MySQL vs PostgreSQL vs SQLite comparison

Read 127 PostgreSQL reviews

11,958 Views
9,806 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Read 8 SQLite reviews

3,129 Views
2,409 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

MySQL

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse and others in Open Source Databases.

To learn more, read our detailed Open Source Databases Report (Updated: May 2026).

Open Source Databases

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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:

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Open Source Databases category, the mindshare of MySQL is 11.4%, up from 10.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PostgreSQL is 13.1%, down from 18.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SQLite is 4.8%, down from 5.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Open Source Databases Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
MySQL	11.4%
PostgreSQL	13.1%
SQLite	4.8%
Other	70.7%

Open Source Databases

Featured Reviews

Prabir Kumar Kundu

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.

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Shobhit Goel

Data Science Architect at publicis Sapient

High-volume transactions have reduced failures and improve customer service efficiency

The best feature is performance, because of which I decided on PostgreSQL. I have also enabled the PG vector plugin on top of PostgreSQL. I have the opportunity to use two different features and two different flavors in a single product, which is the best thing about PostgreSQL. Initially, we had some hiccups around the performance part, but later we did indexing in PostgreSQL and now it is working very well. Even when we are doing 100,000 transactions in a day, PostgreSQL is working excellently. The interface is another best feature. If I need to do any query, I simply install the plugin on my local, which is pgAdmin. Through pgAdmin, I am able to communicate with PostgreSQL and execute all my SQL queries. I am getting a better UI with PostgreSQL as the backend, which is also one of the best options. PG vector is also very strong from PostgreSQL where I have implemented RAG and on a daily basis, I inject thousands of pages of PDF. More than 100 PDFs are coming into my system and one PDF is around 1,000 pages. We are injecting them into PostgreSQL and converting them into dimensions and inserting them into PG vector. The level of transactions we are doing on a daily basis is substantial, and we are getting very good throughput and low latency from PostgreSQL. When we were doing more than 50,000 transactions in a minute with the previous database, we were getting a lot of latency issues with threads getting blocked and abruptly closed unwantedly. After doing extensive research, we decided to move to PostgreSQL. Now, we are doing around 100,000 transactions in PostgreSQL and we are getting good throughput with no latency.

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Neeraj Tiwari

Student at Queens University Belfast

Pretty easy to execute my SQL queries but issues while uploading and importing my dataset

It was a bit easy to use compared to other tools. It's simple. I found it pretty easy to execute my SQL queries. Since I was a beginner, it was comfortable for me to learn SQL using SQLite. However, when I used it for my professional work and for my assignments, I found some complications. Maybe I'm not proficient with it, that's why. The main benefit for me was learning. Since I was new to SQL, SQLite helped me understand how to work with structured data.

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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

"MySQL is easy to integrate. It works with just about every language."

"Like other databases, it has a rich set of functions, such as stored procedures and its own procedural language, which is akin to Oracle SQL. It also has trigger and cursor commands you would expect with a good database language."

"One of the best features is this solution is easy to use."

"The stability is fantastic, it has been 100%."

"MySQL is easy and convenient for me. I don't need to rely on anyone. I can write the code and extract the information. It is fast if you know how to use it. The solution is not expensive, and most of the developers know how to use it. It is easy to create tables. The solution is stable and has good performance. The connection with AWS gives regular updates, which is manual otherwise and a nightmare."

"I would absolutely recommend this solution to others."

"From my perspective, MySQL is a product that allows you to be efficient, but the decision goes down to the situation and what you're looking to accomplish."

"It was easy to install."

More MySQL pros

"We use the solution to store tables. It is stable and performs well."

"As it's open source the ROI is quick."

"We are able to create many different types of jobs and items with this solution making it one of the most valuable features."

"PostgreSQL is an amazing product."

"It's very stable."

"Postgres SQL is quite a good database."

"We switch to this solution due to its stability and that it is open source."

"If you have PostgreSQL expertise you can run your business off PostgreSQL."

Cons

"MySQL is good but it should be able to handle the large transaction levels that Oracle can."

"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."

"The replication needs improvement. It's becoming a native cloud product like Oracle DB or Cockroach DB."

"From a user perspective, the initial setup could be simplified a bit."

"Oracle should start putting in some of the enterprise features in the standard version. There are some key features that should be part of the standard."

"They should come up with a better solution than the NDB cluster for better scaling. If they could come up with a better solution for write scaling, apart from the NDB cluster, which is supported by all open source communities, that would be great. Although the NDB cluster, I believe, is an open-source tool, it's not widely supported as a solution."

"I think that the stored procedures and the development tools to write and debug large queries could be improved."

"I would like to see some improvements in the solution’s integration aspects."

More MySQL cons

"There are several features I would like to improve that aren't working as expected. It's likely that the latest version is doing something that was missed in the previous versions. For example, the output parameters — the stored procedures — is something new in PostgreSQL that Firebird has already had for a long time."

"I have noticed that user and access management should be improved."

"I think that due to the lack of functionality for data warehousing, it is more suitable for operational information systems instead of BI systems."

