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Firebird SQL pros and cons

Vendor: Firebird

3.9 out of 5

15 reviews
86% willing to recommend

Pros & Cons summary

Firebird SQL is an open-source database known for ease of deployment and compatibility with Linux, Mac OS, and Windows. It is reliable and offers good performance with minimal administrative requirements. However, it faces challenges with scalability and managing large databases. Lacking features include JSON, XML support, and better security. Users note a need for improved technical support and database-sharing capabilities, affecting its suitability for complex, multi-process environments.

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Firebird SQL offers ease of deployment and runs on multiple operating systems such as Linux, Mac OS, Unix, and Windows.

It is an open-source database solution that does not require administration once embedded, eliminating the need for specific servers.

Firebird SQL supports efficient stock management and detects various code issues, enhancing code quality and compliance with best practices.

The event capabilities of Firebird SQL allow users to raise events and display them in applications, providing valuable functionality.

Documentation for Firebird SQL is well-written, offering clear guidance and support for users.

CONS

Firebird SQL struggles with scalability when using multiple processes.

Firebird SQL lacks automation and integration with tools from other vendors.

Firebird SQL would benefit from improved partitioning, encryption, and security measures.

Support for JSON, XML, and replication with third-party tools is lacking in Firebird SQL.

Firebird SQL's performance has diminished since versions 3 or 3.5 due to over-the-wire encryption.

Firebird SQL Pros review quotes

TV

CEO at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees

Sep 5, 2019

I find the ease of deployment to be the most valuable aspect of this solution.

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DBA at a consultancy with 201-500 employees

Dec 9, 2019

The solution is very useful for stock management.

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OB

Operations Director at ALTERSIS Performance

Sep 16, 2020

It helps us in detecting all kinds of problems in the code, such as bad quality, unclear code, or any violation in the code or best practices.

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Embedded Database

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RL

Co-founder at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Mar 11, 2021

I can deploy it on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows — it's very easy.

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Owner at Intersoftware sas

Oct 6, 2021

Firebird SQL is an open-source solution and can run on most operating systems, such as Linux, Unix, and Windows.

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SF

Sergio Ferreira

Executive Director at Dynamic Tomorrow

Aug 10, 2022

I appreciate the fact that, once the database is embedded, it doesn't need to be administered, and removes the requirement for a specific server.

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BP

Bambara Paterne Michel

Head of IT Department / Oracle DBA at Sonabel

Feb 15, 2023

I like that we don't have to pay external fees to migrate this data. So, we are looking to relocate from Postgres or EDB.

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CE

Operational security at GOS

Mar 21, 2023

The most valuable feature of Firebird SQL is the creation of databases.

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EM

Owner at Ventaja Competitiva

Jun 20, 2023

The documentation is very well written.

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Retail Solution & BI Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Jun 22, 2023

We are happy with the event capabilities of Firebird SQL database. We can raise events from it and display them in our application.

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Firebird SQL Cons review quotes

TV

CEO at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees

Sep 5, 2019

I don't think the solution is very scalable, because the scalability of the performance when using more than one process is not very good.

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DBA at a consultancy with 201-500 employees

Dec 9, 2019

It would be interesting if they added functionality with redundancy, reputation, and variability.

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OB

Operations Director at ALTERSIS Performance

Sep 16, 2020

It would be good to have more automation and integration with the tools from other vendors.

Read full review

Embedded Database

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about Firebird, SQLite, DuckDB and others in Embedded Database. Updated: December 2025.

879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.

RL

Co-founder at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Mar 11, 2021

In the next release, it should support JSON, XML, and replication with third-party tools.

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Owner at Intersoftware sas

Oct 6, 2021

The solution could improve by providing partitioning and encryption. It is not at the higher level of database solution but it could be with some upgrades.

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SF

Sergio Ferreira

Executive Director at Dynamic Tomorrow

Aug 10, 2022

This solution isn't very user-friendly, or intuitive, which could be improved when it is developed.

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BP

Bambara Paterne Michel

Head of IT Department / Oracle DBA at Sonabel

Feb 15, 2023

Technical support and performance could be better. We have some problems with this solution, but we don't know if the problem is with the database or the configuration. For example, sometimes, the users can't access the database.

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CE

Operational security at GOS

Mar 21, 2023

The security of the users could improve in Firebird SQL.

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EM

Owner at Ventaja Competitiva

Jun 20, 2023

It would be nice to have a graphical user interface to handle the product.

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Retail Solution & BI Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Jun 22, 2023

On large databases, we have some difficulties.

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Show 5 more reviews (out of 15)

Product Categories

Product Categories

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Product Categories

Product Categories

Embedded Database

Open Source Databases

Popular Comparisons

Popular Comparisons

MySQL vs Firebird SQL

PostgreSQL vs Firebird SQL

MariaDB vs Firebird SQL

MongoDB Enterprise Advanced vs Firebird SQL

ClickHouse vs Firebird SQL

SQLite vs Firebird SQL

EDB Postgres Advanced Server vs Firebird SQL

DuckDB vs Firebird SQL

Oracle MySQL Cloud Service vs Firebird SQL

Progress OpenEdge RDBMS vs Firebird SQL

InterBase vs Firebird SQL

See all alternatives

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