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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    MariaDB Platform

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/AMariaDB 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

    Microsoft SQL Server

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft SQL Server is a relational database.

    $1,418

    Per License

    Pricing
    MariaDB PlatformMicrosoft SQL Server
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Subscription
    $1,418.00
    Per License
    Enterprise
    $13,748.00
    Per License
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    MariaDB PlatformMicrosoft SQL Server
    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 PlatformMicrosoft SQL Server
    Considered Both Products
    MariaDB
    Chose MariaDB Platform
    MariaDB is perhaps the best open source database server available, combining a wide range of supported platforms, MySQL compatibility, a low footprint, and reasonably high performance. If you have cost constraints, or limited server resources, I recommend MariaDB, particularly …
    Incentivized
    Chose MariaDB Platform
    MS SQL Server is like a BlackBox in many cases. Honestly we did not need advanced functionality that SQL server offers, just a plain DBMS. MariaDB is easier to manage, cross operating system, "lighter" with better performances than SQL server. We went with MariaDB Platform even …
    Incentivized
    Chose MariaDB Platform
    We tried Percona also, but we sometimes having trouble with it and on some cases it having lesser performance than MariaDB.
    MySQL is the the facto standard, we use this only in scenario that it cannot be replaced by MariaDB.
    MSSQL is used only if the client ask for Windows …
    Incentivized
    Chose MariaDB Platform
    MariaDB is very similar to MySQL, but MariaDB has more alternative database engines and ideas for the future where MySQL is offers the stable and more mature version (if not stale).

    Incentivized
    Chose MariaDB Platform
    MariaDB is the clear winner compared to any other database I've used. Reliable, scale-able, affordable--you name the consideration and MariaDB is the winner.
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Chose MariaDB Platform
    Thanks to MySQL compatibility, everything you've learned while using it can be utilized when using MariaDB. Therefore it's a better choice than MongoDB and MSSQL if you're looking to switch away from MySQL. MariaDB is also a very mature and stable product, unlike MongoDB that …
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Chose MariaDB Platform
    MariaDB costs much less than SQL Server to acquire and maintain. In comparison to Cassandra, it gives us operational use and helps in Agile development.
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    MS SQL Server is easier to use compared to other RDBMS which really speeds up development time and relatively easier to find a problem when it happens as well. It's also pretty quick to run a query, especially in a large table make it pretty convenient if we need to monitor the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    Microsoft is more appropriate for the requirements of this particular organisation due to its ability to handle structured data efficiently and the fact that it is already widely used.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    53 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    45 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    53 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    39 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    45 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    MariaDB PlatformMicrosoft SQL Server
    Small Businesses
    SQLite
    Score8 out of 10
    Amazon RDS
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    PostgreSQL
    Score8.8 out of 10
    SingleStore
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    SQLite
    Score8 out of 10
    SAP IQ
    Score5.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    MariaDB PlatformMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (30 ratings)
    7.9
    (107 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    7.6
    (17 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.7
    (16 ratings)
    7.9
    (26 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    MariaDB PlatformMicrosoft SQL Server
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft SQL is ubiquitous, while MySQL runs under the hood all over the place. Microsoft SQL is the platform taught in colleges and certification courses and is the one most likely to be used by businesses because it is backed by Microsoft. Its interface is friendly (well, as pleasant as SQL can be) and has been used by so many for so long that resources are freely available if you encounter any issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Easy to configure and use with Visual Studio and Dot Net
    • Easy integration with MSBI to perform data analysis
    • Data Security
    • Easy to understand and use
    • Very easy to export database and tables in the form of SQL query or a script
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise edition has a high cost but is the only edition which supports SQL Always On Availability Groups. It would be nice to include this feature in the Standard version.
    • Licensing of Microsoft SQL Server is a quite complex matter, it would be good to simplify licensing in the future. For example, per core vs per user CAL licensing, as well as complex licensing scenarios in the Cloud and on Edge locations.
    • It would be good to include native tools for converting Oracle, DB2, Postgresql and MySQL/MariaDB databases (schema and data) for import into Microsoft SQL Server.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    MariaDB
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    We understand that the Microsoft SQL Server will continue to advance, offering the same robust and reliable platform while adding new features that enable us, as a software center, to create a superior product. That provides excellent performance while reducing the hardware requirements and the total cost of ownership of our solution.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    SQL Server mostly 'just works' or generates error messages to help you sort out the trouble. You can usually count on the product to get the job done and keep an eye on your potential mistakes. Interaction with other Microsoft products makes operating as a Windows user pretty straight forward. Digging through the multitude of dialogs and wizards can be a pain, but the answer is usually there somewhere.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    MariaDB
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Its does not have outages.
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    MariaDB
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SSAS data cubes may some time slow down your Excel reports.
    Incentivized
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    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    We managed to handle most of our problems by looking into Microsoft's official documentation that has everything explained and almost every function has an example that illustrates in detail how a particular functionality works. Just like PowerShell has the ability to show you an example of how some cmdlet works, that is the case also here, and in my opinion, it is a very good practice and I like it.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    MariaDB
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    It was good
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    MariaDB
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    very hands on and detailed training
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    MariaDB
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Other than SQL taking quite a bit of time to actually install there are no problems with installation. Even on hardware that has good performance SQL can still take close to an hour to install a typical server with management and reporting services.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    [Microsoft] SQL Server has a much better community and professional support and is overall just a more reliable system with Microsoft behind it. I've used MySQL in the past and SQL Server has just become more comfortable for me and is my go to RDBMS.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    MariaDB
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SQL server does handle growing demands of a mid sized company.
    Incentivized
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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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Increased accuracy - We went from multiple users having different versions of an Excel spreadsheet to a single source of truth for our reporting.
    • Increased Efficiency - We can now generate reports at any time from a single source rather than multiple users spending their time collating data and generating reports.
    • Improved Security - Enterprise level security on a dedicated server rather than financial files on multiple laptop hard drives.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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