MySQL alternatives: 11 database management systems compared
People weigh alternatives to MySQL mostly because of who owns it and which parts are sold: the Community Server is GPLv2, while Enterprise, Standard, Classic and HeatWave come from Oracle with no prices on the product page. The list below runs from MySQL-compatible servers through other SQL engines to document, cache and cloud-only stores.
Short answer: Looking for a replacement for MySQL? MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite come first in our database management system ranking. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Start with MariaDB if you want the same kind of server and drivers under a foundation instead of a single corporate owner. All 11 alternatives below are ranked products from Best Database Management Systems in 2026, and each says where it differs from MySQL.
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Pricing: Community Server free under GPLv2; HeatWave metered per ECPU-hour; Enterprise on request
Established in: United States
Built for: Teams running widely supported web stacks who accept Oracle as owner
Not for: Buyers who want vendor-neutral governance of the code
01
Why buyers look past MySQL
01
One company owns the code and the paid tiers
The MySQL site shows Oracle in the footer and lists MySQL Enterprise Edition, Standard Edition, Classic Edition, NDB Cluster CGE, an embedded OEM edition and the HeatWave cloud service next to a link to the Community Server. The products page we read gave a sales phone number and no prices. Organisations that want a neutral steward for the engine start asking about alternatives at this point.
02
Release tracks need a decision from you
The 8.4 reference manual describes two tracks: 8.4 is the long-term support series, which began with 8.4.0 on 30 April 2024, and the 9 series is the Innovation track, begun on 1 July 2024. The manual also notes that 8.0 became a bugfix series from 8.0.34 and that 5.7 ended active development in October 2023. Older installations therefore have a migration to plan sooner or later.
03
The free server and the sold features sit apart
The Community Server is the part you can run without paying, and the Enterprise edition is what the vendor sells for business-critical use. Our attempt to open the Enterprise and Community product pages returned an Oracle error page, so we cannot list what the paid edition adds. Ask for that list in writing before deciding whether you are paying for something you use.
your workload is key-based lookups at high volume and you are content to live inside AWS
#12
03
What each one does differently
1
MariaDB
United States · Published
The server began as a fork by MySQL's original developers, and the foundation says it stays GPLv2 and independent of commercial entities. Existing MySQL clients and tools mostly keep working, which makes it the shortest move for an application you do not want to touch. MariaDB Cloud is billed per hour, and its lowest tier caps storage at 1000 GB.
Switch from MySQL if you want the same kind of server and drivers under a foundation instead of a single corporate owner.
PostgreSQL is released by a community project under a BSD-style licence, with no vendor to reprice it and a five-year support window per major version. The project's own pages describe ACID compliance since 2001 and extensions such as PostGIS. SQL dialect and some behaviour differ from MySQL, so a migration means testing queries, not only moving data.
Switch from MySQL if you are ready to retest your SQL and want a permissive licence with a wide extension ecosystem.
SQLite is a library that keeps the whole database in one file inside your application, so there is no server to patch. Its own guidance says it suits embedded devices, local application data and small sites, and that a client/server engine fits better when many machines write at once. Support is sold from 1,500 US dollars a year.
Switch from MySQL if the MySQL server was only ever holding data for one application on one machine.
Cockroach Labs sells a distributed SQL database that speaks the PostgreSQL wire protocol, billed on Standard at $0.092 per vCPU-hour and on Mission Critical at $0.162, with a 30-day trial and a $400 credit. Since version 24.3 the code carries the CockroachDB Software License, and free self-hosting applies only below 10 million in annual revenue.
Switch from MySQL if you outgrew a single primary and want SQL that spreads across regions, and can accept a revenue-capped licence.
Couchbase stores JSON documents and queries them with SQL++, a familiar syntax for MySQL users. Capella cloud starts with a free single node of 8 GB with forum support, then Basic from $0.15 per node-hour and Developer Pro from $0.35. Self-managed Server and the mobile sync product are quoted rather than listed.
Switch from MySQL if your tables are really documents and you want SQL-style queries over JSON with an offline mobile option.
MongoDB Atlas starts with a free 512 MB cluster, then Flex at $0.011 per hour capped at $30 a month, then Dedicated clusters billed hourly. The Community Edition server is available at no cost, and Enterprise Advanced covers self-managed commercial use. The model is documents, so moving from MySQL means redesigning schemas and queries rather than porting them.
Switch from MySQL if the application already reads and writes nested objects and you are willing to drop joins and foreign keys.
Cassandra is an Apache Software Foundation project under Apache Licence 2.0 and sells nothing itself. Every node behaves alike, and capacity grows by adding nodes. Its project page says there is little point in running one node, and CQL queries read a single table, so tables are designed around the queries you expect.
Switch from MySQL if write volume has outgrown one MySQL primary and you can design data around known queries.
Redis keeps data in memory for sub-millisecond reads, and since Redis 8 you choose RSALv2, SSPLv1 or AGPLv3. The cloud offer has a free 30 MB database, Essentials from $0.007 per hour and Pro from $0.014 per hour with a $200 monthly minimum. It takes load off a relational database more often than it replaces one.
Switch from MySQL if MySQL is mostly slowed by repeated reads, sessions or queues that belong in a cache.
