Microsoft SQL Server vs Oracle Database
Both are commercial databases where the licence meter decides the bill. SQL Server publishes its edition limits and list-price structure, with free Developer and Express editions. Oracle Database, now branded Oracle AI Database, has a capped free edition and keeps larger prices in a separate downloadable price list that its product page does not show.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Microsoft SQL Server ifyou already hold Microsoft licensing and staff, want to read edition limits before buying, and can count cores or client access licences.
Choose Oracle Database ifyou are a large organisation already tied to Oracle licensing and tooling, or want its cloud, Exadata and Autonomous variants on several clouds.
Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database side by side
| Microsoft SQL Server | Oracle Database | |
|---|---|---|
| Our database management system rank | #10 of 19 | #11 of 19 |
| Established in | United States | United States |
| List price, 2 November 2026 | Per 2-core pack or server plus CAL (SQL Server 2022 page, amounts not quoted here); Express and Developer free | Licence prices in a downloadable price list (not quoted here); Oracle AI Database Free for development within caps |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Organisations with Microsoft licensing, staff and Windows or Linux servers in place | Large organisations already tied to Oracle licensing, tooling and staff |
| Not for | Teams that want to avoid counting cores and client licences | Small teams that need cheap, portable and simple setup |
Both are reviewed in full in our database management system ranking: Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database.
Where they differ
Microsoft SQL Server 3 · Oracle Database 1 · open 1- 01
Free editions
SQL Server 2025 has a free Express edition limited to 1 socket or 4 cores and 50 GB database size, plus Developer editions. Oracle Database Free allows up to 2 CPU threads, 2 GB RAM and 12 GB of user data. Express allows a far bigger database than Oracle's free cap.
Edge: Microsoft SQL Server
- 02
Pricing structure
Microsoft's SQL Server 2022 pricing page lists Enterprise and Standard per core in 2-core packs, a Standard server plus CAL route, and pay-as-you-go through Azure Arc. We could not fetch the 2025 page. Oracle publishes a Technology Commercial Price List as a PDF that we could not read as text, so we quote no Oracle amounts.
Edge: Microsoft SQL Server
- 03
Where the caps bite
SQL Server Standard is limited to the lesser of 4 sockets or 32 cores and 256 GB of buffer pool memory, while Enterprise goes to the operating system maximum. Oracle's product page lists no comparable edition caps beyond the free edition. Microsoft is more open about where the ceilings sit.
Edge: Microsoft SQL Server
- 04
Platforms and clouds
SQL Server 2025 is supported on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu as well as Windows. Oracle offers Autonomous AI Database and Exadata Database Service on OCI, Azure, Google Cloud and AWS. Oracle's spread across four clouds is wider than anything in the Microsoft facts we hold.
Edge: Oracle Database
- 05
Vendor
Microsoft Corporation gives its address as One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA, USA. Oracle America, Inc. is the licensor named in the free-use terms. Both are American companies.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
If counting cores and licences is the problem you want to avoid, consider PostgreSQL or MariaDB, which are free under open licences.
Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle Database: questions
3 answersDoes SQL Server have a free edition?
Yes. Express is free, with a limit of 1 socket or 4 cores and 50 GB database size, and Developer editions are available too.
What does the Oracle free edition allow?
Oracle AI Database 26ai Free offers up to 2 CPU threads, 2 GB of RAM and 12 GB of user data.
Can I read Oracle's list prices?
Oracle publishes a US Technology Commercial Price List as a PDF. We could not read it as text, so this page quotes no Oracle amounts.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026- SQL Server 2025 editions: editions, Standard and Express limits, Enterprise OS maximum.
- SQL Server 2022 pricing: per-core packs, server plus CAL, Azure Arc, free Developer and Express.
- SQL Server on Linux: Red Hat and Ubuntu support.
- Microsoft services agreement: Redmond, WA address.
- Oracle Database Free: AI Database branding, free caps, Autonomous and Exadata on four clouds, no prices on page.
- Oracle pricing: downloadable Technology Commercial Price List PDF.
- Oracle free-use terms: Oracle America, Inc. as licensor.