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Pick 2–5 published tools. Values come from our evidence-checked profiles — an em-dash means unknown, never “no”. Ranking rows reflect the current published methodology for the comparison context.
MariaDB vs MySQL
Context: Relational Database Management Systems · 20 rows
| Attribute | MariaDBMariaDB Foundation | MySQLOracle |
|---|---|---|
| Identity · Taxonomy | ||
| Documentation | https://mariadb.com/kb/en/ | https://dev.mysql.com/doc/ |
| Tags | rdbms, sql, open-source, mysql-compatible, community | rdbms, sql, open-source, web-applications, oracle |
| Platform · Deployment | ||
| Delivery model | self-hosted | self-hosted, managed-cloud |
| Pricing · Licensing | ||
| Free plan | true | true |
| License model | open-source | dual-license |
| Pricing model | free | free, custom |
| Source repository | https://github.com/MariaDB/server | https://github.com/mysql/mysql-server |
| SPDX license IDs | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Features · Product · Fit | ||
| Core capabilities | MySQL compatibility, Galera Cluster 4 multi-master clustering, temporal data tables, Oracle Database compatibility features, long-term support releases | ACID transactional storage (InnoDB), replication and NDB clustering, HeatWave analytics and in-database machine learning, JSON document support, pluggable storage engines |
| Api · Integrations · Ecosystem | ||
| API available | true | true |
| CLI | — | true |
| Audience · Use · Case | ||
| Best for | An open source relational database maintained by a nonprofit foundation, offering MySQL compatibility with additional clustering and compatibility features. | A widely deployed open source relational database with commercial editions, used heavily for web applications and available as the HeatWave cloud analytics service. |
| Company-size fit | individual, SMB, mid-market, enterprise | SMB, mid-market, enterprise |
| Primary use cases | web applications, MySQL replacement and migration, high-availability clustering, default database on Linux distributions | web and SaaS applications, online transaction processing, cloud analytics with HeatWave, embedded OEM databases |
| Skill level | intermediate | intermediate |
| Lifecycle · Versioning | ||
| Current version | 12.3.3 | 9.7.3 |
| Maintenance status | active | active |
| Vendor · Maintainer | ||
| Founded year | 2009 | 1995 |
| Headquarters country | — | United States |
| Vendor type | foundation | commercial |
“—” means unknown (we never treat missing evidence as a negative). Cells reflect each value's current evidence state; superseded or stale values are excluded. Ranking rows are editorial assessments under the cited methodology version — see the Relational Database Management Systems category for definitions.