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Microsoft 365 vs. Microsoft Access vs. Microsoft SQL Server

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft 365

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is a Microsoft Cloud subscription service that includes Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access). The software can be installed across multiple devices and ensures that users always have the most up-to-date version of the included Office applications.

    $5

    Per User Per Month

    Microsoft Access

    Score7.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Access is a database management system from Microsoft that combines the relational Microsoft Jet Database Engine with a graphical user interface and software-development tools.

    $139.99

    per PC

    Microsoft SQL Server

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

    $1,418

    Per License

    Pricing
    Microsoft 365Microsoft AccessMicrosoft SQL Server
    Editions & Modules
    Business Basic
    $5.00
    Per User Per Month
    Individual
    $5.84
    *Per Month
    Business - Apps
    $8.25
    Per User Per Month
    Enterprise - F3
    $10.00
    Per User Per Month
    Business Standard
    $12.50
    Per User Per Month
    Business Premium
    $20.00
    Per User Per Month
    Enterprise - E3
    $32.00
    Per User Per Month
    Enterprise - E5
    $57.00
    Per User Per Month
    Microsoft Access
    $139.99
    per PC
    Subscription
    $1,418.00
    Per License
    Enterprise
    $13,748.00
    Per License
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft 365Microsoft AccessMicrosoft SQL Server
    Free Trial
    NoNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details*When billed annually.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft 365Microsoft AccessMicrosoft SQL Server
    Considered Multiple Products
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft 365
    LibreOffice is great for single-users or freelancers, but for organizations Microsoft 365 provide all the components that may be required in a single and unified product.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft 365
    No
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft 365
    I have used Gmail in the past. As far as the email goes, it is very similar, and you even get lots of additional tools; however, the integration with Active Directory is missing. And obviously you have to pay separately for your office license. As far as the actual email …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft 365
    Microsoft 365 is a complete package. If your work is business more than creative than it 100% suits your needs. The pieces it offers, the desk top apps available on demand, and the integrations are far reaching and hard to match with other products. It's clear they've been used …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft 365
    NA
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft 365
    I won't disparage OpenOffice or G Suite - I think both are good applications. However, from an ease-of-use and functionality perspective, I still prefer MS Office 365. There's a reason people keep paying for it the world over even when free options are available. It's just …
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Not applicable
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    I haven't really used another database product other than Microsoft Access since the mid-90s. I don't even remember which program I did use, but needless to say, it did not have as much functionality nor was it as user friendly as databases today. So I really can't say how …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Visual FoxPro is a discontinued software, and no longer has support. Also, very few people still use it, or ever know how to use it. Excel is very popular, but [Microsoft] Access can do things like data joins much easier and faster
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Although SQL is a full-blown platform for heavy database management, Microsoft Access serves the purpose perfectly for small and mid-scale enterprises. It is also perfect for people just getting started with database management. The graphical user interface is a major plus …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Microsoft Access is better for large files and backlogs than Excel because it can handle the workload. Excel is great as well, but filtering and searching is limited, and it can crash rather easily. You don't see those problems with Access.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Unlike enterprise-level databases, MS Access doesn't require setting up a complex server environment with user security schemes. It's an excellent tool for small scale databases where purchasing and setting up a product like MS SQL Server could be an overkill. Unlike …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Microsoft Access is a bit dated compared to other database tools. It is slower, not able to handle quantities of data that are as large as the other tools, and a bit more finicky. However, it is sometimes the preferred tool for some clients. It also has a lower barrier to entry …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    MS Access is the little brother to all these products. In no way is it as feature-rich as the competition I have selected. It is, however, great when used properly. It does not have the same level of security, availability, access, or recoverability as anything listed above. …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    I do not have experience with any other database having capabilities and cost similar to Access.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    This product is a great way to help starters with database building and query building. It allows for the understanding of how the inner workings of a database go and its processes from the back side at an elementary basis. This does sacrifice the power that this product can do …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    The cost of Microsoft Access as a database was much less cost prohibitive than say other types of databases. Although not as robust as other databases (Oracle's suites such as Essbase), the cost, the time, the training and data integrity is fine for our line of business within …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Microsoft Access is a good data management tool. and it excels in that area, which is what we needed the most. It was simple to use and easy to learn. Database management can be done with multiple users in Access. And we can have reports for data summaries, or for any specific …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    Access is more robust than Excel in terms of data-centricity and robustness. It however isn't meant to support an enterprise-level use case like SQL Server is. That sweet spot in the middle (a departmental solution that requires more than Excel can offer) is the sweet spot for …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Access
    We use a variety of Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365 systems. What is great about using a common brand or vendor is that there is extreme ease in transferring information from one product to another. Also, the overall function and navigation of the systems are very similar …
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    Microsoft Access while a data tool cannot scale to number of concurrent users or the great amount of files needed to run a business. Microsoft Access can attach to sql server as a backend but the interface is still limited to less than 20 concurrent users at a time.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    You could consider i did use MySQL since i worked with some websites that were using a MySQL database. I could not give a side by side comparision since i don't use those like i use the Microsoft SQL , but so far it worked well. I prefer Microsoft SQL due to support and info …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    Microsoft SQL is slower than MySQL and Access but far more feature-rich and reliable. Access is almost obsolete nowadays, so not too many people are considering it, but unless budget or an open-source ethos is a factor, Microsoft SQL is superior in every way. Many commonly used …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    All of the platforms have their own benefit. I was not the decision maker in selecting Microsoft SQL Server, as it was already being utilized when I joined the company, 7 years ago. I can say that I feel more comfortable with utilizing this platform as opposed to the other ones.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    The free version is very powerfull and easy to install and use for small companies.
    Going to Professional and Standard, gives you all the support and the flexibility needed. It is known within the Database Administrator crew, and you can get support very easily over the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    Microsoft SQL Server is still the industry standard for the type of development we do, and the types of applications that we use. Almost every developer or analyst we hire has at least a reasonable grounding in the use of SQL servers, and it is almost universally compatible …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    SQL Server is better for large databases containing structured relational data. It makes it easy to group and order, to sum and create tables of data from any data stored in a table or related tables. While Dynamodb is very good at STORING huge amounts of unstructured data, it …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    Elasticsearch is a very good alternative to using SQL Server full-text search. It is not a relational database like SQL Server but is open-source so cost is lower. MySQL is another open-source option to look into depending on the requirements of your projects.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    SQL server is a better software because of its support by Microsoft and it's data table pop up function. Also it has pivot function that others lack.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    My experience with Microsoft SQL Server and the form to connect across multiple data connector: Flat file, CSV, Access, Oracle, MySQL, excel file, XML, JSON. Also, MS SQL has a good Reporting tool and interaction with the Web Apps like an HTTP.Requesting data. MS SQL Server is …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    I use Crystal and Microsoft SQL Server with each other. Each has a unique role that it brings to every query. Microsoft SQL Server allows me to write and refine my base query. Crystal allows me to take that query and make it more visually appealing and easier to interpret.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    SQL Server is a better choice for quick time to market solutions and for easier maintenance. Oracle Database setup and programming to support solutions has a harder learning curve and it requires more time and effort to hit the ground running.

