IBM Db2 Database vs MySQL comparison

IBM and Oracle are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. IBM is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while Oracle is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3. IBM holds a 6.7% mindshare in SQL, compared to Oracle’s 5.8% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

IBM Db2 Database

Read 75 IBM Db2 Database reviews

3,933 Views
3,815 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

MySQL

Read 153 MySQL reviews

8,855 Views
3,985 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 Database

MySQL

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

IBM Db2 and MySQL compete in the database management system category. While IBM Db2 is known for its advanced features and enterprise-level support, MySQL stands out for its open-source availability and cost-effectiveness.

Features: IBM Db2 is recognized for its robust SQL dialect, cross-platform flexibility, and self-tuning features, which optimize performance without manual intervention. It also offers strong memory management, platform support, and security as highlighted by user reviews. In contrast, MySQL is popular for its open-source model, providing features like strong replication, a multi-threaded architecture, and compatibility with various programming languages. Users note its integration capabilities and affordability.

Room for Improvement: IBM Db2 faces challenges such as complex learning curves, licensing complications, and limited support for advanced analytics, making user management cumbersome. MySQL struggles with certain performance issues, reliability in replication, and lacks some enterprise-level features and robust development tools. Enhancements in usability and integration for both databases could improve user experiences.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Db2 is primarily used on-premises, with a hybrid model offering limited cloud adaptability. Users report mixed experiences with technical support, noting regional discrepancies in response times. MySQL is versatile, functioning across on-premises, private, and public cloud environments. Users benefit from community support but may face slower service for critical issues compared to dedicated enterprise support models.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Db2 is seen as expensive, though analyses show it provides a good return on investment through its comprehensive capabilities. It often requires negotiation for cost-effectiveness, especially in enterprise settings. MySQL, being open source, offers a cost advantage with free community editions. However, the enterprise version carries costs, which some users find offset by the database’s robust features and community support, making it a suitable solution for diverse business needs.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Db2 Database vs. MySQL Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. MySQL

February 2026

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Helped 881,455 peers since 2012

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

6.6

IBM Db2 Database offers high ROI with enhanced efficiency and performance, despite initial costs, supporting seamless business projects.

Sentiment score

6.2

MySQL offers cost benefits with open-source use, achieving up to 60% ROI, despite challenges in precise financial calculations.

No quotes available

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If we want to scale to 30 or 40 lakh people, then it is still possible, covering three to four million users.

Pranay Jain

Software Developer at US tech company

I have seen a return on investment with MySQL, as it allows us to manage with fewer employees, focusing on business logic rather than database management.

AmitVerma4

Software Developer at 8 Gallery India

For more quotes and insights, download the MySQL report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.5

IBM Db2 support is generally reliable yet requires speed improvements; users find response times and expertise occasionally lacking.

Sentiment score

6.8

MySQL users primarily rely on community resources for support, with official Oracle support noted as costly but effective.

We normally receive substantial discounts on the price.

reviewer2708292

Associate Director, Data Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

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I would rate the documentation and online support a 10 out of 10.

reviewer2599590

Student at a university with 10,001+ employees

Oracle provides customer support, and we can submit service requests that they solve on a 24/7 basis.

Pranay Jain

Software Developer at US tech company

We have no issues and usually receive timely responses.

Muzzamil Hussain

Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan

For more quotes and insights, download the MySQL report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.1

IBM Db2 excels in scalability for large companies but faces challenges with horizontal scaling and increasing costs.

Sentiment score

6.7

MySQL scalability depends on the specific environment, with challenges arising in larger applications and benefits from cloud solutions.

No quotes available

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Meeting scalability requirements through cloud computing is an expensive affair.

Ravi Kant-Sharma

Technical Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

If the database foundation is very good with well-thought-out table structure and everything, then scalability is easy.

Pranay Jain

Software Developer at US tech company

MySQL's scalability is currently adequate, as we have increased operations from ten thousand to twelve thousand devices, and it is working fine for us.

