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Firebird SQL vs MySQL comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Firebird SQL
Ranking in Open Source Databases
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Embedded Database (4th)
MySQL
Ranking in Open Source Databases
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
152
Ranking in other categories
Relational Databases Tools (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Open Source Databases category, the mindshare of Firebird SQL is 9.6%, down from 16.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MySQL is 12.3%, up from 9.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Open Source Databases Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
MySQL12.3%
Firebird SQL9.6%
Other78.1%
Open Source Databases
 

Featured Reviews

SS
Research and Development Project Manager at Sixense Monitoring
Efficient data storage with reliable and easy management
We are working on monitoring software that involves making a lot of measurements with sensors. We store all the data in Firebird, which is why we use It primarily for data storage It's difficult to describe how it has improved our organization because we have been using Firebird for a very long…
Prabir Kumar Kundu - PeerSpot reviewer
SR AVP–Presales Cloud & Platform Management Services at Path Infotech ltd
Offers robust security and availability with impressive replication capabilities
Regarding their documentation and interface, there is room for improvement. Documentation is definitely required when running multiple databases on a cluster system. The load balancer, MySQL LB, which is used to connect to the application, lacks clear documentation. When there are multiple application servers connecting to the MySQL cluster and going through the MySQL load balancer, the documentation is not user-friendly. It's there, but only technical persons with deep knowledge of the MySQL database can implement it. Most of the community users or ISVs who use MySQL don't have many technical persons or DBA experts, so they face some challenges for the high availability of connecting high available databases from high available applications. That documentation should be simplified.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Firebird SQL is an open-source solution and can run on most operating systems, such as Linux, Unix, and Windows."
"The documentation is very well written."
"Firebird SQL is an open-source solution."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is reliable, offers good performance, and is easy to use."
"The most valuable feature of Firebird SQL is the creation of databases."
"I can deploy it on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows — it's very easy."
"The product was easy to use."
"I like that we don't have to pay external fees to migrate this data. So, we are looking to relocate from Postgres or EDB."
"MySQL is compatible with most of the platforms."
"​We use MySQL for enterprise data storage as well as part of the back-end of websites and web applications.​"
"MySQL is easy to configure, use, and implement; it is free, cost-effective, and has a powerful plethora of tools."
"As we are using the latest version of the database, it has many functions that have improved it."
"The feature I found most valuable is activity performance."
"MySQL is open-source, easy to use, highly scalable, and supported by a huge community and multiple vendors, making it a reliable choice for everything from financial and PCI data to large-scale relational applications."
"I would recommend this product if someone is new to the IT world."
"It is free, which is probably its most valuable feature, and it is a pretty full-featured relational database that really does everything we need it to do."
 

Cons

"It is not easy to integrate the tool with Visual Studio."
"I don't think the solution is very scalable, because the scalability of the performance when using more than one process is not very good."
"It would be interesting if they added functionality with redundancy, reputation, and variability."
"It would be nice to have a graphical user interface to handle the product."
"On large databases, we have some difficulties."
"They need to be more reactive and fast. Sometimes, they take too long to resolve some tickets."
"The security of the users could improve in Firebird SQL."
"We would like to improve the management of very large databases."
"If the customer is already using or has already used Oracle for a long time they will know the look and feel and the character of this database that can fit into their business."
"Its performance should be better. When we use big data, it is slow in performance. We should be able to use mirroring for improved performance."
"I do not think MySQL's data security features were at an industrial level for my project, so I did not make use of them."
"MySQL's performance needs to be improved for enterprise-level applications compared to Oracle and Postgres."
"Until you have expertise in data migrations and what you are doing with data, MySQL can be really easy and dangerous at the same time."
"The replication needs improvement. It's becoming a native cloud product like Oracle DB or Cockroach DB."
"Configuration templates and reliability both need work."
"Security is a concern. MySQL could have better security features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's open-source and free."
"There is no licensing cost for this solution, as it is open-source."
"I was using the free version of Firebird SQL."
"It is okay."
"There is a yearly maintenance fee for the use of the solution."
"Firebird SQL is an open-source solution, which means it is a free product."
"It is a public domain system as every customer can install it on their system without paying any license fee."
"We are using the free solution, so there is no cost involved."
"I think that MySQL is a premium product."
"It is open source. We prefer it for POCs because it saves the license cost."
"MySQL is free."
"My company uses MySQL's corporate licenses."
"This product has a good price point."
"The pricing falls within the moderate range."
"The tool is open source."
"The tool is open source."
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909,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business74
Midsize Enterprise34
Large Enterprise64
 

Questions from the Community

How does Firebird SQL compare with PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL was designed in a way that provides you with not only a high degree of flexibility but also offers you a cheap and easy-to-use solution. It gives you the ability to redesign and audit yo...
What needs improvement with Firebird SQL?
We would like to improve the management of very large databases. We have databases up to three or four terabytes, and it's not so easy to manage such large databases.
What is your primary use case for Firebird SQL?
We are working on monitoring software that involves making a lot of measurements with sensors. We store all the data in Firebird, which is why we use It primarily for data storage.
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...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Elekt Labs, Streamsoft, wobe-systems GmbH, DRB Systems, Moscow City Hospital #31
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 Firebird SQL vs. MySQL and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.