PostgreSQL offers superior advanced features like JSON support, full-text search, and window functions, while MySQL excels in simplicity, speed for read-heavy workloads, and widespread hosting support. PostgreSQL is ACID-compliant by default; MySQL requires InnoDB engine configuration.
MySQL vs PostgreSQL — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Open-source relational database focusing on speed and ease of deployment.
Advanced open-source database with enterprise-grade features and SQL standards compliance.
ACID Compliance. JSON Data Type Support. Window Functions. Common Table Expressions (CTEs). Full-Text Search Capabilities. Read Query Performance (simple). Hosting Availability
Choose PostgreSQL if you need advanced analytics, complex queries, strict data integrity, or JSON handling—it's the better choice for enterprise applications and data warehouses. Choose MySQL if you prioritize simplicity, require maximum hosting compatibility, or are building read-heavy web applications with straightforward schemas where its 15-20% speed advantage matters.
MySQL: Partial (InnoDB only) | PostgreSQL: Complete (all operations)
MySQL: ~28,000 (MySQL 8.4) | PostgreSQL: ~25,000 (PostgreSQL 18)
MySQL: ~450 (5-table join) | PostgreSQL: ~320 (5-table join)
MySQL: JSON functions only | PostgreSQL: JSONB with full indexing
MySQL: ~80 (minimal config) | PostgreSQL: ~150 (minimal config)
MySQL: Via third-party extensions | PostgreSQL: Native pgvector
MySQL: Limited, basic support | PostgreSQL: Comprehensive native support
MySQL: Standard table partitioning | PostgreSQL: TimescaleDB extension native
MySQL: $13.50 (MySQL 8.4) | PostgreSQL: $15.25 (PostgreSQL 18)
MySQL: 5 (8.0-8.4 active) | PostgreSQL: 5 (14-18 active)
MySQL: 5-50 (binary log) | PostgreSQL: 10-100 (WAL)
MySQL: Oracle, multiple vendors | PostgreSQL: EDB, multiple vendors
MySQL: 151 (default, configurable) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 140 TB per table | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: Yes - TCP/IP protocol | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: Yes - master-slave, group replication | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 5-50 ms (indexed queries) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: Full ACID across multiple tables (since v5.7) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: Manual sharding (theoretical unlimited) | PostgreSQL: Manual sharding required
MySQL: Fixed schema, requires migration for changes | PostgreSQL: Rigid, requires ALTER TABLE migrations
MySQL: 3-5ms for simple queries | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 8-12GB working set | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 25+ years (MySQL 1.0 released 1995) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 10,000-50,000 ops/sec | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 46% of web applications (Stack Overflow 2024) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 240-480 minutes | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: $50-200 (self-hosted) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: Manual configuration required | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: Third-party tools only | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: $0 (open-source) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 64TB (hardware dependent) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: Unlimited (with sharding complexity) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: User-dependent (no guarantee) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 5+ (on-prem, cloud, edge, containers, hybrid) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 2.8s (MySQL 8.0) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 4.2s (MySQL 8.0) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 2 (InnoDB, MyISAM) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: $2,500-$50,000 (Oracle) | PostgreSQL: N/A
MySQL: 100ms (baseline) | PostgreSQL: 115-120ms
Complex Analytical Query Speed (with JOINs + aggregations)
MySQL: 850ms (without window functions) | PostgreSQL: 320ms (with window functions)
MySQL: No (conditional) | PostgreSQL: Yes (default)
Annual Enterprise Support Cost (per server)
MySQL: 64MB (practical limit) | PostgreSQL: 1GB+ (JSONB)
MySQL: 1-2 (English mainly) | PostgreSQL: 15+ languages
MySQL: 99% of providers | PostgreSQL: 85% of providers
MySQL: No (until 8.0) | PostgreSQL: Yes (since 8.4)
MySQL: 45ms (MySQL) | PostgreSQL: 52ms (PostgreSQL)
Complex Analytical Query Speed (Aggregate + Join)
MySQL: 1,200ms (MySQL) | PostgreSQL: 850ms (PostgreSQL)
MySQL: Yes, since 5.7 (basic operations only) | PostgreSQL: Yes, comprehensive with operators and indexing
MySQL: Basic (limited language support, no stemming) | PostgreSQL: Native with ranking, stemming, 15+ languages
MySQL: Since 8.0 (limited implementation) | PostgreSQL: Full support with 20+ window functions
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 35,000 writes/sec
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 1 (single instance)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Manual, typically 5-15 minutes
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0 (open-source)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0 (infrastructure cost only)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 15,000-25,000 docs/sec
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Full multi-statement ACID
Query Language Complexity (learning curve)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 1-2 months (SQL standardized, widely taught)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Free open-source; commercial support available