AmitVerma4

Software Developer at 8 Gallery India

For more quotes and insights, download the MySQL report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

IBM Db2 Database is highly rated for stability and reliability, though performance can dip with significant data growth.

Sentiment score

7.7

MySQL is generally stable and reliable but faces issues with large data operations and server overload, needing regular maintenance.

No quotes available

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The newer LTS versions are the safest for us, especially when we are releasing to production, so they are our go-to choice, and they are stable.

Pranay Jain

Software Developer at US tech company

We face certain integration issues, especially when we integrate the database with security solutions like IBM QRadar.

Muzzamil Hussain

Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan

From my experience, MySQL was pretty stable.

reviewer2599590

Student at a university with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the MySQL report

Room For Improvement

IBM Db2 Database needs usability, integration, and cloud improvements, plus better licensing, analytics, security, and standardization tools.

MySQL needs improved scalability, performance, integration, replication, user interface, security, monitoring tools, documentation, backup, and clustering.

It might be slightly slower than other database vendors, but it works well since banks typically do not move quickly with leading-edge technology.

reviewer2708292

Associate Director, Data Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

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It could be more beneficial if MySQL can enhance its data masking functionality in the same way it has improved data encryption.

Muzzamil Hussain

Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan

I would advise people thinking about using MySQL to look up if the indexing mechanism is useful for their needs and then accordingly select the right database, and also consider if relational databases make sense for their use case.

reviewer2599590

Student at a university with 10,001+ employees

Oracle could improve on scalability.

Ravi Kant-Sharma

Technical Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the MySQL report

Setup Cost

IBM Db2 pricing is complex and expensive, especially in Africa and the Middle East, but offers robust features.

MySQL's free community edition is popular, while the paid Enterprise edition offers advanced features and lower costs than competitors.

No quotes available

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Oracle has different components, so if you need security, you have to procure a different license, but here everything is inbuilt and it's not costly.

Prabir Kumar Kundu

SR AVP–Presales Cloud & Platform Management Services at Path Infotech ltd

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Valuable Features

IBM Db2 Database offers SQL, Java integration, scalability, security, and seamless IBM integration for flexible, reliable enterprise applications.

MySQL offers fast performance, open-source adaptability, reliability, scalability, and excels in web applications with strong community support.

IBM Db2 Database, because of enterprise performance and support, is why banks still maintain their relationship with it.

reviewer2708292

Associate Director, Data Architecture at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

The IBM Db2 Database is trusted, and IT effort is less than any other product.

Mona Mohamed

Network Administrator at GAEB

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The main feature we utilize in MySQL is the view, and I can say that it is the most valuable feature for our needs.

AmitVerma4

Software Developer at 8 Gallery India

With Oracle, we have to buy another solution for encryption and masking, but MySQL supports native encryption, which enhances our return on investment.

Muzzamil Hussain

Assistant Vice President at National Bank of Pakistan

As an RDBMS, MySQL provides us great capability. For a product growing to large scale like ours, where we currently have around 10 lakh users but will grow to 20, 30, 40 million or more, having a strong database foundation is essential. MySQL provides that.

Pranay Jain

Software Developer at US tech company

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Categories and Ranking

IBM Db2 Database

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

MySQL

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

153

Ranking in other categories

Open Source Databases (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 6.7%, up from 6.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MySQL is 5.8%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
MySQL	5.8%
IBM Db2 Database	6.7%
Other	87.5%

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

reviewer2708292

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.