    An organization having invested …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    Access is simply too small and the options too slim for our current needs.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    Years ago I used Oracle and Oracle Data Integrator and I hated it. It was cumbersome and archaic and I couldn't believe the product could be so popular. Given a database related task and a choice between Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server wins hands down in ease of use, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    I have used Microsoft Access, MySQL, and I have been a user of systems that run on Oracle database servers. All but Oracle are really intended for smaller scale projects and teams as they start to get slow or the performance will suffer once you start getting lots of data input …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft SQL Server
    I started working with databases many years ago with Access, which allows you to create relational database and provide an old-fashioned desktop interface. I had a look at Oracle but I never had the opportunity to get to the bottom (also because of the budget that had the …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    96%
    Would buy again
    195 Answers
    97%
    Would buy again
    29 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    53 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    179 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    29 Answers
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    45 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    98%
    Happy with the feature set
    198 Answers
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    28 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    53 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    134 Answers
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    39 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    142 Answers
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    21 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    45 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft 365Microsoft AccessMicrosoft SQL Server
    Relational Databases
    Comparison of Relational Databases features of Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL Server
    Feature
    Microsoft 365
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Access
    7.7
    3 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Microsoft SQL Server
    -
    Ratings
    ACID compliance00 Ratings7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Database monitoring00 Ratings8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Database locking00 Ratings8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Encryption00 Ratings7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Disaster recovery00 Ratings7.73 Ratings00 Ratings
    Flexible deployment00 Ratings8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple datatypes00 Ratings8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft 365Microsoft AccessMicrosoft SQL Server
    Small Businesses
    Google Workspace
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Amazon RDS
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Amazon RDS
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Google Workspace
    Score9.1 out of 10
    SingleStore
    Score8.2 out of 10
    SingleStore
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft 365 Business Premium
    Score9 out of 10
    SAP IQ
    Score5.5 out of 10
    SAP IQ
    Score5.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft 365Microsoft AccessMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.4
    (262 ratings)
    7.4
    (102 ratings)
    7.9
    (107 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.5
    (6 ratings)
    10.0
    (15 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    8.7
    (30 ratings)
    7.6
    (8 ratings)
    7.6
    (17 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (54 ratings)
    6.4
    (5 ratings)
    7.9
    (26 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft 365Microsoft AccessMicrosoft SQL Server
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    Microsoft 365 would be well suited for medium to large enterprises. This is where there are several hundreds or thousands of people. Since most everyone has used one of the applications the learning curve would be reduced. Another reason would be the ability to implement security measures to prevent access to sensitive data. This could justify the cost of an Enterprise license.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    As a Material Purchasing/Planning/inventory tracking application, Microsoft Access serves its purpose well. It's presentation is clean, data entry is simple and the ability to customize search fields is welcome. It does, however, come with some caveats; namely, when setting search filters and the need arises to back up a step or two, with Microsoft Access you have to reset, or "clear all", adding extra steps/time to a query.
    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
    Microsoft
    • Chat with teams and the integrations with the other apps, and many more smaller ones, like to-dos, news, and the recent Outlook integration.
    • Easy embedding on SharePoint to broadcast all the content created in the different tools.
    • The office package is still robust with the good things from the past and new additions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Very easy to create entity-relationship diagrams for various tables and designing mock layouts.
    • Really easy to navigate as it hold[s] the classic Microsoft UI. Another good thing is that it comes with the complete MS Office Suite.
    • It is really fast when joining multiple tables no matter what type of join.
    • Works on pretty much same SQL scripts so no need to learn a new language!
    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
    Microsoft
    • Slack is 1000x better than teams. Why put a 250 limit on a chat? Our company hasn't moved fully to channels and it's making us lose transparency. Plus, the teams channels we do have nobody is going to. 90% loss in visibility and engagement.
    • Teams for web meetings. I think the UI/UX should match Zoom which is the standard for all our customers. They don't like it when we use Teams.
