FirebirdSQL vs. IBM Informix

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Firebird
Score 9.8 out of 10
N/A
FirebirdSQL is an open-source database which can be embedded.N/A
IBM Informix
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Informix is an embedded relational database offering from IBM.N/A
Pricing
FirebirdSQLIBM Informix
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FirebirdIBM Informix
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
FirebirdSQLIBM Informix
Best Alternatives
FirebirdSQLIBM Informix
Small Businesses
InfluxDB
InfluxDB
Score 8.8 out of 10
SQLite
SQLite
Score 8.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SQLite
SQLite
Score 8.6 out of 10
SQLite
SQLite
Score 8.6 out of 10
Enterprises
SQLite
SQLite
Score 8.6 out of 10
SQLite
SQLite
Score 8.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
FirebirdSQLIBM Informix
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(5 ratings)
9.1
(7 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
5.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
FirebirdSQLIBM Informix
Likelihood to Recommend
Open Source
It is able to handle simultaneous connections when using the embedded software version. It is well suited for organizations looking for standalone servers that can handle high data volumes and still perform well and which is also cost-effective database management system especially when they are working on a low budget.
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IBM
IBM Informix creates an effective and secure channel for easy and quick data management and transfer across other major Cloud platforms and other data storage systems. The analytical ability is also the best and most effective visual functionalities and the encryption and the data archiving functionalities are great and easy on reporting.
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Pros
Open Source
  • Performance is really fast.
  • It is portable and easy to take back ups.
  • Its open n source and free.
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IBM
  • Industry leading OLTP performance.
  • Excellent Data Warehouse performance from the basic engine. Outstanding Data Warehouse performance from the Informix Warehouse Accelerator module.
  • Best embedability among major RDBMS systems.
  • Scalable from the smallest Raspberry PI up to the largest monolithic systems and out to dozens of distributed nodes.
  • Hybrid data capabilities to merge relational data with time seriesv, geospacial data, JSON data and other non-traditional data types with performance comparable or better than systems dedicated to those data types.
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Cons
Open Source
  • Documentation.
  • No GUI tool to view data.
  • Slow via remote access.
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IBM
  • It is very difficult to find a missing functionality in Informix, technically is great. I will again criticize the business side and how it has been managed over the past, I hope this could be improved with HCL's help. I know they are working hard, but we need to start letting the world know and revert their concept about its existence and that it is one of the best competitors within the data treatment, in the market. We need to start telling the world about success cases and stories showing this and backing up its strong technology.
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Likelihood to Renew
Open Source
Because it is free and usually zero maintenance. Just the issue of more difficult format updates in the future lower the rating a bit.
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IBM
Informix is the best RDBMS on the market. Period.
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Usability
Open Source
Usability has improved by unifying the architecture. The only thing's missing out of the box is a simple GUI DB tool for viewing DB contents and maybe running some SQL queries.
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IBM
Server management is easy enough to be able to embed the engine in a device and let it run for years without maintenance.
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Support Rating
Open Source
This is an open source project. It provides a fair amount of free documentation and I think forums somewhere...
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IBM
The Informix product support team has won awards and is appreciated by the entire Informix user community.
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Implementation Rating
Open Source
Even somebody just starting to use RDBMS himself should get it working quickly, at least if he's got a GUI tool and some SQL knowledge.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Open Source
Because it is having Open Source License and easy to deploy on windows and linux environment
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IBM
IBM Informix creates effective solutions for big data extraction and data transportation functionalities across the entire Cloud services and the Automation ability is the best. The security that IBM Informix provides for all our business data and other project information and contacts is effective and the reports are very clean and easy to understand.
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Return on Investment
Open Source
  • Cost effective saving us from paid relational database.
  • Community support.
  • Efficiency in handling simultaneous connections.
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IBM
  • Although I do not own nor have visibility on my company's figures:
  • Informix generates consistent savings on DBA staffing, no need for many DBAs as other DBMS require.
  • The replication architecture allowed consistent savings in the infrastructure as well as developments and maintenance, the job is already done, no need to develop complex and costly solutions, it's just a matter of configuring it.
  • The advantages of hybrid development (i.e mixing SQL and NoSQL in the same database) is not just a marketing hype: it allowed us to solve with a brilliant solution, in one afternoon of coding, a functional problem we have been having for more than 10 years!
  • The biggest drawback is that IBM pricing may be constraining, it has too important gaps between the mid range and highrange in terms of pricing
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ScreenShots