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Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs MySQL comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.6
Azure Database for PostgreSQL offers significant cost savings and efficiency improvements, reducing ownership costs by eliminating expensive licenses.
Sentiment score
6.6
MySQL offers cost-effective implementation with high ROI potential, enhancing productivity despite potential higher commercial version costs.
It offers at least 25 percent cost savings compared to maintaining on-premises databases.
Now, we use embedded PostgreSQL vectors, which will undoubtedly reduce the TCO by using a much more cost-effective solution.
We've reduced our total ownership cost because we are not spending on expensive SQL server licenses.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.4
Users praise Microsoft Learn's documentation, benefit from fast support response, and find engineering engagement insightful for urgent issues.
Sentiment score
6.8
MySQL's open-source model encourages users to rely on community resources, though official support is valued for complex issues.
Once we open a support case, we have people engaged within about 20 minutes, especially for a Sev 1 issue.
The documentation and training we've received through Microsoft Learn on how to migrate, deploy, and manage the solution is exceptional.
We handle most implementations in-house, without extensive reliance on Microsoft's technical support.
We have no issues and usually receive timely responses.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Azure Database for PostgreSQL efficiently scales workloads with FlexServer, offering easy resizing for large enterprises and government projects.
Sentiment score
6.8
MySQL scales well for small to medium apps, but larger databases require manual effort and third-party solutions for scalability.
However, we can see how well it scales after we deploy it for some large enterprise customers or big government organizations.
The scaling options with FlexServer provide us with the flexibility we need based on application complexity.
We can scale up compute and scale it down, but once storage is allocated, there is no way to scale it back down.
Meeting scalability requirements through cloud computing is an expensive affair.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.0
Azure Database for PostgreSQL is stable with no latency issues, though it may crash during peak usage without auto-healing.
Sentiment score
7.7
MySQL is praised for its stability and reliability, suitable for small to medium applications, despite some memory concerns.
There is a stability issue where, if the database usage peaks quickly, it may crash and require intervention to restore functionality.
We have generative AI applications, and we have not noticed any latency.
Overall, I have not encountered any real latency issues or stability concerns.
We face certain integration issues, especially when we integrate the database with security solutions like IBM QRadar.
 

Room For Improvement

Azure Database for PostgreSQL needs faster scaling, better reliability, extensions, user management, cost efficiency, support, and error detection.
MySQL users seek better scalability, cloud integration, advanced features, improved performance, reliable clustering, and enhanced security and backup processes.
It does not presently support knowledge graph functionalities as Neo4j does.
Azure Database for PostgreSQL can be improved by allowing quicker scaling without blips.
I believe there could be improvements in the mirroring part and Change Data Capture (CDC).
It could be more beneficial if MySQL can enhance its data masking functionality in the same way it has improved data encryption.
Oracle could improve on scalability.
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers appreciate Azure's cost-efficient, pay-as-you-go pricing for PostgreSQL, reducing on-premises database costs significantly.
MySQL provides cost-effective solutions, appealing to enterprises with open-source options and commercial licenses based on business needs.
We've reduced costs by 60 percent compared to maintaining on-premises solutions.
The pay-as-you-go pricing model positively affects database-related costs by allowing us to start small and scale as needed.
The pay-as-you-go model works well for us.
 

Valuable Features

Azure Database for PostgreSQL offers seamless integration, robust networking, efficient AI tools, and strong security with a positive cost-benefit ratio.
MySQL's open-source, cross-platform compatibility and ease of use make it ideal for startups due to scalability and cost-effectiveness.
My takeaway as a CTO is that they're comfortable with the security posture, the features, the observability, alerts, and now it integrates into the rest of the Azure landscape.
The query analyzers help me find out what's happening in each of the queries.
The most valuable features of Azure Database for PostgreSQL are its networking capabilities, which allow for integration with other Azure services.
With Oracle, we have to buy another solution for encryption and masking, but MySQL supports native encryption, which enhances our return on investment.
It allows programming, writing stored procedures, creating views, constraints, and triggers easily.
 

Categories and Ranking

Azure Database for PostgreSQL
Ranking in Open Source Databases
11th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Database as a Service (DBaaS) (7th)
MySQL
Ranking in Open Source Databases
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
149
Ranking in other categories
Relational Databases Tools (5th)
 

Featured Reviews

Daniel Amini - PeerSpot reviewer
An incredibly powerful industry leader that enabled us to build critical pieces of national infrastructure
Azure Database is simple and easy to use. We followed the prescribed training and upskilled 10 engineers. They think it's straightforward. They've already got PostgreSQL skills to optimize the solution, so they know what to do. It was easy to get started quickly and become effective. My team speaks highly of the platform's observability and monitoring features. It's as efficient as an enterprise needs it to be and. has all of the tooling and telemetry necessary to run an enterprise database. We take security seriously. The team has looked at the security features, and nothing has been flagged to us. My takeaway as a CTO is that they're comfortable with the security posture, the features, the observability, alerts, and now it integrates into the rest of the Azure landscape. The OpenAI integration and extensions have massively simplified integrating AI into a database. PostgreSQL's native vector capabilities are also incredibly powerful.
Muzzamil  Hussain - PeerSpot reviewer
Native encryption ensures secure data management with a simple deployment
The most valuable feature is the on-premises data encryption facilities. By default, we can provide encryption, and this feature in MySQL is why we prefer it over other databases. The native encryption in MySQL encourages us to use this database model more frequently compared to Oracle and other databases. With Oracle, we have to buy another solution for encryption and masking, but MySQL supports native encryption, which enhances our return on investment. It perfectly supports our ROI, and we have no issues with its functionality.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Marketing Services Firm
20%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Educational Organization
9%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Database for PostgreSQL?
Pricing is affordable for us. PostgreSQL is good and affordable for our needs.
What needs improvement with Azure Database for PostgreSQL?
While the flexibility of the server for financial reasons is understandable, better switching between primary and backup would make transitions smoother. I noticed an issue where the primary refuse...
What is your primary use case for Azure Database for PostgreSQL?
We started using Azure Database for PostgreSQL ( /products/azure-database-for-postgresql-reviews ) about five to six years ago. Initially, we were doing an on-premises Kubernetes ( /products/kubern...
Why are MySQL connections encrypted and what is the biggest benefit of this?
MySQL encrypts connections to protect your data and the biggest benefit from this is that nobody can corrupt it. If you move information over a network without encryption, you are endangering it, m...
Considering that there is a free version of MySQL, would you invest in one of the paid editions?
I may be considered a MySQL veteran since I have been using it since before Oracle bought it and created paid versions. So back in my day, it was all free, it was open-source and the best among sim...
What is one thing you would improve with MySQL?
One thing I would improve related to MySQL is not within the product itself, but with the guides to it. Before, when it was free, everyone was on their own, seeking tutorials and how-to videos onli...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Facebook, Tumblr, Scholastic, MTV Networks, Wikipedia, Verizon Wireless, Sage Group, Glassfish Open Message Queue, and RightNow Technologies.
Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Database for PostgreSQL vs. MySQL and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
858,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.