software
MySQL vs PostgreSQL 2026: Features & Performance
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
Open-source relational database focusing on speed and ease of deployment.
Web applications, content management systems, e-commerce platforms, and teams prioritizing hosting simplicity and read-heavy workloads.
Score63%
VS
PostgreSQL
Advanced open-source database with enterprise-grade features and SQL standards compliance.
Data analytics platforms, business intelligence tools, applications requiring complex queries, teams needing strict data integrity, and organizations handling semi-structured/JSON data at scale.
Score63%
Quick Answer
AI SummaryPostgreSQL 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.
Our Verdict
AI-assistedChoose 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.
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MySQL
8.4/10
PostgreSQL
6.6/10
Choose MySQL if
Best pickWeb applications, content management systems, e-commerce platforms, and teams prioritizing hosting simplicity and read-heavy workloads.
Choose PostgreSQL if
Data analytics platforms, business intelligence tools, applications requiring complex queries, teams needing strict data integrity, and organizations handling semi-structured/JSON data at scale.
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Key Differences at a Glance
- ACID Compliance:✓ PostgreSQL wins(Full ACID by default vs Conditional (requires InnoDB))
- JSON Data Type Support:✓ PostgreSQL wins(Full native JSONB with indexing vs Limited native support (5.7+))
- Window Functions:✓ PostgreSQL wins(Fully supported (8.0+) vs Not supported)
Key Facts & Figures
69 numeric metrics compared
| Metric | MySQL | PostgreSQL | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Query Throughput(queries/sec) | ~28,000 (MySQL 8.4) | ~25,000 (PostgreSQL 18) | |
| Complex Join Performance(ms response time) | ~450 (5-table join) | ~320 (5-table join) | |
| Base Memory Footprint(MB) | ~80 (minimal config) | ~150 (minimal config) | |
| AWS RDS Managed Cost($/month (db.t3.micro, single-AZ)) | $13.50 (MySQL 8.4) | $15.25 (PostgreSQL 18) | |
| Supported Versions (2026)(major versions) | 5 (8.0-8.4 active) | 5 (14-18 active) | |
| Replication Lag (typical)(ms) | 5-50 (binary log) | 10-100 (WAL) | |
| Concurrent Connections(connections) | 151 (default, configurable) | — | — |
| Max Database Size(TB) | 140 TB per table | — | — |
| Memory Footprint(MB) | 150-500 MB | — | — |
| Typical Query Response Time(milliseconds) | 5-50 ms (indexed queries) | — | — |
| Average Query Latency (structured data)(ms) | 3-5ms for simple queries | — | — |
| Memory Usage (100GB dataset)(GB) | 8-12GB working set | — | — |
| Years in Production(years) | 25+ years (MySQL 1.0 released 1995) | — | — |
| Write Throughput (single server)(operations/second) | 10,000-50,000 ops/sec | — | — |
| Community Popularity(% of developers) | 46% of web applications (Stack Overflow 2024) | — | — |
| Monthly Cost (10GB, 100K requests)(USD) | $50-200 (self-hosted) | — | — |
| Community Size (Stack Overflow Tags)(questions) | 600+ thousand | — | — |
| Read Throughput Improvement(x multiplier) | 1x baseline | — | — |
| Cost (On-Demand, Single Instance/Month)(USD) | $0 (open-source) | — | — |
| Deployment Platforms Supported(count) | 5+ (on-prem, cloud, edge, containers, hybrid) | — | — |
| Read Query Performance (SELECT 1M rows)(seconds) | 2.8s (MySQL 8.0) | — | — |
| Write Performance (INSERT 100K rows)(seconds) | 4.2s (MySQL 8.0) | — | — |
| Storage Engines Available(count) | 2 (InnoDB, MyISAM) | — | — |
| Memory Footprint (Idle instance)(MB) | 145MB | — | — |
| Enterprise Support Cost(USD/year) | $2,500-$50,000 (Oracle) | — | — |
| GitHub Community Activity(stars) | ~4,400 stars | — | — |
| Simple SELECT Query Speed(milliseconds (relative)) | 100ms (baseline) | 115-120ms | |
| Complex Analytical Query Speed (with JOINs + aggregations)(milliseconds (relative)) | 850ms (without window functions) | 320ms (with window functions) | |
| Default Memory Usage(MB) | 150MB | 300MB | |