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 20+ (B-tree, hash, BRIN, GiST, partial indexes)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: ~10,000 (single node)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Full compliance, all operations
Storage Overhead (vs Equivalent Relational)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 1x baseline (normalized)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: No (requires partitioning/third-party)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Full SQL with unlimited JOIN depth and CTEs
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Required (schema-on-write)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 2-4 hours (widely supported, simpler setup)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 120-1440 minutes (self-hosted)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: $20-50 (cloud VM minimum)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 0 (requires third-party)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Not native - requires extensions
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (petabyte+ capable)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Not included - manual setup required
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Zero - 100% portable SQL
Supported Concurrent Connections (Free Tier)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (depends on installation)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: $0 (self-hosted only)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 240-1440 minutes (4-24 hours)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (self-hosted)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (hardware dependent)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Manual or third-party tools required
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Customizable via WAL archiving
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: $50-200+ (self-hosted infrastructure) or $100-500 (managed provider)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Manual; requires 5-60 minutes intervention
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Unlimited (hardware-dependent)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: Trivial (native format, zero lock-in)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 500+ (all available from PostgreSQL ecosystem)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 0 seconds (always running)
MySQL: N/A | PostgreSQL: 10,000,000+ deployments globally
How to choose between MySQL and PostgreSQL
MySQL vs PostgreSQL — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for MySQL vs PostgreSQL. Contains 114 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
MySQL vs PostgreSQL — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for MySQL vs PostgreSQL.
Which should I choose for a new project in 2026?
Choose PostgreSQL if your project involves analytics, complex queries, JSON handling, or strict data integrity needs. Choose MySQL if you're building a simple web application, prioritize hosting availability, need maximum read speed, or are migrating existing MySQL code. PostgreSQL's feature gap advantage now outweighs MySQL's historical speed advantage for most new projects.
Which database is faster—MySQL or PostgreSQL?
MySQL is 15-20% faster on simple SELECT queries due to optimized read paths. However, PostgreSQL is 60-65% faster on complex analytical queries with JOINs, aggregations, and window functions. For read-heavy workloads with simple schemas, MySQL wins; for data warehousing and analytics, PostgreSQL dominates.
No. MySQL's default storage engine (as of 5.7+) is InnoDB, which is ACID-compliant, but the older MyISAM engine is not. PostgreSQL guarantees ACID compliance on all transactions by default without requiring engine selection, making it safer for critical financial and banking applications.
Both support JSON, but PostgreSQL's JSONB (binary JSON) is vastly superior. JSONB allows indexing, query operators (->), and sub-millisecond performance on large documents. MySQL's JSON support is basic—storing JSON as text without native indexing capability, resulting in slower queries on large datasets.
Why does MySQL appear on more hosting providers?
MySQL has been the default database for web hosting since the 1990s due to its simplicity and lower resource requirements. PostgreSQL requires more configuration expertise and memory (2-3x more baseline RAM). Many legacy shared hosting providers still don't support PostgreSQL, though adoption is growing (currently 85% of providers offer it).
How to Choose Between MySQL and PostgreSQL
ACID Compliance: MySQL has Conditional (requires InnoDB), while PostgreSQL has Full ACID by default.
JSON Data Type Support: MySQL has Limited native support (5.7+), while PostgreSQL has Full native JSONB with indexing.
Window Functions: MySQL has Not supported, while PostgreSQL has Fully supported (8.0+).
Consider: Common Table Expressions (CTEs)
Common Table Expressions (CTEs): MySQL has Not supported, while PostgreSQL has Supported with recursion.
Full-Text Search Capabilities: MySQL has Basic (MyISAM/InnoDB), while PostgreSQL has Advanced with multiple languages.
Consider: Read Query Performance (simple)
Read Query Performance (simple): MySQL has 15-20% faster, while PostgreSQL has Slightly slower baseline.
Hosting Availability: MySQL has 99% of shared hosting providers, while PostgreSQL has 85% of shared hosting providers.