MariaDB Platform vs. PostgreSQL

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
MariaDB Platform
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
MariaDB is an open-source relational database made by the original developers of MySQL, supported by the MariaDB Foundation and a community of developers. The community states recent additional capabilities as including clustering with Galera Cluster 4, compatibility with Oracle Database, and Temporal Data Tables, allowing one to query the data as it stood at any point in the past.N/A
PostgreSQL
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
PostgreSQL (alternately Postgres) is a free and open source object-relational database system boasting over 30 years of active development, reliability, feature robustness, and performance. It supports SQL and is designed to support various workloads flexibly.N/A
Pricing
MariaDB PlatformPostgreSQL
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MariaDB PlatformPostgreSQL
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MariaDB PlatformPostgreSQL
Considered Both Products
MariaDB Platform
Chose MariaDB Platform
We know others DB alternatives like MySQL, Microsoft SQLServer, PostgreSQL. We selected MariaDB because it offer advanced features like active-active cluster, with no costs and easy to learn. With MariaDB was easy to migrate ours applications that use MySQL, with no …
Chose MariaDB Platform
MariaDB is cheaper than Oracle Database and MSSQL server. MySQL owned by Oracle. So MariaDB has too many forks, but enough people in the community. PostgreSQL has a larger community and better administration. However, it s not like MariaDB w/ Galera. MariaDB is not good for …
Chose MariaDB Platform
MariaDB is much easier to set up and maintain compared to PostgreSQL makes it much faster to launch our application and relatively easier to upgrade its version so we can make sure the installed version is up to date with the latest patch, which is especially important if we …
Chose MariaDB Platform
We were already wanting to migrate away from Cassandra for reasons of stability, cost (more servers were needed), and our data storage model. We evaluated PostgreSQL but passed on it due to being more familiar with MariaDB. Also we needed something that could do multi-region …
Chose MariaDB Platform
MariaDB gives a low-cost option for DB engines like Oracle with plenty of features and flexibility while having better ease of use than PostgreSQL.
Chose MariaDB Platform
MySQL is still a great solution, but MariaDB offers a more extensive set of free features than are available for MySQL. We also feel more confident that MariaDB will remain free to use over time. End users haven't noticed much of a difference, but from a development cost …
Chose MariaDB Platform
MariaDB stacks up the the competition just fine. Due to is ture open source nature we do not have to worry about licencing and spending money on nothing. Moreover, MariaDB does everything that we need to get done. We can run data that is a million rows or many smaller projects …
Chose MariaDB Platform
MariaDB provided the best fit for our business in upgrading legacy systems which were originally designed to use MySQL as a backend. By using MariaDB, no changes to the overall systems needed to be altered, reducing the time needed to upgrade everything. Other solutions …
Chose MariaDB Platform
We had previously used MySQL, but our database has grown very large. MariaDB offers faster queries.
PostgreSQL
Chose PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is rich in features and free to use which is perfect for our organization. PostgreSQL is our goto RDBMS if we want to create an application or services backend with the database if there's no specific requirement.
For example for the most important and largest …
Chose PostgreSQL
Although the competition between the different databases is increasingly aggressive in the sense that they provide many improvements, new functionalities, compatibility with complementary components or environments, in some cases it requires that it be followed within the same …
Chose PostgreSQL
We selected PostgreSQL due to the number of employees who have used it in the past.
The data consistency guarantees.
The multiple transaction isolation levels support.
Chose PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL outperforms every other option. It is faster, more flexible, more reliable, easier to maintain, and more consistent in behaviour than any of the other offerings.
Chose PostgreSQL
SQL Server is an excellent product from Microsoft, it is a derivative from Sybase which originally developed the SQL Server form Unix and Linux, and Microsoft purchased it to migrate the DBMS to Windows Server. But the cycle comes full circle, and now Microsoft recommends its …
Chose PostgreSQL
It's a viable alternative, with a rich feature set and a reliable system. PostgreSQL is one of the best RDBMS's currently on the market in 2020, it serves just as well as a starter, PoC DB for any software idea as a final, highly valuable database solution for big systems.
Chose PostgreSQL
Despite being all open source options, what ended up making us choose PostgreSQL was the robustness of its core, which allows the great workflow that can support timely and efficient response to the demand and demand for resources. In the case of MongoDB, it is a non-relational …
Chose PostgreSQL
I found PostgreSQL to be better compared to MySQL. The community support is very good. Some features that I feel are not present in MySQL are:
  • No referential integrity.
  • No constraints (CHECK).
Chose PostgreSQL
As mentioned previously, I came from primarily a MySQL background. I had used other databases such as SQL Server and Oracle, but MySQL is what I used most of the time for my RDBMS needs before switching to PostgreSQL. MySQL/MariaDB certainly have some great strengths, but I …
Chose PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL lacks the scalability of a commercial database such as SQL Server or Oracle. For this reason, it has been a difficult sale for some customers. However, PostgreSQL has more features, including a better programming language than MySQL. It is much more feature rich than …
Top Pros
Top Cons
TrustRadius Insights
MariaDB PlatformPostgreSQL
Highlights

TrustRadius
Research Team Insight
Published

MariaDB and PostgreSQL are SQL databases designed to help businesses store and access structured data in an organized and scalable way. Both MariaDB and PostgreSQL are open source, giving technically savvy organizations access to database systems without licensing fees. There are also many premium services that implement, support, or manage MariaDB and PostgreSQL databases for businesses without the required on-staff expertise. Both MariaDB and PostgreSQL are used by businesses of all sizes, and both are actively maintained with performance improvements, optimizations, and bug fixes.