| Annual Enterprise Support Cost (per server)(USD) | $3,500 | — | — |
| Major Release Frequency(years) | 2.0 | — | — |
| Available Storage Engines(count) | 5 | — | — |
| Maximum JSON Document Size(GB) | 64MB (practical limit) | 1GB+ (JSONB) | |
| Full-Text Search Languages Supported(count) | 1-2 (English mainly) | 15+ languages | |
| Hosting Provider Compatibility(percent) | 99% of providers | 85% of providers | |
| Simple Query Speed (1M rows, SELECT *)(milliseconds) | 45ms (MySQL) | 52ms (PostgreSQL) | |
| Complex Analytical Query Speed (Aggregate + Join)(milliseconds) | 1,200ms (MySQL) | 850ms (PostgreSQL) | |
| Minimum Memory Requirement(MB) | 50MB | 100MB | |
| Maximum Connection Limit (Default)(connections) | 151 | 100 | |
| Developer Preference (2024 Survey)(%) | 53% | 44% | |
| Single-Node Write Throughput(writes/sec) | 35,000 writes/sec | 35,000 writes/sec | |
| Minimum Cluster Size(nodes) | 1 (single instance) | 1 (single instance) | |
| PostgreSQL SQL Compatibility(percent) | 100% (native) | 100% (native) | |
| Self-Hosted Cost (Base)(USD/month) | $0 (open-source) | $0 (open-source) | |
| GitHub Stars(stars) | 3,500+ stars | 3,500+ stars | |
| Production Maturity (Years Active)(years) | 25+ years | 25+ years | |
| Monthly Base Cost (Small Instance)(USD) | $0 (infrastructure cost only) | $0 (infrastructure cost only) | |
| Write Throughput (bulk inserts)(documents/second) | 15,000-25,000 docs/sec | 15,000-25,000 docs/sec | |
| Query Language Complexity (learning curve)(months) | 1-2 months (SQL standardized, widely taught) | 1-2 months (SQL standardized, widely taught) | |
| Memory Usage (100K documents)(MB) | 150-200 MB | 150-200 MB | |
| Index Types Supported(count) | 20+ (B-tree, hash, BRIN, GiST, partial indexes) | 20+ (B-tree, hash, BRIN, GiST, partial indexes) | |
| Maximum Concurrent Connections(connections) | 1,000+ | 1,000+ | |
| Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes) | 30-60 minutes | 30-60 minutes | |
| License Cost (Annual, Small Enterprise)(USD) | $0 | $0 | |
| Max Write Throughput (Optimized)(writes/second) | ~10,000 (single node) | ~10,000 (single node) | |
| Storage Overhead (vs Equivalent Relational)(multiple) | 1x baseline (normalized) | 1x baseline (normalized) | |
| Community Size & Ecosystem(relative rank) | ~15k stars | ~15k stars | |
| Typical Setup Complexity(time to production (hours)) | 2-4 hours (widely supported, simpler setup) | 2-4 hours (widely supported, simpler setup) | |
| Time to Production(minutes) | 120-1440 minutes (self-hosted) | 120-1440 minutes (self-hosted) | |
| Minimum Monthly Cost (Production)(USD) | $20-50 (cloud VM minimum) | $20-50 (cloud VM minimum) | |
| Built-in Authentication Methods(methods) | 0 (requires third-party) | 0 (requires third-party) | |
| Maximum Database Size(items supported) | Unlimited (petabyte+ capable) | Unlimited (petabyte+ capable) | |
| Minimum Monthly Cost(USD) | $0 (open-source) | $0 (open-source) | |
| Production Tier Monthly Base Cost(USD) | $0 (self-hosted only) | $0 (self-hosted only) | |
| Time to Deploy Production Database(minutes) | 240-1440 minutes (4-24 hours) | 240-1440 minutes (4-24 hours) | |
| Monthly Cost (100 GB, moderate traffic)(USD) | $50-200+ (self-hosted infrastructure) or $100-500 (managed provider) | $50-200+ (self-hosted infrastructure) or $100-500 (managed provider) | |
| Available PostgreSQL Extensions(count) | 500+ (all available from PostgreSQL ecosystem) | 500+ (all available from PostgreSQL ecosystem) | |
| Cold Start Latency(milliseconds) | 0 seconds (always running) | 0 seconds (always running) | |
| Community Size & Support(user base estimate) | 10,000,000+ deployments globally | 10,000,000+ deployments globally |
Sourced from publicly available data ·
Key Differences
7 attributes compared head-to-head
PostgreSQL leads
MySQL
Attribute
PostgreSQL
- Conditional (requires InnoDB)ACID ComplianceFull ACID by default(winner)
- Limited native support (5.7+)JSON Data Type SupportFull native JSONB with indexing(winner)
- Not supportedWindow FunctionsFully supported (8.0+)(winner)
