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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

"This specific version of this MySQL has been battle tested for a long time. Any issues are known issues and we pretty much don't have any problems when they're in production. So it's very stable."
"However, it is easy to scale MySQL using the functions provided with the product."
"MySQL is easy to use, has fast performance, and it is comfortable for end-user to use. The schema level and structure we are using are very simple and easy to understand. Additionally, packaging tool development is straightforward and the data is presented in a way that is very simple to understand."
"MySQL gives us all of the critical features that we need in a database, but without the costs."
"Fully scalable and stable SQL-based RDBMS, with a straightforward and easy setup."
"MySQL is a light database. It's not very complex. It's easy to develop, easy to maintain, and easy to back up and restore."
"It is very easy to install and has all basic database features."
"The speed is very good."
"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 ability to store data in memory is a standout feature, enhanced by robust failover mechanisms."
"The paramount advantage is the exceptional speed."
"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."
 

Cons

"It would be helpful if there were a graphical user interface to administer, configure, and tune it."
"I would like to have features that allow us to jump between the cloud and our on-premises system."
"The documentation is pretty weak and should be improved."
"Clusters are hard to perform so we use no SQL alternates like MongoDB."
"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."
"MySQL has some unique exchange problems when it comes to migration projects."
"Improvements are required in character set support, scalability, and big data sets."
"The full-text search feature must be improved."
"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."
"Having the ability to migrate servers using a single command would be extremely beneficial."
"We don't get good discounts in Pakistan."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We've never bought a commercial license. We just use the open-source community edition."
"This product has a good price point."
"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 licensed version of MySQL."
"The solution does not come with a licensing fee."
"There is not a license required for this solution."
"It's cheaper than other solutions."
"We are using the free version of MySQL. We prefer paying for a yearly license."
"SingleStore is a bit expensive."
"The product's licensing is not expensive. It is comparable."
"I would advise users to try the free 128GB version."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
34%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
5%
University
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.
860,825 professionals have used our research since 2012.