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MySQL vs SingleStore 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

MySQL
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
149
Ranking in other categories
Open Source Databases (2nd), Relational Databases Tools (5th)
SingleStore
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Database as a Service (DBaaS) (11th), Vector Databases (15th)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Databases solutions, they serve different purposes. MySQL is designed for Open Source Databases and holds a mindshare of 9.7%, down 16.3% compared to last year.
SingleStore, on the other hand, focuses on Database as a Service (DBaaS), holds 2.1% mindshare, up 0.8% since last year.
Open Source Databases
Database as a Service (DBaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Muzzamil  Hussain - PeerSpot reviewer
Native encryption ensures secure data management with a simple deployment
The most valuable feature is the on-premises data encryption facilities. By default, we can provide encryption, and this feature in MySQL is why we prefer it over other databases. The native encryption in MySQL encourages us to use this database model more frequently compared to Oracle and other databases. With Oracle, we have to buy another solution for encryption and masking, but MySQL supports native encryption, which enhances our return on investment. It perfectly supports our ROI, and we have no issues with its functionality.
Yasin Sarı - PeerSpot reviewer
High-speed data processing, seamless scalability, and excellent high availability making it an optimal choice for those prioritizing performance and efficiency in a database solution
There's a noteworthy consideration when it comes to collecting massive amounts of data. It is not the optimal choice for direct data collection through queries, and it's more suited for aggregation tasks. Attempting to use it for direct extraction, for instance, might lead to memory-related challenges. While MySQL version five might lack extensive SQL capabilities, SingleStore also has its constraints, requiring simpler SQL writing. This becomes evident when seeking advanced functionalities like window functions or JSON functions, where SingleStore doesn't offer an extensive toolkit, necessitating a more straightforward approach to SQL.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"MySQL's clustering features are very strong, and you can automate scripting, so that helps. We wrote a Terraform script and ran it."
"The speed is very good."
"We use the basic features of MySQL. The interface that allows us to see the parameters of the server is good."
"What I really like about MySQL is the opportunity to search for information and organize it any way I like."
"MySQL has cross-platform support for multiple operating systems. The backups on a Linux machine can be restored on a Windows machine, and vice versa."
"I like the simplistic view of MySQL to build custom queries and things like that as compared to SQL Server, which seems more cluttered. SQL Server has a query analyzer. MySQL pretty much does the same, and performance-wise, it has less overhead for connecting to our ERP system. It seems more responsive and cleaner. With MySQL, you get what you need without any overbloating, for which Microsoft is known. That's why they have so many constant security patches for everything because there is so much stuff, which degrades performance."
"The solution is easy to use."
"One of the most valuable features is MySQL's ability to run our email system. We use a system called Colab."
"It's a distributed relational database, so it does not have a single server, it has multiple servers. Its architecture itself is fast because it has multiple nodes to distribute the workload and process large amounts of data."
"The product can automatically reinstall and reconfigure in case of a shutdown."
"MemSQL supports the MySQL protocol, and many functions are similar, so the learning curve is very short."
"The ability to store data in memory is a standout feature, enhanced by robust failover mechanisms."
"The paramount advantage is the exceptional speed."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to create pipelines, streamline and extract data from the pipelines."
 

Cons

"MySQL's performance needs to be improved for enterprise-level applications compared to Oracle and Postgres."
"The interface could be improved."
"​MySQL is not easily scalable on cost effective consumer grade hardware.​"
"The GUI interface probably can be improved. Let us say I want to see the relationships in the database. In the query analyzer, I would like to go and drop the tables and create relationships between the tables. I haven't found a feature like that in MySQL. It was a shortcoming even in SQL Server. MySQL can have more performance monitoring tools. I know Google has these tools, but within MySQL, there are not that many tools to monitor things like performance and database locking. They might be in there, and I might not be familiar enough to know where they are. I am a pretty new user of MySQL."
"As an open-source product, there isn't really any technical support available if you get into trouble or have issues."
"Stability needs improvement and the backup needs to be enhanced."
"The availability of tools could be improved in the MySQL open-source platform. They can provide more analytical tools. I haven't had any particularly difficult issues to troubleshoot on MySQL, but in the past, on Microsoft SQL Server, I had to troubleshoot some difficult issues, and better tools were in place to see what was going on in real-time on the server. So, that's the bit that is lacking on the MySQL open-source platform."
"As for areas that could be improved, the tool is often used as a local database on laptops. But now, we're moving to cloud-based solutions that are more scalable and highly available. I think the tool should offer a cloud database option. This would let users keep a local copy of data if needed, but also have their data available across different regions through a cloud account."
"Having the ability to migrate servers using a single command would be extremely beneficial."
"For new customers, it's very tough to start. Their documentation isn't organized, and there's no online training available. SingleStore is working on it, but that's a major drawback."
"Poor key distribution can significantly impact performance, requiring a backward approach in design rather than adding tables incrementally."
"It is not the optimal choice for direct data collection through queries, and it's more suited for aggregation tasks."
"There should be more pipelines available because I think that if MemSQL can connect to other services, that would be great."
"We don't get good discounts in Pakistan."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is free. It is an open-source platform."
"It's cheaper than other solutions."
"MySQL is a cheap solution."
"The pricing falls within the moderate range."
"This is an open-source product that can be used free of charge."
"This product has a good price point."
"MySQL Enterprise Support is not cheap, though might still be cheaper than Oracle or SQL Server. They may not have local support depending on where you’re based, but there are many smaller agencies out there that will readily provide support. You’ll need to spend some time looking around."
"It is open source. We prefer it for POCs because it saves the license cost."
"Using it for analytical purposes can be cost-effective in the long run, especially in terms of infrastructure."
"I would advise users to try the free 128GB version."
"SingleStore is a bit expensive."
"They have two main options: cloud installation and bare-metal installation, each with different pricing models."
"The product's licensing is not expensive. It is comparable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
33%
Computer Software Company
13%
University
5%
Manufacturing Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 you move information over a network without encryption, you are endangering it, m...
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...
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...
What do you like most about SingleStore DB?
The paramount advantage is the exceptional speed.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SingleStore DB?
Using it for analytical purposes can be cost-effective in the long run, especially in terms of infrastructure. While building an on-premise cluster incurs an initial cost for servers with ample RAM...
What needs improvement with SingleStore DB?
There's a noteworthy consideration when it comes to collecting massive amounts of data. It is not the optimal choice for direct data collection through queries, and it's more suited for aggregation...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Facebook, Tumblr, Scholastic, MTV Networks, Wikipedia, Verizon Wireless, Sage Group, Glassfish Open Message Queue, and RightNow Technologies.
400+ customers including: 6sense, Adobe, Akamai, Ant Money, Arcules, CARFAX, Cigna, Cisco, Comcast, DELL, DBS Bank, Dentsu, DirectlyApply, EY, Factors.AI, Fathom Analytics, FirstEnergy, GE, Goldman Sachs, Heap, Hulu, IMAX, impact.com, Kroger, LG, LiveRamp, Lumana, Nvidia, OpenDialog, Outreach, Palo Alto Networks, PicPay, RBC, Samsung, SegMetrics, Siemens, SiteImprove, SiriusXM, SK Telecom, SKAI, SONY, STC, SunRun, TATA, Thorn, ZoomInfo.
Find out what your peers are saying about Firebird, Oracle, PostgreSQL and others in Open Source Databases. Updated: June 2025.
859,957 professionals have used our research since 2012.