    • Chats and Channels need to somehow be on one screen automatically without having to choose that view because majority of our company hasn't opened Teams Channels and only stays in chats.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Microsoft Access has not really changed at all for several years. It might be nice to see some upgrades and changes.
    • The help info is often not helpful. Need more tutorials for Microsoft Access to show how to do specific things.
    • Be careful naming objects such as tables, forms, etc. Names that are too long can get cut off in dialog boxes to choose a table, form, report, etc. So, I wish they would have resizable dialog boxes to allow you to see objects with long names.
    • I wish it could show me objects that are not in use in the database for current queries, tables, reports, forms, and macros. That way unused objects can be deleted without worrying about losing a report or query because you deleted the underlying object.
    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
    Microsoft
    There are many features of Office that we cannot replicate in any other tool. Plus people know it already. It's not going away anytime soon.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    I and the rest of my team will renew our Microsoft Access in the future because we use and maintain many different applications and databases created using Microsoft Access so we will need to maintain them in the future. Additionally, it is a standard at our place of work so it is at $0 cost to us to use. Another reason for renewing Microsoft Access is that we just don' t have the resources needed to extend into a network of users so we need to remain a single-desktop application at this time.
    Read full review
    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
    Microsoft
    Microsoft 365 is the gold standard for performing project tasks in a professional environment, enabling the quick transfer and exchange of files and ideas for team members who work locally and remotely. Its suite of tools is familiar and has evolved to being cloud based, allowing for files to be updated in real time from near and far.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Access is easy to use. It is compatible with spreadsheets. It is a very good data management tool. There is scope to save a large amount of data in one place. For using this database, one does not need much training, can be shared among multiple users. This database has to sort and filtering features which seem to be very useful.
    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
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    I don't think the program has ever failed me. It is one of those programs where there is always a solution if you know where to look.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Its does not have outages.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SSAS data cubes may some time slow down your Excel reports.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    Over the past 8 years of using Microsoft 365, I have noticed that they change vendors often. This always leads to a poor experience in the beginning, then levels out after some time for the company to get things worked out. As a customer, it is really frustrating because I don't have time when something isn't working to have them "look into my issue" and get back with me. They have even closed a ticket I specifically told them to keep open. Your applications are only as good as the support.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    While I have never contacted Microsoft directly for product support, for some reason there's a real prejudice against MS Access among most IT support professionals. They are usually discouraging when it comes to using MS Access. Most of this is due to their lack of understanding of MS Access and how it can improve one's productivity. If Microsoft invested more resources towards enhancing and promoting the use of MS Access then maybe things would be different.
    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
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    It was good
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    very hands on and detailed training
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    Everything works and I use it all the time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    there is no key idea, since it is easy to implement Microsoft Access
    Read full review
    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
    Microsoft
    Its very user-friendly, collaborative and efficient that boosts productivity using cloud tools. their security is strong and it provides data protection. There are regular updates that shields us from attackers too. It offers a wealth of learning resources, including tutorials, help articles and video guide to help users make the most of the application and personally upgrade their skills.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Excel is a fantastic - robust application that can do so much so easily. Its easy to train and understand. However - excel does not provide a reporting function and that is typically where we will suggest a move to [Microsoft] Access. [Microsoft] Access requires a little more knowledge of data manipulation.
    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
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    SQL server does handle growing demands of a mid sized company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • We have a lot of nonprofit users, so they have a good ROI.
    • I like the constant updates without having to purchase the software repeatedly.
    • I used to purchase each Office (insert year here) often, so the software was up to date and had the newest options and connectors. I think my return on investment would have been much better if Microsoft had updated those versions to keep them current; after all, we did pay for them.
    • Microsoft 365's offering a monthly fee or a discount for a year helps, and you can look at it as a free backup if you have everything set to back up to One Drive. (Cloud-based document filing you can access anywhere ( with an internet connection)—you Can't beat that!)
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Not having to recreate queries or reports every time you want to use them.
    • Once an item is created and saved as part of the database, you save manpower by not having to recreate them.
    • ROI from a usability standpoint is great. Solid product with great functionality that requires low maintenance usually.
    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
    ScreenShots