Read full review

Pranay Jain

Software Developer at US tech company

Robust relational data foundation has supported rapid growth and improved user data management

MySQL can be improved in several ways. It has connectivity errors and administration troubles that sometimes occur, though not consistently. MySQL has slow queries; sometimes when I run a query, it scans the whole table, and if the data is very large, it takes too much time to retrieve the data. There can be resource bottlenecks with RAM and CPU usage being a little lower than ideal. Monitoring system metrics is crucial because we need to identify and address these types of issues. Schema designing is another area for improvement, as a poorly designed schema can lead to data redundancy in the future. If I haven't initially planned for a 20 lakh user database and am only working with a 1,000 user case, it will be very problematic because in the future, it will affect the whole table structure, and we will need to change everything. Thorough thinking is necessary before even creating the table. MySQL documentation could be better. Sometimes when I need to find something related to MySQL, the documentation is not very comprehensive. If I have a problem with it, I have to go to Stack Overflow or something similar to get the full detail. Additionally, sometimes when we are connecting to local MySQL, it says we cannot connect to SQL, and I don't know the reason. The error messages are not very helpful, so we have to investigate those cases manually. There are multiple instances of this occurring. Documentation can be better overall. The integration capabilities could be improved slightly. Whatever I have used is working fine for me currently, but it could be a little better. The UI of MySQL Workbench, which I use, is not appealing to me, so it could be improved. MySQL overall is very good, and the foundation is very strong. We can develop features around it and different types of things inside it, which will make it better in the future.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Government

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	48

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	74
Midsize Enterprise	33
Large Enterprise	62

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Db2 Database?

Db2 database scalability and performance capabilities match our database needs. It covers pretty much everything a database administrator or engineer might need.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

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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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 39% of the time

Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 16% of the time

SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 8% of the time

Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 8% of the time

IBM Informix vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM Db2 Database Competitors

Firebird SQL vs MySQL

Compared 23% of the time

PostgreSQL vs MySQL

Compared 10% of the time

SQL Server vs MySQL

Compared 6% of the time

MariaDB vs MySQL

Compared 5% of the time

ClickHouse vs MySQL

Compared 2% of the time

More MySQL Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database

January 2026

Download IBM Db2 Database product report

Buyer's Guide

MySQL

January 2026

Download MySQL product report

Also Known As

DB2

No data available

Overview

DB2 Enterprise for Linux, UNIX, and Windows is the ideal data server for the most demanding workloads. New XML support is designed to help firms minimize the time and effort it takes to persist and use their XML data reducing development costs and improving business agility.

IBM

MySQL is an open-source database known for its ease of use and high performance. It offers features like replication and clustering, making it ideal for diverse applications. Its cost-effectiveness and LAMP integration are key advantages for businesses.

MySQL supports a variety of languages and platforms, providing reliable, scalable data management. Its graphical interface and LAMP architecture integration enhance its usability, while community support further strengthens its appeal. Challenges include scalability issues with large databases, lack of advanced clustering, and limited high-availability features. Complex queries may affect performance, and integration can pose difficulties. The outdated interface and insufficient documentation are also concerns, along with replication and backup reliability issues.

What are MySQL's key features?

Open-source nature: Freely available and customizable.
Cross-platform compatibility: Supports multiple operating systems.
Scalability: Capable of handling large volumes of data.
Replication and clustering: Ensure data redundancy and load balancing.
Full-text search: Provides powerful search capabilities.
LAMP integration: Seamlessly integrates with Linux, Apache, and PHP.

What benefits should users consider?

Cost-effectiveness: Reduces expenses due to its open-source nature.
High performance: Efficiently processes large volumes of data.
Active community support: Access to a wide range of resources and expertise.
Versatile use cases: Suitable for varied applications including web development and IoT.

MySQL is widely implemented in industries such as web development, e-commerce, and finance. It's used for managing dynamic websites, powering e-commerce platforms, and supporting financial applications. Its compatibility with PHP and cost-effectiveness make it suitable for CMS platforms like WordPress. With cloud services integration, MySQL is a backend choice for scalable applications in various sectors.

Oracle

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

Facebook, Tumblr, Scholastic, MTV Networks, Wikipedia, Verizon Wireless, Sage Group, Glassfish Open Message Queue, and RightNow Technologies.

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. MySQL

February 2026

Free Report: IBM Db2 Database vs. MySQL

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