Best Relational Databases in 2026
Updated
In short: MySQL is ranked #1 of 31 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of SQLite and InterSystems IRIS. The best-ranked option with a free plan is SQLite. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Google Cloud SQL at $0.04/mo.
Relational databases give applications a structured way to store and work with data. Compare deployment model and managed-service availability to understand how each option fits your operations, then consider backup retention, high availability and read replicas when planning for continuity. Maximum connections and JSON data support add details relevant to workload and data shape. MySQL, SQLite and InterSystems IRIS illustrate the range of names among these entries. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing let you weigh costs alongside the listed technical and operational details.
31 relational databases ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
31ranked
11free plans on this page
$0.04/molowest paid tier
5 Oct 2026last checked
Input list Relational Databases 25 channels on this page · 133 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromDeployment modelManaged serviceHigh availabilityRead replicasBackup retentionJSON data support Spec sheet Score
01 MySQL Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.8
02 SQLite Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged serviceNoHigh availabilitynot statedRead replicasnot statedBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 4/8spec lines stated 7.7
03 InterSystems IRIS Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasnot statedBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 5/8spec lines stated 7.6
04 Neon Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retention7 daysJSON data supportYes 7/8spec lines stated 7.2
05 Aiven for PostgreSQL Free planYesPaid from$5/moDeployment modelcloudManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 7/8spec lines stated 7.1
06 Amazon RDS Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 7.0
07 Firebird Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged servicenot statedHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportNo 5/8spec lines stated 7.0
08 Google Cloud SQL Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retention7 daysJSON data supportnot stated 6/8spec lines stated 7.0
09 H2 Database Engine Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged servicenot statedHigh availabilityYesRead replicasnot statedBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 4/8spec lines stated 7.0
10 MariaDB Server Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged servicenot statedHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 5/8spec lines stated 7.0
11 Crunchy Bridge Free planNoPaid from$9/moDeployment modelcloudManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retention10 daysJSON data supportYes 8/8spec lines stated 6.8
12 PostgreSQL Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged serviceNoHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.8
13 RaimaDB Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged serviceNoHigh availabilityYesRead replicasnot statedBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 5/8spec lines stated 6.5
14 EDB Postgres AI Hybrid Manager Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasnot statedBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportnot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.4
15 Microsoft SQL Server Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged serviceNoHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.4
16 Oracle Autonomous AI Database Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasnot statedBackup retention60 daysJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.3
17 Oracle Database Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.2
18 Render Free planYesPaid from$25/moDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedHigh availabilitynot statedRead replicasnot statedBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportnot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.2
19 rqlite Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged serviceNoHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.1
20 SAP Customer Data Platform Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 6.1
21 Teradata Database Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedHigh availabilitynot statedRead replicasnot statedBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportnot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.1
22 CUBRID Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged serviceNoHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 6/8spec lines stated 5.9
23 Actian Zen Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelbothManaged servicenot statedHigh availabilityYesRead replicasnot statedBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportnot stated 3/8spec lines stated 5.8
24 DigitalOcean Managed Databases Free planNoPaid from$15.15/moDeployment modelcloudManaged serviceYesHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retention7 daysJSON data supportYes 8/8spec lines stated 5.8
25 HSQLDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged servicenot statedHigh availabilityYesRead replicasYesBackup retentionnot statedJSON data supportYes 5/8spec lines stated 5.8
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | Managed service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MySQL | 7.8 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | both | Yes |
| 2 | SQLite | 7.7 | Free plan | $12.50/mo | Yes | — | self_hosted | No |
| 3 | InterSystems IRIS | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | No | — | both | Yes |
| 4 | Neon | 7.2 | Free plan | $0.11/mo | Yes | — | cloud | Yes |
| 5 | Aiven for PostgreSQL | 7.1 | Free plan | $5/mo | Yes | 5 /mo | cloud | Yes |
| 6 | Amazon RDS | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | No | — | both | Yes |
| 7 | Firebird | 7.0 | Free plan | €199/mo | Yes | — | self_hosted | — |
| 8 | Google Cloud SQL | 7.0 | No | $0.04/mo | No | — | cloud | Yes |
| 9 | H2 Database Engine | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | both | — |
| 10 | MariaDB Server | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | — |
| 11 | Crunchy Bridge | 6.8 | No | $9/mo | No | 9 /mo | cloud | Yes |
| 12 | PostgreSQL | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | No |
| 13 | RaimaDB | 6.5 | No | — | No | — | both | No |
| 14 | EDB Postgres AI Hybrid Manager | 6.4 | No | — | No | — | both | Yes |
| 15 | Microsoft SQL Server | 6.4 | No | — | Yes | — | both | No |
| 16 | Oracle Autonomous AI Database | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | both | Yes |
| 17 | Oracle Database | 6.2 | No | — | Yes | — | both | Yes |
| 18 | Render | 6.2 | No | $25/mo | Yes | 25 /mo | — | — |
| 19 | rqlite | 6.1 | No | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | No |
| 20 | SAP Customer Data Platform | 6.1 | No | — | Yes | — | cloud | Yes |
| 21 | Teradata Database | 6.1 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 22 | CUBRID | 5.9 | No | — | Yes | — | self_hosted | No |
| 23 | Actian Zen | 5.8 | No | — | No | — | both | — |
| 24 | DigitalOcean Managed Databases | 5.8 | No | $15.15/mo | No | 15.15 /mo | cloud | Yes |
| 25 | HSQLDB | 5.8 | No | $8.33/mo | Yes | — | self_hosted | — |
Is your tool on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which relational database is ranked first on Specifiction?
MySQL is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 7.8. SQLite is second and InterSystems IRIS third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 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 SQL has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.04/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.
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