SQL Server vs SingleStore comparison

The compared SingleStore and Microsoft solutions aren't in the same category. SingleStore is ranked #11 in DS , with an average rating of 8.3, and holds a 2.7% mindshare in the category. Microsoft is ranked #1 in SQL , with an average rating of 8.1, and holds a 14.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of SingleStore users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

SingleStore

Read 6 SingleStore reviews

2,206 Views
331 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SQL Server

Read 270 SQL Server reviews

9,995 Views
8,796 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

SingleStore

SQL Server

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between SingleStore and SQL Server based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, MongoDB and others in Database as a Service (DBaaS).

To learn more, read our detailed Database as a Service (DBaaS) Report (Updated: October 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

October 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 873,209 peers since 2012

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

SingleStore

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Database as a Service (DBaaS) (11th), Vector Databases (16th)

SQL Server

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

270

Ranking in other categories

Relational Databases Tools (1st)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Databases solutions, they serve different purposes. SingleStore is designed for Database as a Service (DBaaS) and holds a mindshare of 2.7%, up 1.2% compared to last year.
SQL Server, on the other hand, focuses on Relational Databases Tools, holds 14.6% mindshare, down 21.7% since last year.

Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
SingleStore	2.7%
Amazon RDS	17.5%
MongoDB Atlas	13.6%
Other	66.2%

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Relational Databases Tools Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
SQL Server	14.6%
Oracle Database	12.4%
SAP HANA	9.0%
Other	64.0%

Relational Databases Tools

Featured Reviews

Yasin Sarı

Senior Data Analyst at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

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.

Read full review

Gus Mtz

Subdirector of Support for Production at Servicios Electrónicos Globales -Oficial

Availability and financial reporting thrive with robust integration tools

The best features of SQL Server are availability and stability. We never have concerns about the database. The ability of SQL Server to integrate with other Microsoft services, such as Azure for supporting business intelligence or data analytics, is primarily through Power BI for analytics tools. We use Power BI, but not in the cloud. We have interfaces with other databases. We extensively use the ETL tools of SQL Server for integrating with other databases or text files. The ETL tools are excellent for making jobs that run daily or hourly. For disaster recovery features supporting mission-critical applications in our organization, we have implemented the high availability feature of SQL Server. The always-on feature provides high availability in SQL Server. We use this tool daily for our risk management application.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The paramount advantage is the exceptional speed."

"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 ability to store data in memory is a standout feature, enhanced by robust failover mechanisms."

"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 most valuable feature is the ability to create pipelines, streamline and extract data from the pipelines."

"We are using the net for our environment. We're using the ADF Azure data factory for our analysis services, and it is pretty good."

"Tuning Advisor suggests where to add indexes and from where to remove them. It works like an adviser."

"In Poland, SQL Server is the most popular database engine, and overall, our customers like it."

"It's much more friendly in comparison with Oracle."

"I haven't really experienced any issues that required the assistance of technical support."

"Microsoft SQL Server is one of the better database administration software packages out there. It runs primarily on Windows Server platforms, but it can also run on Linux platforms."

"SQL Server is very scalable because we use it across a couple of different types of applications, such as micro-infrastructure setup and server farm."

"Having everything in one centralized set of databases is the most valuable feature."

More SQL Server pros

Cons

"Having the ability to migrate servers using a single command would be extremely beneficial."

"We don't get good discounts in Pakistan."

"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."

"There should be more pipelines available because I think that if MemSQL can connect to other services, that would be great."

"It is not the optimal choice for direct data collection through queries, and it's more suited for aggregation tasks."

"If you are a new user then this solution could be difficult, they could improve by making the overall usage easier."

"Analysis services have a lot of room for improvement. Basically, manageability on the available tools. They should have improved them already. They are not very efficient. My main headache is with the analysis service, and it would be really good if Microsoft developed some additional tools that are more user-friendly to manage the analysis. This is both from the perspective of management, users' roles, and performance analysis. My main wish for SQL Server would be that management tools for analysis services grow and mature a bit."

"It could be more stable."

"The solution could offer better integration with other solutions - specifically Microsoft."

"They have too many licensing options. They may want to simplify its licensing and bring it down to two, three, or four categories from ten to fifteen categories. Having so many different licensing options makes it difficult to decide which one to choose from. They can club things together. This is an area where they can make things easier for customers."

