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.
PostgreSQL vs MySQL
Context: Relational Database Management Systems · 22 rows
| Attribute | PostgreSQLPostgreSQL Global Development Group | MySQLOracle |
|---|---|---|
| Identity · Taxonomy | ||
| Documentation | https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/ | https://dev.mysql.com/doc/ |
| Tags | rdbms, sql, open-source, extensible, postgres | 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://git.postgresql.org/ | https://github.com/mysql/mysql-server |
| SPDX license IDs | PostgreSQL License | GPL-2.0 |
| Features · Product · Fit | ||
| Core capabilities | 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 | 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 | true |
| Support · Docs · Services | ||
| Support channels | mailing lists, IRC, commercial support, Stack Overflow | — |
| Audience · Use · Case | ||
| Best for | A free, open source object-relational database with more than thirty years of development, strong SQL standards conformance, and extensive extensibility. | 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 and application backends, analytics and data warehousing, geospatial systems via PostGIS, general-purpose relational storage | web and SaaS applications, online transaction processing, cloud analytics with HeatWave, embedded OEM databases |
| Skill level | intermediate | intermediate |
| Lifecycle · Versioning | ||
| Changelog/release notes | https://www.postgresql.org/docs/release/ | — |
| Current version | 18.6 | 9.7.3 |
| Maintenance status | active | active |
| Vendor · Maintainer | ||
| Founded year | 1986 | 1995 |
| Headquarters country | — | United States |
| Vendor type | community | 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.