"There is room to improve some user friendly properties such as input and output tools, some people may find interesting to implement MERGE as a SQL command."

"The installation is not simple, it is more difficult than DeviceSQL."

"PostgreSQL doesn't have a feature for temporal SQL, which is useful for selecting versions of a row."

"The scalability is limited."

"This solution could be better integrated with other systems."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's cheaper than other solutions."

"It is an open source platform."

"The pricing is not much expensive, it's cheap."

"This product has a good price point."

"MySQL is cheaper than Microsoft SQL Server."

"It is open source. We prefer it for POCs because it saves the license cost."

"MySQL is very cheap. It could be free. It also has a yearly licensing option."

"There is a licensing cost because we are going for a proprietary product. There are some other versions for which there is no licensing cost."

More MySQL pricing and cost advice

"We do not pay for licensing."

"The licensing model is good."

"It is free. There is no license on it."

"PostgreSQL is a free and open-source database."

"There is an annual license."

"This solution can offer a cheaper choice for customers since it is open-source."

"We are using the free version of PostgreSQL."

"It is free, but if you need support, you can go for the commercial version called EnterpriseDB. They provide paid support, and they can even do hosting for you if you want standby and support."

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

University

Comms Service Provider

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	74
Midsize Enterprise	34
Large Enterprise	63

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	57
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	48

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

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 y...

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 version...

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 ...

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 c...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PostgreSQL?

I purchased from the marketplace, so licensing and pricing cost is acceptable. To be honest, there is a separate team...

What needs improvement with PostgreSQL?

The only thing for PG vector is if the dimension limit could be increased. Currently, the dimension limit is around 1...

Firebird SQL vs PostgreSQL

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Comparisons

Firebird SQL vs MySQL

Compared 17% of the time

MariaDB vs MySQL

Compared 5% of the time

SQL Server vs MySQL

Compared 5% of the time

Oracle Database vs MySQL

Compared 5% of the time

CockroachDB vs MySQL

Compared 2% of the time

More MySQL Competitors

Compared 14% of the time

MariaDB vs PostgreSQL

Compared 7% of the time

LanceDB vs PostgreSQL

Compared 5% of the time

Chroma vs PostgreSQL

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB vs PostgreSQL

Compared 5% of the time

Product Reports

MySQL

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Download SQLite product report

Overview

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

PostgreSQL is a versatile and reliable database management system commonly used for web development, data analysis, and building scalable databases.

It offers advanced features like indexing, replication, and transaction management. Users appreciate its flexibility, performance, and ability to handle large amounts of data efficiently. Its robustness, scalability, and support for complex queries make it highly valuable.

Additionally, PostgreSQL's extensibility, flexibility, community support, and frequent updates contribute to its ongoing improvement and stability.

SQLite is an open-source database engine known for its lightweight and scalable nature, making it ideal for mobile apps with offline capabilities. Its single-file, server-less design allows easy deployment across platforms, beneficial for both beginners and experts.

SQLite offers a straightforward setup, integrating seamlessly for offline storage and local data synchronization. It is widely appreciated for its comprehensive documentation and ability to function without an internet connection, enabling flexibility in data handling across various environments. However, it faces challenges with performance and automatic data syncing, particularly with large datasets or when interfacing with other database systems like SQL Server and Oracle. The lack of certain features such as user-defined functions, optimization capabilities, and security measures on older Android versions are areas needing improvement.

What are SQLite's most important features?

Lightweight and Scalable: Easy to integrate and efficient for mobile apps.
Offline Capabilities: Allows data access without an internet connection.
Single-file, Server-less Design: Simplifies cross-platform use and testing.
Granular Backups: Ensures data integrity and easy recovery.
Extensive Documentation: Facilitates learning and troubleshooting.

Why consider SQLite based on user reviews?

Local Data Storage: Ensures data availability and accessibility offline.
Cross-platform Support: Versatile for deployment in diverse environments.
User-friendly Learning: Ideal for beginners to understand SQL basics.
Open Source: Cost-effective with community-driven improvements.

Many organizations employ SQLite in mobile applications as a local database, enabling seamless backend integration. It is also used for assignments and database backup operations, offering the convenience of storing and accessing data both locally and from the internet, proving its adaptability in settings demanding offline functionality.

Sample Customers

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

1. Apple 2. Cisco 3. Fujitsu 4. Instagram 5. Netflix 6. Red Hat 7. Sony 8. Uber 9. Cisco Systems 10. Skype 11. LinkedIn 12. Etsy 13. Yelp 14. Reddit 15. Dropbox 16. Slack 17. Twitch 18. WhatsApp 19. Snapchat 20. Shazam 21. SoundCloud 22. The New York Times 23. Cisco WebEx 24. Atlassian 25. Cisco Meraki 26. Heroku 27. GitLab 28. Zalando 29. OpenTable 30. Trello 31. Square Enix 32. Bloomberg

Oracle, Bloomberg, Bentley, Mozilla

Open Source Databases