"Linux-based editions are not yet proven to be on par with Windows deployments."

"Our biggest problem with SQL Server is latency. The communication between the cloud and the on-premises environment is slow. The data needs to be encrypted for security, and you have to exchange data certificates between environments. You can adjust the configuration to improve performance, but it would be nice if SQL Server had some templates to resolve problems."

"Database support could be improved."

More SQL Server cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Using it for analytical purposes can be cost-effective in the long run, especially in terms of infrastructure."

"SingleStore is a bit expensive."

"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."

"The product's licensing is not expensive. It is comparable."

"I know the SQL Server pricing model, I believe, is based on CPU cores that your database server has, but I don't know what the solution's prices are though."

"We purchased our license and the pricing is fine for us."

"The pricing from Microsoft is quite expensive compared to Oracle."

"I don't know the exact prices because my focus is essentially technical and not on the bills. A few years ago, they changed the billing policy for the Enterprise Edition, and it became less attractive. But I believe they are still cheaper than Oracle. SQL Server isn't cheap, but it's not expensive either."

"For licensing, we pay yearly. The licensing is very expensive, and it should be cheaper."

"My advice is quite straightforward. If you know the number of users who really and truly need access to the Server then it is a no-brainer. If you do not know, then get the basic package and minimum licenses and start from there. Needless to say, users can develop/use data structures outside and then deploy onto the Server."

"Licensing fees increase depending on size and performance. If you want higher performance, you should go for a different course."

"Its price is fine. You have to buy the license and support."

More SQL Server pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Database as a Service (DBaaS) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

873,209 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

32%

Computer Software Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

University

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	121
Midsize Enterprise	58
Large Enterprise	112

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SingleStore DB?

The paramount advantage is the exceptional speed.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What needs improvement with SingleStore DB?

See all answers

Would you say the price of SQL Server is high compared to that of similar products?

SQL Server is fairly priced because it has various editions, depending on the number of users, servers, or core packs you are using. If you compare the product to others in this category, the price...

See all answers

Has using SQL Server helped your organization in any way?

SQL Server has helped my organization through partitioning to distribute the workload, as it splits them up into smaller pieces so the machines can easily deal with it. However, this comes with a h...

See all answers

Which authentication mode is best for SQL Server?

My company connects through SQL Server authentication. We have company Windows accounts, but we do not want to connect the two, out of security concerns and to keep things separated for our own pur...

See all answers

Comparisons

ClickHouse vs SingleStore

Compared 10% of the time

Supabase Vector vs SingleStore

Compared 7% of the time

CockroachDB vs SingleStore

Compared 6% of the time

OpenText Analytics Database (Vertica) vs SingleStore

Compared 6% of the time

Oracle Database vs SingleStore

Compared 5% of the time

More SingleStore Competitors

IBM Db2 Database vs SQL Server

Compared 15% of the time

Oracle Database vs SQL Server

Compared 12% of the time

SAP HANA vs SQL Server

Compared 11% of the time

MariaDB vs SQL Server

Compared 11% of the time

IBM Cognos vs SQL Server

Compared 2% of the time

More SQL Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

SingleStore

October 2025

Download SingleStore product report

Buyer's Guide

SQL Server

October 2025

Download SQL Server product report

Also Known As

No data available

Microsoft SQL Server, MSSQL, MS SQL

Overview

SingleStore delivers the performance you need for enterprise AI, providing the most performant data platform for apps and analytics at scale. SingleStore enables organizations to scale from one to one million customers in one unified platform. SingleStore offers transparent pricing as shown here https://www.singlestore.com/pricing/

SingleStore caters to over 400 customers globally, including major banks and tech companies in 50+ countries and 40+ verticals. It offers seamless scaling for both transactional and analytical workloads, simplifying data management with its MySQL compatibility and real-time processing capabilities. SingleStore's distributed architecture ensures speed and reliability, efficiently handling large data volumes.

What are the key features of SingleStore?

MySQL Compatibility: Eases the learning curve for users.
Built-in Pipelines: Connects to S3, Kafka, and more.
High Concurrency: Processes billions of records swiftly.
Replication & Failover: Enhances speed and reliability.
In-memory Storage: Ensures data safety and quick access.