Features

MariaDB and PostgreSQL both offer essential database features, such as high-performance querying, but they each have features that distinguish them from each other.

MariaDB is a lightweight database solution, with minimal requirements for technical resources. As a result, it’s an especially popular solution for businesses with smaller data storage requirements or limited hardware resources. MariaDB offers more flexible partitioning and sharding options compared to PostgreSQL. It also supports more programming languages, including Ruby, Erlang, Go, and more, giving its users more options to work in the language they’re most comfortable with.

PostgreSQL, on the other hand, offers faster read and write times, with better overall performance compared to MariaDB. PostgreSQL is often a good choice for businesses looking for the highest-performance SQL database they can find. Additionally, PostgreSQL includes some database optimization features, such as partial indexing, that aren’t available in MariaDB. PostgreSQL also supports a wide variety of server operating systems, including Windows, OS X, and popular Linux deployments.

Limitations

Although MariaDB and PostgreSQL are fully-featured, high-performance database systems, they each have limitations that are important to consider before selecting either.

MariaDB has trouble matching the read and write speeds offered by PostgreSQL Some users have had issues migrating to MariaDB from MySQL due to incompatibilities between the two tools. MariaDB also doesn’t support as many server operating systems as PostgreSQL. Most notably, MariaDB doesn’t support OS X, so businesses tied to OS X systems will likely be better off choosing a different solution.

PostgreSQL, on the other hand, is a more resource-intensive solution. Businesses with lower database performance requirements or limited access to hardware resources might be better off choosing a lighter-weight database. Although it natively supports common languages like C++, Python, and Java, you’ll have to install extensions to support other popular languages, such as Ruby and C#.

Pricing

Both MariaDB and PostgreSQL are open-source and free for self-hosted implementations. Pricing for managed MariaDB or PostgreSQL solutions varies depending on vendor, storage, uptime, and performance needs.

