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IBM Db2 Database vs kdb+ 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Db2 Database
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
76
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
kdb+
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
35th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 6.3%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of kdb+ is 0.9%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Db2 Database6.3%
kdb+0.9%
Other92.8%
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2708292 - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Director, Data Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Support improves setup and maintenance while pricing influences decision
If you have a similar use case and the same deal with IBM as our company, it is definitely a good option and choice. The company I work with has more than 50,000 people and more than 500 support staff. We are not locked into one database vendor. We typically work with multiple database vendors simultaneously, selecting the top choice based on the deals we make and other considerations. We do not use IBM Db2 Database related to AI at this moment because our AI project PLC is still very small scale. We may consider it in the future if we have enough scale. Overall rating for IBM Db2 Database is 8.5 out of 10.
Nitin Garg - PeerSpot reviewer
Vice President - Financial Services at Evalueserve
An easy-to-deploy solution that can be used for data ingestion and usage
I work for a fintech company where we create several strategies generally built on finance data, which are like one-time series data. We deal with huge bulk data on a daily basis, and we use kdb+ for data ingestion and usage The most valuable feature of kdb+ is the speed at which it returns the…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"IBM Db2 Database has good performance."
"One feature I like in Db2 is the self-maintenance feature, and with Db2 it is safe to use self-maintenance with any data and that is the main feature in Db2 that I like."
"Its robustness, scalability, availability, and performance are valuable; all these are the major attributes of a relational database for supporting a very high-volume business, and Db2 is very good in all those areas and in all those attributes."
"In summary, this is a good solution and one that I recommend."
"It has a good, stable performance."
"If some planning is done and things are in place then the solution will work as expected."
"The most valuable features of this solution are security and stability."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"The solution returns data quickly, and data retrieval is fast in kdb+."
 

Cons

"The technical support can be faster."
"The initial setup is not easy but can be completed with the assistance of the IBM technicians."
"The capabilities of this solution could improve."
"Performance is something that can be improved with DB2."
"IBM Db2 Database could improve in the steps it takes for upgrades. It is not an easy process. The process of upgrading the version is lengthy and requires a lot of time. To make it more efficient, I suggest implementing some automation on the solution side. This will greatly reduce the time required for the upgrade."
"The application development requires a Java developer and not every company has these resources."
"Right now, the setup for AWS/Azure licensing is very confusing and not cost-effective."
"Backing up databases from Windows and restoring them on AIX and vise-versa."
"The solution should have a more user-friendly user interface."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Compared to Oracle, it is so much cheaper."
"The solution costs less than other products."
"We purchase the product's yearly license."
"It is expensive. The price depends on the size of the machine on which you are installing the Db2 and the features you are using. It also depends on the country. IBM has different policies and different options for payment for this product."
"Db2 is less expensive than Oracle."
"I rate the product pricing a nine out of ten."
"If I consider the price of IBM Db2 Database, I would say there are cheaper products in the market."
"It's very expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
19%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
44%
Energy/Utilities Company
5%
Comms Service Provider
5%
Construction Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise48
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Db2 Database?
IBM Db2 is an expensive solution. While I am not heavily involved with pricing, additional companies provide capabilities or products like those from BMC, which many installations might also purchase.
What needs improvement with IBM Db2 Database?
The IBM Db2 Database is a good solution, but now there is a high maintenance charge. The IBM Db2 Database needs improved support, and there are many difficulties in using it. We tend to use the clo...
What is your primary use case for IBM Db2 Database?
I use the IBM Db2 Database for development applications. Many clients in our company have business applications currently working on it.
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Comparisons

 

Also Known As

DB2
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Knorr-Bremse, Mizuho Bank Ltd., Australian Government Department of Defence, SCHWENK Zement, Friedhelm Loh Group, YAZAKI Europe Limited, Ekornes ASA, Baldor Electric, VSN Systemen BV, Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, PLANSEE Group, TE Connectivity, Hansgrohe SE, Openmatics, University of Toronto
UniCredit, AIRBUS
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and others in Relational Databases Tools. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.