IBM Db2 Database vs SAP SQL Anywhere comparison

IBM and SAP are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. IBM is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while SAP is ranked #31. IBM holds a 6.6% mindshare in SQL, compared to SAP’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of SAP users who would recommend it.

IBM Db2 Database

Read 75 IBM Db2 Database reviews

3,607 Views
3,463 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

SAP SQL Anywhere

Read 6 SAP SQL Anywhere reviews

703 Views
689 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

IBM Db2 Database

SAP SQL Anywhere

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

SAP SQL Anywhere and IBM Db2 Database compete in the enterprise database solutions category, each offering distinctive capabilities. While SAP SQL Anywhere's competitive pricing and user-friendly approach appeals to smaller businesses, IBM Db2 Database leads with advanced features and robust enterprise support.

Features: SAP SQL Anywhere offers efficient data management with strong mobility solutions, high synchronization capabilities for distributed environments, and lightweight database management. IBM Db2 Database provides comprehensive analytics, superior data integration, and robust security features ideal for complex operations and large enterprises.

Room for Improvement: SAP SQL Anywhere could enhance its analytics capabilities, deepen enterprise-level features, and broaden platform compatibility. IBM Db2 Database might benefit from simpler deployment processes, reducing initial setup complexity, and improving cost-efficiency for smaller deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP SQL Anywhere is noted for straightforward deployment and strong mobile application support, appealing to smaller organizations. IBM Db2 Database offers extensive deployment models and robust customer service, ensuring quicker issue resolution and seamless large-scale deployments.

Pricing and ROI: SAP SQL Anywhere tends to have lower initial setup costs, offering cost-effectiveness and substantial ROI for smaller businesses. Despite higher setup costs, IBM Db2 Database delivers long-term value through advanced analytics and integration, appealing to large enterprises seeking comprehensive data solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP SQL Anywhere Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP SQL Anywhere

December 2025

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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

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SAP SQL Anywhere

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

31st

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 6.6%, down from 6.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP SQL Anywhere is 1.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Relational Databases Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Db2 Database	6.6%
SAP SQL Anywhere	1.3%
Other	92.1%

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.

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Crewmem67

IT Consultant at College Notre Dame de Nazareth

Reliable and able to expand but needs to be more secure

It is not as good as a SQL Server. I prefer to work with the SQL Server for Microsoft or Oracle. These are better as there are some comments on SQL Anywhere that makes me feel that I'm blocked. We'd like to have them update to a new version. They should update more often. I find I can't move to a new version without running tests as there are chances of bugs that can get into my system. The initial setup is not simple or straightforward, and it took a while to deploy. It is not as secure as it could be. This is an aspect they need to improve. There needs to be more encryption.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Some of the most valuable features are the scaling from a small very cheap installation to a very large enterprise installation. In addition, the backups and assistance are good."

"It's a very mature product."

"Your iOS, your throughputs, your performance cycles, you cannot touch it with Microsoft or with Oracle scalability-wise. That is far and away the most scalable systems and the highest performing systems of the set of them."

"The solution has many beneficial features, such as security, support, and stability."

"Db2 Database has given us good results since we have started to use it. We predominantly use IBM hardware, and this is one of the reasons why we started to use Db2 Database. Db2 Database has a very good HADR capability. High availability resilience is also good in this solution. It also has pureScale, which allows you to upgrade one node to get very good and high-level resilience. If you are using a database on five nodes, you can take one node down, upgrade that, and let that node up. You can then bring the second node down, upgrade that, and so on."

"The solution is easy to install and simple to maintain. The most valuable aspect of the solution is its general user-friendliness for users of all kinds."

"The most valuable feature is PowerPC support."

"The scalability and availability of this solution are the most valuable features."

More IBM Db2 Database pros

"It works well in general."

"We've found the solution very reliable overall. It's very fast."

"The most valuable features of SAP SQL Anywhere are the ease of use and the user interface is intuitive."

"The auto-backup replication is a perfect feature. That is the feature I liked the most."

"SAP SQL Anywhere is very helpful."

Cons

"The product’s user interface is not easy to use."

"There are some issues with Db2's database file system not being readable. The storage could also be increased, and the monitoring could be improved."

"The user interface is old and needs to be improved."

"IBM Db2 Database could improve with better security."

"The price should be lower."

"I would like to see better support for advanced analytics."

"The capabilities of this solution could improve."

"IBM Db2 Database could improve the user-defined functions. There are some user-defined functions that are missing, such as the spring functions. I used to have Teradata for my projects and I was used to working in the environment. They had a good set of user-defined functions."

More IBM Db2 Database cons

"SAP SQL Anywhere needs to incorporate functionalities like SAP S/4HANA."

"We have had some stability issues with SAP SQL Anywhere, but I am not sure if it is an application or network issue. We sometimes have a large amount of data being queried and it cannot handle it."

"It is not as secure as it could be."

"A problem we are experiencing now is when doing a backup in SQL 2012 and 14."

"The interface is not easy in comparison to the SQL Server. It could be more user-friendly."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution's hardware and subscription model for support are very expensive."

"Licensing fees are on a yearly basis."

"We did not buy it. It came with our hardware without any complimentary maintenance. If I compare Db2 Database with Oracle Database, its price is lower than Oracle Database."

"I think that everyone knows that with IBM the standard price is higher than the others."

"We don't see what the specific price of the DB2 license is because we pay for the backup license as a package."

"The solution's pricing is fine."

"It is expensive."

"Compared to other databases, Db2 is relatively cheaper."

More IBM Db2 Database pricing and cost advice

"SQL Anywhere cost us about $400."

"SAP SQL Anywhere is affordable."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

19%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Government

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

University

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

No data available

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.

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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...

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Comparisons

SQL Server vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 40% of the time

Oracle Database vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 17% of the time

SAP HANA vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 9% of the time

Teradata vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 9% of the time

MySQL vs IBM Db2 Database

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Db2 Database Competitors

SQL Server vs SAP SQL Anywhere

Compared 30% of the time

Oracle Database vs SAP SQL Anywhere

Compared 20% of the time

SAP HANA vs SAP SQL Anywhere

Compared 20% of the time

MySQL vs SAP SQL Anywhere

Compared 20% of the time

MariaDB vs SAP SQL Anywhere

Compared 8% of the time

More SAP SQL Anywhere Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database

January 2026

Download IBM Db2 Database product report

Buyer's Guide

Relational Databases Tools

January 2026

Download SAP SQL Anywhere product report

Also Known As

DB2

Sybase SQL Anywhere

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

SAP SQL Anywhere enables companies to develop custom mobile and IoT application and rapidly design and deploy embedded database applications. The RDBMS solutions can provide secure, reliable data management and synchronization for thousands of mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and remote environments. They let business users work uninterrupted, even without a network connection.

SAP

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

AOK Bundesverband, Surgutneftegas Open Joint Stock Company, Molson Coors Brewing Company, City of Buenos Aires, ASR Group, Citrix, EarlySense, Usha International Limited, Automotive Resources International, Wªrth Group, Takisada-Osaka Co. Ltd., Coelba, RZD Russian Railways, National Basketball Association, TALLY WEiJL

Buyer's Guide

IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP SQL Anywhere

December 2025

Free Report: IBM Db2 Database vs. SAP SQL Anywhere

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