Compare tools
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.
MySQL vs PostgreSQL
Context: Relational Database Management Systems · 22 rows
| Attribute | MySQLOracle | PostgreSQLPostgreSQL Global Development Group |
|---|---|---|
| Identity · Taxonomy | ||
| Documentation | https://dev.mysql.com/doc/ | https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/ |
| Tags | rdbms, sql, open-source, web-applications, oracle | rdbms, sql, open-source, extensible, postgres |
| Platform · Deployment | ||
| Delivery model | self-hosted, managed-cloud | self-hosted |
| Pricing · Licensing | ||
| Free plan | true | true |
| License model | dual-license | open-source |
| Pricing model | free, custom | free |
| Source repository | https://github.com/mysql/mysql-server | https://git.postgresql.org/ |
| SPDX license IDs | GPL-2.0 | PostgreSQL License |
| Features · Product · Fit | ||
| Core capabilities | ACID transactional storage (InnoDB), replication and NDB clustering, HeatWave analytics and in-database machine learning, JSON document support, pluggable storage engines | ACID transactions with MVCC, extensible type system and indexing (B-tree, GiST, GIN, BRIN), JSON/JSONB document storage, full-text search, logical and streaming replication, row and column level security |
| Api · Integrations · Ecosystem | ||
| API available | true | true |
| CLI | true | true |
| Support · Docs · Services | ||
| Support channels | — | mailing lists, IRC, commercial support, Stack Overflow |
| Audience · Use · Case | ||
| Best for | A widely deployed open source relational database with commercial editions, used heavily for web applications and available as the HeatWave cloud analytics service. | A free, open source object-relational database with more than thirty years of development, strong SQL standards conformance, and extensive extensibility. |
| Company-size fit | SMB, mid-market, enterprise | individual, SMB, mid-market, enterprise |
| Primary use cases | web and SaaS applications, online transaction processing, cloud analytics with HeatWave, embedded OEM databases | web and application backends, analytics and data warehousing, geospatial systems via PostGIS, general-purpose relational storage |
| Skill level | intermediate | intermediate |
| Lifecycle · Versioning | ||
| Changelog/release notes | — | https://www.postgresql.org/docs/release/ |
| Current version | 9.7.3 | 18.6 |
| Maintenance status | active | active |
| Vendor · Maintainer | ||
| Founded year | 1995 | 1986 |
| Headquarters country | United States | — |
| Vendor type | commercial | community |
“—” 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.