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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
7.1
Number of Reviews
152
Ranking in other categories
Open Source Databases (1st), Relational Databases Tools (4th)
SingleStore
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
Database as a Service (DBaaS) (17th), Vector Databases (17th)
 

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 12.1% compared to last year.
SingleStore, on the other hand, focuses on Database as a Service (DBaaS), holds 2.9% mindshare, up 1.6% since last year.
Open Source Databases Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
MySQL9.7%
PostgreSQL14.3%
Firebird SQL12.5%
Other63.5%
Open Source Databases
Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SingleStore2.9%
Amazon RDS13.5%
MongoDB Atlas12.3%
Other71.3%
Database as a Service (DBaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Prabir Kumar Kundu - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
VK
Solution Architect at Wipro Limited
An excellent choice for diverse data processing needs with exceptional in-memory capabilities, robust failover mechanisms, easy scalability and high performance
Scalability is its key strength. Adding servers for scalability is a straightforward process involving simply incorporating a few additional servers and recycling the cluster triggers automatic repartitioning and redistribution of data. For instance, if the initial database creation involved a hundred servers and later, four more servers are added, specific commands can be executed to increase the partitions to one hundred twenty. The data is then efficiently redistributed across the expanded partitions without the need for manual data movement, ensuring a seamless and efficient scalability process. In my current organization, approximately three projects involve the usage of SingleStore, with a team size ranging from ten to twenty individuals.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The feature I found most valuable is activity performance."
"MySQL gives us all of the critical features that we need in a database, but without the costs."
"The feature that I have found most valuable is its ubiquity. MySQL is everywhere, so if I need to find a developer to do things to it that I don't know, it's very easy to find someone who has expertise in it."
"We use the basic features of MySQL. The interface that allows us to see the parameters of the server is good."
"The most valuable feature is the on-premises data encryption facilities."
"Compared to other databases, MySQL is cheaper and we were using the community edition which was free of cost. ML is fully integrated with the database in HeatWave. It has also many other features. MySQL is a far better solution in terms of pricing."
"MySQL is a very useful database which is used by a lot of companies, so it should be really good."
"The solution is easy to use."
"MemSQL supports the MySQL protocol, and many functions are similar, so the learning curve is very short."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to create pipelines, streamline and extract data from the pipelines."
"The product can automatically reinstall and reconfigure in case of a shutdown."
"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 paramount advantage is the exceptional speed."
"The ability to store data in memory is a standout feature, enhanced by robust failover mechanisms."
 

Cons

"Sometimes, not because the version is not the latest version, there are some issues with it. Sometimes there's an issue with the server which creates issues with it."
"It could be more secure."
"It does not stand out regarding scalability. When the company size increases, the user base having actual experience with (very) large MySQL solutions is reduced."
"MySQL could be improved by adding more automation."
"The workbench could be improved. In particular, error messages can be improved, which are horrific and completely unhelpful. I'd like to see improved parsing of errors. When you write SQL and it crashes, it usually is something completely irrelevant and not helpful. I've started to use GPT 3.5 for finding out how to do things. I got to do something a bit different, and that I found to be very useful. If there was some way to tie it into one of the new AI tools, that would probably be a good idea."
"While utilizing a comparable algorithm, is noted to be sensitive, especially when configuring the inner device."
"I would like to see some improvements in the solution’s integration aspects."
"​MySQL needs improvements on its diagnostic features.​"
"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."
"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."
"It is not the optimal choice for direct data collection through queries, and it's more suited for aggregation tasks."
"Poor key distribution can significantly impact performance, requiring a backward approach in design rather than adding tables incrementally."
"Having the ability to migrate servers using a single command would be extremely beneficial."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When you know the setup will continue to grow, make sure you have the paid support."
"It is free. It is an open-source platform."
"The solution’s pricing depends on customer requirements. A license is not required for the community edition."
"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."
"We are using the free community edition of MySQL."
"The price of the solution is good because we have a good partner."
"For the on-premise version, no license is required."
"Microsoft licensing for SQL Server is probably ten times more expensive. I used to work for the government, and I remember when we were looking into upgrading to the enterprise version of SQL Server 2019, the licensing was going to cost 350,000. To get the equivalent in the cloud, it was going to be about four grand to get the same processing power and everything else. With MySQL, it was going to be about 300 for the same licensing. Cost-wise, for sure, there is a huge difference. Would you prefer to pay 300 a month or 3,000 to have the same amount of data resources? You might lose a few options that you need, but it isn't worth the price difference."
"The product's licensing is not expensive. It is comparable."
"Using it for analytical purposes can be cost-effective in the long run, especially in terms of infrastructure."
"They have two main options: cloud installation and bare-metal installation, each with different pricing models."
"I would advise users to try the free 128GB version."
"SingleStore is a bit expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
6%
Financial Services Firm
30%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Retailer
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business74
Midsize Enterprise34
Large Enterprise61
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Large Enterprise3
 

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...
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Facebook, Tumblr, Scholastic, MTV Networks, Wikipedia, Verizon Wireless, Sage Group, Glassfish Open Message Queue, and RightNow Technologies.
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Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle, PostgreSQL, Firebird and others in Open Source Databases. Updated: February 2026.
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