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IBM Informix vs Oracle Java DB comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

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 Informix
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
25th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Embedded Database (9th)
Oracle Java DB
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
22nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
9
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 Informix is 1.8%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Java DB is 1.3%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Oracle Java DB1.3%
IBM Informix1.8%
Other96.9%
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Nasir Niamat - PeerSpot reviewer
DB Consultant at i2c
Has offered a cost-effective option despite frequent technical issues and limited market demand
We find some bugs in IBM Informix. Maybe we are using it more aggressively than others. Every month or every second month, we find some bugs in it, which is not ideal. It should be rare, not this frequent. The good thing is they cover those bugs in the next release within weeks or days on demand. IBM Informix should become hybrid and should include AI features similar to other DBMS systems such as Snowflake, Redshift, and DataBricks. This would help its value rise with the market.
Anil-Sinha - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Able to process all the reporting and processing in the database itself
We have been upgrading and moving to new environments. I was involved in the solution's initial setup. Some things in the setup are very smooth sailing. However, some setups become complicated because what they set up doesn't meet your needs. So, some tweaking is necessary in certain instances. Having a good understanding of the tool really helps. Oracle Java DB is easy to deploy if it's a new setup. Migrating from an old environment to a new environment takes time because you need the old functionality. A first-time deployment of the application is easy. We just did a default setup and started using it. When we have to migrate, there is too much baggage behind that application, especially from the security point of view.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution has made financial reporting possible by allowing financial people the opportunity to set Informix to "Auto Pilot" so that they can attend other duties."
"Flexible Grid provides the ability to automatically create database objects, such as tables, indexes, and stored procedures on all nodes within the grid as a single operation."
"It supports multiple applications and business intelligence tools."
"The scalability is very good."
"So far, we do not have a lot of issues. It's pretty problem-free."
"It is very easy to install IBM Informix, very easy to scale, and support is quite better."
"Not looking at Informix would really mean a shot in your own leg before walking a long distance."
"Every version is faster than the previous."
"The valuable features include connecting to the database and retrieving data."
"The solution is stable."
"It's very clever."
"The additional value of having Java inside the Oracle database is all the security that is applied to an Oracle database will be enforced on Java's stored procedures as well."
"This is a fairly stable language, and it's been in the market for several years."
"The most valuable feature is automation."
"The solution's capability to handle large data sets, large volumes and indexing are the most valuable features."
"It has a programming language so anything that we require for Selenium is all available there."
 

Cons

"For me, it's always too expensive. The problem is that Informix sometimes competes with free products, so yes, it's very expensive, but when we're talking about licensed products like SQL Server or anything, the midsize pricing could be significantly improved."
"The solution should offer replication. It would be helpful if the solution would allow us to access third-party tools."
"The pricing is a bit expensive."
"There should be more intelligence surrounding discovering data to be able to automatically create indexes."
"This product could be made easier to use for beginners."
"The solution really doesn't add new features very often. Other solutions are much more actively pushing out upgrades and improvements."
"In my opinion, the packages could be improved. The version I use doesn't allow for packages. I can do some general procedures, but no packages like in Oracle. So, develop separate modules in SQL language. This would be most beneficial for me."
"This solution is in need of more current tools."
"In terms of improvement, I'd like an automation tool that is lower priced. The core prices are very high."
"Oracle can improve by providing more connection string variations and relay servers on the path to the database."
"The solution should continue to keep updating and improving the Java language."
"The solution could be more user-friendly."
"Oracle can improve by providing more connection string variations and relay servers on the path to the database."
"With respect to the product's consistency, there's a lot of scope that could be introduced in regulator basis."
"The biggest lesson that I have learned from using Oracle products is vendor lock-in."
"The solution could be more user-friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For me, it's always too expensive."
"I am not aware of the licensing costs or terms."
"The free edition can be enough to handle moderate-size implementations, but you may want a pay for edition to benefit from more functionality, such as replication."
"The product has reasonable pricing. We purchase its yearly license."
"The product's pricing is very friendly, with no extra costs after the licensing fees."
"Oracle Java DB is a pricey solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Informix?
There is a cost reason to move from IBM Informix. It is relatively cheaper than Oracle. The second reason is that moving the whole application to a new database would require significant cost. The ...
What needs improvement with IBM Informix?
We find some bugs in IBM Informix. Maybe we are using it more aggressively than others. Every month or every second month, we find some bugs in it, which is not ideal. It should be rare, not this f...
What is your primary use case for IBM Informix?
We are using IBM Informix for OLTP systems. We are using IBM Informix although it is a technology that is not very popular compared to others. We are using it because our application was initially ...
What needs improvement with Oracle Java DB?
Oracle can improve by providing more connection string variations and relay servers on the path to the database. Various ways of connecting would enhance functionality.
What is your primary use case for Oracle Java DB?
I have experience connecting to a database with Java by using Java code and interrogating the database.
What advice do you have for others considering Oracle Java DB?
It's important to consider several settings and connection strings, as well as firewall rules when connecting to the database. I would rate the overall solution nine out of ten.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Informix
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Shaspa, Hildebrand, Kaifa, Ranhill Powertron, Federaci‹ Farmacutica (FedeFarma), Camden Council, The German Aerospace Center (DLR), Myers, Votorantim Group, Doosan Infracore, GreenIvory
Université Nice Sophia Antipolis
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Informix vs. Oracle Java DB and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
894,738 professionals have used our research since 2012.