Best Database Software in 2026
Updated
In short: MySQL is ranked #1 of 74 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Azure SQL Database and Amazon DynamoDB. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Azure SQL Database. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Google Cloud Bigtable at $0.03/mo.
A database choice shapes how data is organized, deployed, and operated. Compare database model and deployment options with SQL support, replication support, and vector search to see which capabilities align with your workload. Included storage adds a capacity consideration, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing help frame cost. MySQL, Amazon DynamoDB, and SQLite are among the options to examine. Consider the query patterns and operational choices your project requires, then use the same listed criteria to weigh alternatives without relying on any one feature alone.
74 database software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
74ranked
20free plans on this page
$0.03/molowest paid tier
4 Oct 2026last checked
Input list Database Software 25 channels on this page · 41 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromDatabase modelDeployment optionsSQL supportIncluded storageVector searchReplication support Spec sheet Score
01 MySQL Free planYesPaid fromFreeDatabase modelSQL and NoSQLDeployment optionsOver 20 platforms and operating systems including Linux, Unix, Mac and Windows.SQL supportYesIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 9.3
02 Azure SQL Database Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 9.1
03 Amazon DynamoDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 9.1
04 SQLite Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.9
05 Firestore Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchYesReplication supportnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 8.6
06 MarkLogic Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportYesIncluded storagenot statedVector searchYesReplication supportnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 8.5
07 InfluxDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportYesIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 8.5
08 Amazon RDS Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.3
09 PostgreSQL Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.2
10 Google Cloud SQL Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.2
11 MariaDB Server Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.2
12 CockroachDB Cloud Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.2
13 Teradata VantageCloud Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.2
14 InterSystems IRIS Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.2
15 Exasol Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.2
16 Apache Cassandra Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 0/8spec lines stated 8.1
17 TiDB Cloud Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 8.1
18 Neo4j Free planYesPaid from$65/moDatabase modelProperty graph data modelDeployment optionsself-hosted, hybrid, multi-cloud, or fully managed cloud serviceSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchYesReplication supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 8.0
19 RavenDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchYesReplication supportnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 8.0
20 Google Cloud Spanner Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.9
21 Google Cloud Bigtable Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.9
22 Microsoft SQL Server Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.8
23 SingleStore Helios Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.8
24 Apache Druid Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelnot statedDeployment optionsnot statedSQL supportnot statedIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 0/8spec lines stated 7.8
25 Oracle Database Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDatabase modelconverged engineDeployment optionsLeading clouds, hybrid environments, or on premisesSQL supportYesIncluded storagenot statedVector searchnot statedReplication supportnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 7.7
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Database model | Deployment options |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MySQL | 9.3 | Free plan | — | Yes | Free | SQL and NoSQL | Over 20 platforms and operating systems including Linux, Unix, Mac and Windows. |
| 2 | Azure SQL Database | 9.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | Amazon DynamoDB | 9.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | SQLite | 8.9 | Free plan | $12.50/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | Firestore | 8.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | MarkLogic | 8.5 | Free plan | Free | No | — | — | — |
| 7 | InfluxDB | 8.5 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 8 | Amazon RDS | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | No | — | — | — |
| 9 | PostgreSQL | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 10 | Google Cloud SQL | 8.2 | No | $0.04/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 11 | MariaDB Server | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 12 | CockroachDB Cloud | 8.2 | Free plan | $0.06/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 13 | Teradata VantageCloud | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 14 | InterSystems IRIS | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | No | — | — | — |
| 15 | Exasol | 8.2 | Free plan | $3.30/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | Apache Cassandra | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | TiDB Cloud | 8.1 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 18 | Neo4j | 8.0 | Free plan | $65/mo | Yes | $65/mo | Property graph data model | self-hosted, hybrid, multi-cloud, or fully managed cloud service |
| 19 | RavenDB | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 20 | Google Cloud Spanner | 7.9 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 21 | Google Cloud Bigtable | 7.9 | No | $0.03/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 22 | Microsoft SQL Server | 7.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 23 | SingleStore Helios | 7.8 | Free plan | $0.99/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | Apache Druid | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Oracle Database | 7.7 | No | — | Yes | — | converged engine | Leading clouds, hybrid environments, or on premises |
Is your tool on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which database software is ranked first on Specifiction?
MySQL is ranked #1 of 74 with a score of 9.3. Azure SQL Database is second and Amazon DynamoDB third.
How many of these have a free plan?
20 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Google Cloud Bigtable has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.03/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing. Paid placements never change a rank.
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