- Not supportedCommon Table Expressions (CTEs)Supported with recursion(winner)
- Basic (MyISAM/InnoDB)Full-Text Search CapabilitiesAdvanced with multiple languages(winner)
- 15-20% faster(winner)Read Query Performance (simple)Slightly slower baseline
- 99% of shared hosting providers(winner)Hosting Availability85% of shared hosting providers
- ACID Compliance
MySQL
Conditional (requires InnoDB)
PostgreSQL
Full ACID by default(winner)
- JSON Data Type Support
MySQL
Limited native support (5.7+)
PostgreSQL
Full native JSONB with indexing(winner)
- Window Functions
MySQL
Not supported
PostgreSQL
Fully supported (8.0+)(winner)
- Common Table Expressions (CTEs)
MySQL
Not supported
PostgreSQL
Supported with recursion(winner)
- Full-Text Search Capabilities
MySQL
Basic (MyISAM/InnoDB)
PostgreSQL
Advanced with multiple languages(winner)
- Read Query Performance (simple)
MySQL
15-20% faster(winner)
PostgreSQL
Slightly slower baseline
- Hosting Availability
MySQL
99% of shared hosting providers(winner)
PostgreSQL
85% of shared hosting providers
Full Comparison
| Attribute | MySQL | PostgreSQL |
|---|---|---|
| ACID Compliance Level | Partial (InnoDB only) | Complete (all operations) |
| Uptime SLA(percent) | User-dependent (no guarantee) | — |
| Multi-row/Document Transactions(null) | Full multi-statement ACID | — |
| Automatic Daily Backups(boolean) | Not included - manual setup required | — |
| Simple Query Throughput(queries/sec) | ~28,000 (MySQL 8.4)(winner) | ~25,000 (PostgreSQL 18) |
| Complex Join Performance(ms response time) | ~450 (5-table join) | ~320 (5-table join)(winner) |
| Replication Lag (typical)(ms) | 5-50 (binary log)(winner) | 10-100 (WAL) |
| Concurrent Connections(connections) | 151 (default, configurable) | — |
| Memory Footprint(MB) | 150-500 MB | — |
Show 18 more attributesTypical Query Response Time(milliseconds) 5-50 ms (indexed queries) — Average Query Latency (structured data)(ms) 3-5ms for simple queries — Write Throughput (single server)(operations/second) 10,000-50,000 ops/sec — Read Throughput Improvement(x multiplier) 1x baseline — Read Query Performance (SELECT 1M rows)(seconds) 2.8s (MySQL 8.0) — Write Performance (INSERT 100K rows)(seconds) 4.2s (MySQL 8.0) — Simple SELECT Query Speed(milliseconds (relative)) 100ms (baseline) 115-120ms Complex Analytical Query Speed (with JOINs + aggregations)(milliseconds (relative)) 850ms (without window functions) 320ms (with window functions) Simple Query Speed (1M rows, SELECT *)(milliseconds) 45ms (MySQL) 52ms (PostgreSQL) Complex Analytical Query Speed (Aggregate + Join)(milliseconds) 1,200ms (MySQL) 850ms (PostgreSQL) Single-Node Write Throughput(writes/sec) 35,000 writes/sec — Write Throughput (bulk inserts)(documents/second) 15,000-25,000 docs/sec — Memory Usage (100K documents)(MB) 150-200 MB — Maximum Concurrent Connections(connections) 1,000+ — Max Write Throughput (Optimized)(writes/second) ~10,000 (single node) — Maximum Database Size(items supported) Unlimited (petabyte+ capable) — Auto-scaling Response Time(seconds) Manual; requires 5-60 minutes intervention — Cold Start Latency(milliseconds) 0 seconds (always running) — | ||
| JSON Query Capability | JSON functions only | JSONB with full indexing |
| Full-Text Search | Limited, basic support | Comprehensive native support |
| Time-Series Optimization | Standard table partitioning | TimescaleDB extension native |
| Transaction Support(consistency level) | Full ACID across multiple tables (since v5.7) | — |
| Auto-Scaling Capability | Manual configuration required | — |
Show 12 more attributesStorage Engines Available(count) 2 (InnoDB, MyISAM) — Available Storage Engines(count) 5 — Full-Text Search Languages Supported(count) 1-2 (English mainly) 15+ languages Built-in JSON Support Yes, since 5.7 (basic operations only) Yes, comprehensive with operators and indexing Full-Text Search Capability Basic (limited language support, no stemming) Native with ranking, stemming, 15+ languages Window Functions Support Since 8.0 (limited implementation) Full support with 20+ window functions Index Types Supported(count) 20+ (B-tree, hash, BRIN, GiST, partial indexes) — Query Language Complexity Support(capability level) Full SQL with unlimited JOIN depth and CTEs — Built-in Authentication Methods(methods) 0 (requires third-party) — Real-time Subscriptions Support(native support) Not native - requires extensions — Database Branching Capability Not built-in — Auto-Scaling Support Manual or third-party tools required — | ||
