PostgreSQL vs MySQL
PostgreSQL is a community-run engine under a permissive licence, with no vendor selling it. MySQL Community Server is GPLv2 and owned by Oracle, which sells Enterprise Edition and a cloud service around it. Both are free to run, so the choice comes down to who supports you, how you replicate, and what you pay for backup tooling.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for visibility on this site; it never changes what we say about a product. How that works.
Choose PostgreSQL ifyou want no single owner of the licence, need synchronous or logical replication inside the engine, and are happy to pick your own host or support company.
Choose MySQL ifyou want one vendor to call for 24x7 support, run mostly InnoDB tables, and can pay for the Enterprise tools when hot backup or audit is required.
PostgreSQL and MySQL side by side
| PostgreSQL | MySQL | |
|---|---|---|
| Our database management system rank | #1 of 12 | #9 of 12 |
| Established in | Not stated by the vendor | United States |
| Pricing | Free to use under the PostgreSQL Licence; hosting and support bought separately | Community Server free under GPLv2; HeatWave metered per ECPU-hour; Enterprise on request |
| List price, 20 October 2026 | Free under the PostgreSQL License; hosting and support bought from third parties | Community Server free under GPLv2; Enterprise Edition prices not shown on the product page |
| Free tier | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Teams that want a relational engine with no vendor able to reprice it | Teams running widely supported web stacks who accept Oracle as owner |
| Not for | Buyers wanting one company accountable for support and uptime | Buyers who want vendor-neutral governance of the code |
Both are reviewed in full in our database management system ranking: PostgreSQL and MySQL.
Where they differ
PostgreSQL 2 · MySQL 1 · open 1- 01
Licence and who can change it
PostgreSQL uses the PostgreSQL License, described as similar to BSD or MIT, and the project says there are no plans to change it. MySQL Community Server is released under GPLv2 and the repository is copyright Oracle. The engine costs nothing in both cases. Only one of them has an owner that also sells paid editions of the same product.
Edge: PostgreSQL
- 02
Who you call for support
MySQL Enterprise Edition comes with Technical Support Services, 24x7 from the vendor, though the product page lists no price and only a sales number. PostgreSQL has no vendor: the project's page says commercial support comes from many independent companies, so you choose and contract one yourself. If one accountable supplier matters, MySQL answers that.
Edge: MySQL
- 03
Replication in the engine
PostgreSQL lists asynchronous, synchronous and logical replication. The MySQL 8.4 replication page describes asynchronous replication by default, semisynchronous replication and delayed replication, and says that where synchronous replication is required you use NDB Cluster. We did not read the Group Replication page, so a MySQL cluster design needs checking there.
Edge: PostgreSQL
- 04
Backup and getting data out
pg_dump makes a consistent export without blocking readers or writers and offers plain, custom, directory and tar formats, with parallel dumps in directory format. mysqldump writes logical SQL, CSV or XML. For mostly InnoDB data the MySQL manual points to mysqlbackup, part of MySQL Enterprise. PostgreSQL's own manual warns pg_dump is not the right tool for regular production backups.
Depends on the buyer
When neither fits
If the data is a single embedded file, SQLite fits better than either server. If you want MySQL-style behaviour without Oracle as owner, MariaDB is second in our database ranking and worth a look.
PostgreSQL or MySQL: questions
4 answersAre PostgreSQL and MySQL both free?
Yes for the engine. PostgreSQL is released under the PostgreSQL License and MySQL Community Server under GPLv2. You still pay for hosting, backup tooling and support. Oracle sells MySQL Enterprise Edition and its product page lists no price.
Which has an owner that can change terms?
MySQL is copyright Oracle and/or its affiliates according to the official repository. PostgreSQL is developed by the PostgreSQL Global Development Group, which states it has no plans to change the licence.
How long is each version supported?
The PostgreSQL project supports a major version for 5 years after its first release and needs a dump and reload or pg_upgrade for major upgrades. We did not verify MySQL's support period on this check, so confirm it with Oracle.
Does MySQL need a paid edition for backup?
The mysqldump utility ships with the server. The MySQL manual recommends mysqlbackup, part of MySQL Enterprise, for primarily InnoDB data, and the Enterprise page lists online hot backup, thread pool, firewall, audit and transparent data encryption.
Sources
Checked 20 October 2026- PostgreSQL licence: PostgreSQL License, no plan to change.
- PostgreSQL versioning policy: 5-year support, major upgrade method.
- PostgreSQL about: asynchronous, synchronous and logical replication.
- PostgreSQL professional support: commercial support from independent companies.
- PostgreSQL pg_dump docs: consistent non-blocking export, formats, parallel dump, production caveat.
- MySQL products: editions listed, no prices.
- MySQL Enterprise Edition: hot backup, thread pool, firewall, audit, TDE, 24x7 support.
- MySQL 8.4 replication: asynchronous, semisynchronous, delayed; NDB Cluster for synchronous.
- MySQL 8.4 mysqldump: logical backup, mysqlbackup recommendation.
- MySQL server repository licence: GPLv2.
- MySQL server repository: copyright Oracle and/or its affiliates.