SQL Server 2025 comes in Enterprise, Standard, Express and Developer editions, runs on Windows and on Linux (Red Hat, Ubuntu), and is licensed per core or per server plus client access licences. Standard is capped at the lesser of 4 sockets or 32 cores, and Express at 50 GB per database. Its dialect is T-SQL, so stored routines need rewriting.
Switch from MySQL if your estate is already Microsoft and a per-core licence with published list prices suits procurement.
Oracle Database is the same company's commercial engine, now branded Oracle AI Database 26ai. A free edition allows 2 CPU threads, 2 GB of RAM and 12 GB of user data, and larger use runs on a licence priced in a separate list. Choosing it keeps the owner of MySQL as your vendor and changes only the product.
Switch from MySQL if you want to stay with Oracle as a supplier but need features beyond MySQL Enterprise.
DynamoDB runs only on AWS and bills reads and writes either per request or as provisioned capacity, plus storage. The free tier gives 25 GB and covers about 200 million requests a month. Access is by key, not by SQL joins, and tables can be exported to S3, but application code written for MySQL has to be rewritten for it.
Switch from MySQL if your workload is key-based lookups at high volume and you are content to live inside AWS.
You want the MySQL way of working without Oracle as owner
MariaDB: The foundation states the server stays GPLv2 and independent of commercial entities, and MariaDB Cloud is billed per hour.
02
You want a permissively licensed engine with no vendor behind it
PostgreSQL: It is released under a BSD-style licence and each major version is supported for five years.
03
Your database only serves one application on one machine
SQLite: It keeps the data in one file with no server, and the project sells support from 1,500 US dollars a year.
04
You need one SQL database that spreads over regions
CockroachDB: Standard is $0.092 per vCPU-hour, with a 30-day trial and a $400 credit.
05
You are mostly using MySQL to cache and serve repeated reads
Redis: The free cloud database holds 30 MB and Essentials starts at $0.007 per hour.
04
When MySQL is still the right choice
MySQL is still a sensible default when the application was built for it and runs well. The Community Server is GPLv2 with source on Oracle's GitHub, the 8.4 long-term support series gives a stable target, and the HeatWave service runs on OCI, AWS and Azure for teams that want a managed option from the same vendor. Drivers, hosting panels and developer habits assume MySQL almost everywhere, so a move has to buy something specific, such as a different owner, a different licence or a different data model.
05
What moving off MySQL involves
01
Take stock of dialect and feature use
List the stored procedures, triggers, storage engines, character sets and replication setup you rely on. MariaDB keeps most of these close to MySQL, while PostgreSQL and SQL Server have their own dialects and need query changes.
02
Dump, load and compare on a copy
Export schema and data with the tools of the target engine, load them into a copy and compare row counts and query results on real workloads. Keep the old MySQL server read-only until the comparison has passed.
03
Plan the cutover and the way back
Choose a quiet window, repoint applications by connection string, and keep replication or a recent dump so you can return within hours. Confirm backups and monitoring work on the new engine before you switch off the old one.
06
Questions about replacing MySQL
7 answers
What is the best alternative to MySQL?
MariaDB ranks first in our list because the server grew out of MySQL, stays GPLv2 under a foundation and is billed per hour in its cloud. PostgreSQL and SQLite follow for people who accept a different dialect or a different architecture.
Is there a MySQL replacement that works with existing MySQL applications?
MariaDB describes its server as an enhanced drop-in replacement for MySQL, so drivers and tools mostly carry over. Test stored routines and replication settings first, because behaviour has diverged between versions.
Which MySQL alternative is open source with a permissive licence?
PostgreSQL uses a BSD-style licence and SQLite is in the public domain. MariaDB is GPLv2, like the MySQL Community Server, and Apache Cassandra is under Apache Licence 2.0.
Which alternative to MySQL scales across several regions?
CockroachDB is a distributed SQL database billed per vCPU-hour, with a Mission Critical tier at 99.999 percent availability. Cassandra spreads data across nodes of equal rank, with the cost of designing tables around queries.
Can SQLite replace MySQL for a small website?
The SQLite project says it says it works for low to medium traffic websites and local application data, and recommends a client/server engine when many machines write at once. It allows many readers but one writer at a time.
Should I move from MySQL to MongoDB?
Only if your data is naturally nested documents. Atlas starts with a free 512 MB cluster, but joins and foreign keys are replaced by a document model, so the application code changes.
Does leaving MySQL for Oracle Database change the vendor?
No. Oracle owns both, and the free edition of Oracle AI Database 26ai is capped at 2 CPU threads, 2 GB of RAM and 12 GB of user data. Larger use is licensed from a separate price list.
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Sources
Checked 3 November 2026
MySQL products: Editions listed (Enterprise, Standard, Classic, NDB Cluster CGE, embedded, HeatWave), no prices, Community Server under downloads.
MySQL 8.4 reference manual FAQ: 8.4 LTS from 30 April 2024, 9 Innovation from 1 July 2024, 8.0 bugfix series, 5.7 end of active development, Oracle copyright.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Author and fact-checker: Sebastiaan Smits. This page was last reviewed on 3 November 2026; our review process is public.
