
- It provides visibility, where something was either broken or in pieces only.
- It creates a unified view of the entire architecture and performance factor, helping to manage the network more easily.
- It has a remote access feature to manage the database from a remote location. This enables in-work collaboration.
What is most valuable?
I have found the following features valuable:
- NetFlow of the whole system
- Information flow and scaling
- Communication between multiple collaborators and stakeholders
- Its user-friendly features.
What needs improvement?
The only service which could be improved is its usability. The entire user experience needs to be revamped to meet the 2018 design standards.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What other advice do I have?
The overall service is great.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Works at Micro Focus
I use the tool for various purposes but sometimes the functionality is limited and I need to use other tools instead
Pros and Cons
- "I use MySQL for employee service in an OLTP database."
- "When working with a cluster wide, I have to use the MySQL cluster version."
What is our primary use case?
I use MySQL for employee service in an OLTP database.
What is most valuable?
I use MySQL for various purposes. Sometimes I have used MyISAM as a storage engine rather than InnoDB.
What needs improvement?
When working with a cluster wide, I have to use the MySQL cluster version.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The 5.7 version has very better performance improvement over the previous version.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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