What benefits can users find in SingleStore reviews?

Automatic Reconfiguration: Simplifies management tasks.
Impressive SQL Performance: Supports complex queries efficiently.
Scalability: Handles large datasets with a multi-node setup.

Top banks and fintech companies leverage SingleStore for efficient management of financial data, while media and telecom industries use it for scalable metadata management and improved data processing. Retail and eCommerce sectors benefit from enhanced transactional capabilities, reducing the need for separate databases and optimizing reporting processes. SingleStore's capacity to unite diverse workloads makes it a strategic choice across many sectors.

SingleStore

SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS) by Microsoft. The product's main purposes are to store data and retrieve it as requested by other software applications - on the same computer or on another computer across a shared network. The solution is built on top of Structured Query Language (SQL), which is a standardized programming language used for relational database management.

The product is tied to Transact-SQL (T-SQL), which is an implementation of SQL from Microsoft that adds several proprietary programming extensions to the standard language. SQL Server is built similarly to other RDBMS products, as its structure is a row-based table that connects related data elements in different tables to one another. One of its most important components is the SQL Server Database Engine, as it controls data processing, storage, and security. Beneath the Database Engine is the SQL Server Operating System, which is used for memory and I/O management, locking data to avoid unneeded upgrades, and job scheduling.

The solution has four editions with different sets of services and tools. They include:

SQL Server Developer
SQL Server Expression
SQL Server Standard
SQL Server Enterprise

The first two are available for free and are typically utilized by smaller companies, as they work with fewer functions and storage. The second two editions are generally used by bigger organizations and enterprises and offer more features.

The solution has several functions through which users can facilitate different data-related processes. These include:

Aggregate functions: These functions are used to calculate one or more values and return a single value.
Window functions: Window functions calculate an aggregate value based on a group of rows and return multiple rows for each involved group.
Date functions: These functions allow clients to handle data and time data efficiently.
String functions: Through the string functions, SQL Server processes an input string and returns a string or numeric value.
System functions: The system functions of the product return objects, values, and settings.

SQL Server Services

SQL Server has a wide range of add-on services that provide additional benefits beyond database management. These services include:

Machine learning: SQL Server machine learning services allow users to do machine learning and data analytics within the product.
Service broker: This feature is a part of the database engine and offers messaging and message queuing for applications on the platform.
Replication: This feature consists of transaction replication, merge replication, and snapshot replication.
Analysis: SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) adds online analytical processing (OLAP) and data mining capabilities to SQL Server databases.
Reporting: This feature supports the development of custom reporting applications.
Notifications: This feature generates data-driven notifications which are sent to subscribers of Notification Services.
Integration: This SQL Server feature provides capabilities for data integration, data import, and data warehousing.
Full-text search: Through this feature, users can utilize specialized indexing and query for unstructured text stored in the solution.
Visual studio: This feature supports data programming with SQL Server.
Azure Data Studio: This is a cross-platform query editor that can be downloaded and used alongside SQL Server.

SQL Server Benefits

The solution has many benefits for users. These include the following:

The platform ensures a consistent experience across other platforms while being fast and agile.
Through the built-in intelligence features, users can understand their data better.
The solution has enterprise-level security, which ensures the smooth and safe performance of users' data.
SQL Server offers the ability to retrieve large amounts of data quickly and efficiently.
The product installation process is fairly easy, and it offers a user-friendly interface.
SQL Server offers improved data storage and retrieval functions through frequent upgrades.
The solution reduces the risk of database server attacks, since it is not an open-source database.

Reviews from Real Users

A president at a consultancy evaluates SQL Server as a veteran solution with critical log shipping feature.

Harkamal S., a user at a manufacturing company, rates SQL Server with a high mark because it is a stable, scalable, and easy-to-deploy solution that pretty much covers everything.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

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.

Microsoft SQL Server is used by businesses in every industry, including Great Western Bank, Aviva, the Volvo Car Corporation, BMW, Samsung, Principality Building Society, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario.

Buyer's Guide

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

October 2025

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, MongoDB and others in Database as a Service (DBaaS). Updated: October 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

873,209 professionals have used our research since 2012.

We monitor all Database as a Service (DBaaS) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.