For most enterprises, PostgreSQL and Oracle Database lead the market. PostgreSQL suits organisations prioritising open-source flexibility and cost efficiency, whilst Oracle Database serves large enterprises with mission-critical workloads and comprehensive support requirements. MySQL remains ideal for web applications and startups.
RANKENTRYSCORETRENDFROM
1Oracle DatabaseHandles the most demanding enterprise workloads with proven reliability across Fortune 500 companies95.0NEWCustom 2PostgreSQLConsistently ranked as the most advanced open-source database with enterprise-grade reliability92.7NEWFree 3Microsoft SQL ServerSeamlessly integrates with Active Directory, Azure, and the entire Microsoft development stack90.3NEW£4,000 per 2-core licence 4MySQLPowers over 40 percent of all websites globally including WordPress, Drupal, and Magento88.0NEWFree 5MongoDBPioneered the document database model and remains the most widely adopted NoSQL database globally85.7NEWFree open-source, paid cloud from £57 per month 6Amazon RDSHandles automatic patching, backups, and failover, eliminating database infrastructure management83.3NEWFrom £0.19 per hour depending on instance type 7CassandraHandles billions of transactions per day with proven durability across multiple data centres globally81.0NEWFree open-source, managed services from £0.50 per hour 8RedisDelivers sub-millisecond latency making it the standard for high-performance caching globally78.7NEWFree open-source, managed services from £10 per month 9ElasticsearchPowers real-time search and analytics for billions of queries daily across enterprise and consumer applications76.3NEWFree open-source, managed cloud from £18 per hour 10MariaDBCreated by MySQL founder Michael Widenius and offers superior performance with identical syntax compatibility74.0NEWFree The ranking, in detail
01
Enterprise-grade relational database for mission-critical applications
Oracle Database is a comprehensive relational database management system widely used by large enterprises for complex transactional and analytical workloads. It offers advanced features including partitioning, compression, and extensive security capabilities.
From CustomBest for Large enterprises requiring maximum scalability and advanced security
95.0
02
Powerful open-source relational database with advanced features
PostgreSQL is a robust, open-source relational database known for its standards compliance, extensibility, and rich feature set. It supports JSON, full-text search, and complex data types, making it versatile for diverse applications.
From FreeBest for Web applications, startups, and organisations seeking open-source flexibility
92.7
03
Integrated relational database platform for Windows environments
Microsoft SQL Server provides a comprehensive database platform tightly integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem, offering strong analytics, reporting, and business intelligence capabilities alongside traditional transactional processing.
From £4,000 per 2-core licenceBest for Microsoft-centric enterprises and organisations using business intelligence tools
90.3
04
Reliable open-source relational database for web applications
MySQL is a lightweight, open-source relational database that has powered countless web applications and content management systems. It offers good performance for read-heavy workloads and is known for simplicity and ease of deployment.
From FreeBest for Web applications, content management systems, and rapid prototyping
88.0
05
Leading NoSQL document database for flexible schema design
MongoDB is a popular NoSQL document database that stores data in flexible JSON-like documents. It excels at handling unstructured data, rapid iteration, and horizontal scaling for applications with varying data structures.
From Free open-source, paid cloud from £57 per monthBest for Applications with flexible schemas, real-time analytics, and mobile backends
85.7
06
Managed relational database service supporting multiple engines
Amazon RDS is a managed database service that simplifies deployment, operation, and scaling of relational databases in the cloud. It supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, and SQL Server with automatic backups and failover.
From From £0.19 per hour depending on instance typeBest for Cloud-native applications and organisations wanting fully managed databases
83.3
07
Distributed NoSQL database designed for extreme scalability
Apache Cassandra is a highly distributed NoSQL database designed for massive scale, high availability, and fault tolerance across geographically distributed data centres. It excels at handling time-series data and large analytical workloads.
From Free open-source, managed services from £0.50 per hourBest for Big data analytics, time-series data, and applications requiring extreme horizontal scalability
81.0
08
In-memory data structure store for caching and real-time analytics
Redis is an open-source in-memory data structure store used primarily for caching, sessions, and real-time analytics. It offers exceptional speed for read and write operations through its memory-based architecture.
From Free open-source, managed services from £10 per monthBest for Real-time analytics, caching layers, session management, and high-frequency trading systems
78.7
09
Distributed search and analytics engine with real-time indexing
Elasticsearch is a distributed search and analytics engine built on Apache Lucene. It excels at full-text search, log analysis, and enabling real-time insights across massive datasets with minimal latency.
From Free open-source, managed cloud from £18 per hourBest for Full-text search, log and event data analysis, and application search functionality
76.3
10
Open-source relational database offering MySQL compatibility and enhancements
MariaDB is an open-source relational database that maintains MySQL compatibility whilst offering additional features, optimisations, and security enhancements. It provides a drop-in replacement for MySQL with improved performance.
From FreeBest for Organisations seeking MySQL compatibility with enhanced performance and additional features
74.0
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SQL and NoSQL databases?
SQL databases (relational) use structured schemas with tables and enforce ACID properties, suited for transactional data. NoSQL databases (document, key-value, etc.) offer flexible schemas, horizontal scalability, and eventual consistency, ideal for unstructured data and high throughput applications.
Which database should we choose for a new web application?
For most web applications, PostgreSQL or MySQL offer excellent balance of features and simplicity. MongoDB suits applications with flexible data models. For cloud-first projects, consider managed services like Amazon RDS to eliminate infrastructure management overhead.
How important is licensing cost when selecting a database?
Licensing costs vary dramatically. Open-source options like PostgreSQL and MySQL are free, whilst Oracle and SQL Server require significant per-core or per-instance licensing. Evaluate total cost of ownership including infrastructure, support, and operational overhead alongside licensing fees.