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User Ratings
MariaDB PlatformPostgreSQL
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(29 ratings)
8.7
(53 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
6.4
(3 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.7
(16 ratings)
9.3
(7 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
MariaDB PlatformPostgreSQL
Likelihood to Recommend
MariaDB
  • Applications where the users need [to] execute many short queries.
  • With new storage engines such as Aria, which allows to replace MyISAM with some improvements, and XtraDB, which evolves InnoDB.
  • To fuse the legacy features with the features available in NoSQL databases.
  • Connection management, which allows multiplying the number of concurrent accesses.
  • New clustering engines, such as Galera, which allow interesting possibilities for Cloud adoption.
Read full review
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
PostgreSQL, unlike other databases, is user-friendly and uses an open-source database. Ideal for relational databases, they can be accessed when speed and efficiency are required. It enables high-availability and disaster recovery replication from instance to instance. PostgreSQL can store data in a JSON format, including hashes, keys, and values. Multi-platform compatibility is also a big selling point. We could, however, use all the DBMS’s cores. While it works well in fast environments, it can be problematic in slower ones or cause multiple master replication.
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Pros
MariaDB
  • Simpler learning curve. MariaDB is a cleaner, simpler system that is (IMO) easier to learn and easier to manage effectively than many other database systems.
  • Lower hardware requirements. After migrating to MariaDB from another database software system, we find that our hardware needs have substantially decreased.
  • MariaDB support is very responsive. It's like they actually care. On the few occasions we've run into technical issues, support has always come through with what we needed. Once it was showing me a relatively new feature the server supported that I wasn't aware of, that, once I was able to properly make use of it helped me resolve a serious production performance issue.
  • Architectural flexibility. As an example, the ready availability of synchronous (Galera) versus asynchronous replication schemes without being locked into one of the other by enormous technical complexity or punitive licensing, allows the customer to find what really works best for their needs.
Read full review
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
  • The stability it offers, its speed of response and its resource management is excellent even in complex database environments and with low-resource machines.
  • The large amount of resources it has in addition to the many own and third-party tools that are compatible that make productivity greatly increase.
  • The adaptability in various environments, whether distributed or not, [is a] complete set of configuration options which allows to greatly customize the work configuration according to the needs that are required.
  • The excellent handling of referential and transactional integrity, its internal security scheme, the ease with which we can create backups are some of the strengths that can be mentioned.
Read full review
Cons
MariaDB
  • Driver Support - Some third party applications use database drivers that cause unexplained slowness with MariaDB. This can be worked around by using the MySQL drivers, but it's not clear what causes the problem in the first place.
  • Support - While online communities are helpful in diagnosing problems, there isn't as much professional documentation/support available for MariaDB as some of the other major database options.
  • Data Visualization - It would be helpful if there were more built in options for analyzing statistics and generating reports.
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PostgreSQL Global Development Group
  • The query syntax for JSON fields is unwieldy when you start getting into complex queries with many joins.
  • I wish there was a distinction (a flag) you could set for automated scripts vs working in the psql CLI, which would provide an 'Are you sure you want to do X?' type prompt if your query is likely to affect more than a certain number of rows. Especially on updates/deletes. Setting the flag in the headless(scripted) flow would disable the prompt.
  • Better documentation around JSON and Array aggregation, with more examples of how the data is transformed.
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Likelihood to Renew
MariaDB
No answers on this topic
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
As a needed software for day to day development activities
Read full review
Usability
MariaDB
MariaDB is very usable and stable to be used in production settings as an alternative to MySQL. The shortcomings of SQL are present but well understood in the community, and if the decision were to be made again, I would choose MariaDB over MySQL on future projects.
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PostgreSQL Global Development Group
Postgresql is the best tool out there for relational data so I have to give it a high rating when it comes to analytics, data availability and consistency, so on and so forth. SQL is also a relatively consistent language so when it comes to building new tables and loading data in from the OLTP database, there are enough tools where we can perform ETL on a scalable basis.
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Reliability and Availability
MariaDB
No answers on this topic
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
PostgreSQL's availability is top notch. Apart from connection time-out for an idle user, the database is super reliable.
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Performance
MariaDB
No answers on this topic
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
The data queries are relatively quick for a small to medium sized table. With complex joins, and a wide and deep table however, the performance of the query has room for improvement.
Read full review
Support Rating
MariaDB
We have launched several inquiries to MariaDB support and they have always responded very quickly and have not been tutoring for the duration of the incident/problem.
Likewise, they want to hold constant meetings with the client to get their opinion as well as how they can help.
I see a very human support and concerned about the customer.
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PostgreSQL Global Development Group
There are several companies that you can contract for technical support, like EnterpriseDB or Percona, both first level in expertise and commitment to the software.
But we do not have contracts with them, we have done all the way from googling to forums, and never have a problem that we cannot resolve or pass around. And for dozens of projects and more than 15 years now.
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Online Training
MariaDB
No answers on this topic
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
The online training is request based. Had there been recorded videos available online for potential users to benefit from, I could have rated it higher. The online documentation however is very helpful. The online documentation PDF is downloadable and allows users to pace their own learning. With examples and code snippets, the documentation is great starting point.
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Implementation Rating
MariaDB
No answers on this topic
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
The online documentation of the PostgreSQL product is elaborate and takes users step by step.
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Alternatives Considered
MariaDB
MariaDB stacks up the the competition just fine. Due to is ture open source nature we do not have to worry about licencing and spending money on nothing. Moreover, MariaDB does everything that we need to get done. We can run data that is a million rows or many smaller projects on the same environment with little overhead. One of the best features that MariaDB has is the ability of backup or dump data to standard text sql statements. That was one of the reasons why we choose MariaDb because it makes backups or transferring data a snap
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PostgreSQL Global Development Group
Postgres stacks up just [fine] along the other big players in the RDBMS world. It's very popular for a reason. It's very close to MySQL in terms of cost and features - I'd pick either solution and be just as happy. Compared to Oracle it is a MUCH cheaper solution that is just as usable.
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Scalability
MariaDB
No answers on this topic
PostgreSQL Global Development Group
The DB is reliable, scalable, easy to use and resolves most DB needs
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Return on Investment
MariaDB
  • Low CAPEX if you have a team that use open source software day by day
  • Medium OPEX if you have a team that use open source software day by day
  • Perfect to use in academic ambient to support researchers and students
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PostgreSQL Global Development Group
  • The user-role system has saved us tons of time and thus money. As I mentioned in the "Use Case" section, Postgres is not only used by engineering but also finance to measure how much to charge customers and customer support to debug customer issues. Sure, it's not easy for non-technical employees to psql in and view raw tables, but it has saved engineering hundreds of man-hours that would have had to be spent on building equivalent tools to serve finance or customer support.
  • It provides incredibly trustworthy storage for wherever customer data dumped in. In our 6 years of Postgres existence, we have not lost a byte of customer data due to Postgres messing up a transaction or during the multiple times the hard-drives failed (thanks to ACID compliance!).
  • This is less significant, but Postgres is also quite easy to manage (unless you are going above and beyond to squeeze out every last bit of performance). There's not much to configure, and the out of the box settings are quite sane. That has saved us engineers lots of time that would have gone into Postgres administration.
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