| Base Memory Footprint(MB) | ~80 (minimal config)(winner) | ~150 (minimal config) |
| Memory Usage (100GB dataset)(GB) | 8-12GB working set | — |
| Vector Similarity Support | Via third-party extensions | Native pgvector |
| AWS RDS Managed Cost($/month (db.t3.micro, single-AZ)) | $13.50 (MySQL 8.4)(winner) | $15.25 (PostgreSQL 18) |
| Enterprise Support Cost(USD/year) | $2,500-$50,000 (Oracle) | — |
| License Cost (Annual, Small Enterprise)(USD) | $0 | — |
| Supported Versions (2026)(major versions) | 5 (8.0-8.4 active) | 5 (14-18 active) |
| Enterprise Support Availability | Oracle, multiple vendors | EDB, multiple vendors |
| Enterprise Support(null) | Free open-source; commercial support available | — |
| Max Database Size(TB) | 140 TB per table | — |
| Maximum Read Replicas(instances) | Unlimited (with sharding complexity) | — |
| Maximum Connection Limit (Default)(connections) | 151(winner) | 100 |
| Native Horizontal Scaling | No (requires partitioning/third-party) | — |
| Maximum Connections(concurrent connections) | Unlimited (hardware-dependent) | — |
| Network Access | Yes - TCP/IP protocol | — |
| Horizontal Scalability | Manual sharding (theoretical unlimited) | Manual sharding required |
| Built-in Replication | Yes - master-slave, group replication | — |
| Schema Flexibility | Fixed schema, requires migration for changes | Rigid, requires ALTER TABLE migrations |
| Years in Production(years) | 25+ years (MySQL 1.0 released 1995) | — |
| Production Maturity (Years Active)(years) | 25+ years | — |
| Community Popularity(% of developers) | 46% of web applications (Stack Overflow 2024) | — |
| Developer Preference (2024 Survey)(%) | 53%(winner) | 44% |
| Setup Time(minutes) | 240-480 minutes | — |
| Query Language Complexity (learning curve)(months) | 1-2 months (SQL standardized, widely taught) | — |
| Monthly Cost (10GB, 100K requests)(USD) | $50-200 (self-hosted) | — |
| Cost (On-Demand, Single Instance/Month)(USD) | $0 (open-source) | — |
| Annual Enterprise Support Cost (per server)(USD) | $3,500 | — |
| Self-Hosted Cost (Base)(USD/month) | $0 (open-source) | — |
| Monthly Base Cost (Small Instance)(USD) | $0 (infrastructure cost only) | — |
Show 4 more attributesMinimum Monthly Cost (Production)(USD) $20-50 (cloud VM minimum) — Minimum Monthly Cost(USD) $0 (open-source) — Production Tier Monthly Base Cost(USD) $0 (self-hosted only) — Monthly Cost (100 GB, moderate traffic)(USD) $50-200+ (self-hosted infrastructure) or $100-500 (managed provider) — | ||
| Maximum Storage per Database(TB) | Unlimited | — |
| Maximum Storage Capacity(TB) | 64TB (hardware dependent) | — |
| Database Branching Support | Third-party tools only | — |
| Community Size (Stack Overflow Tags)(questions) | 600+ thousand | — |
| Backup Automation | Manual configuration required | — |
| Minimum Cluster Size(nodes) | 1 (single instance) | — |
| Deployment Platforms Supported(count) | 5+ (on-prem, cloud, edge, containers, hybrid) | — |
| Vendor Lock-in Risk(risk level) | Zero - 100% portable SQL | — |
| Latest Stable Version (2026)(version number) | MySQL 8.4 LTS | — |
| Memory Footprint (Idle instance)(MB) | 145MB | — |
| GitHub Community Activity(stars) | ~4,400 stars | — |
| GitHub Stars(stars) | 3,500+ stars | — |
| Community Size & Ecosystem(relative rank) | ~15k stars | — |
| ACID Compliance(boolean) | Yes (InnoDB) | — |
| ACID Compliance by Default | No (conditional) | Yes (default) |
| Default Memory Usage(MB) | 150MB(winner) | 300MB |
| Minimum Memory Requirement(MB) | 50MB(winner) | 100MB |
| Major Release Frequency(years) | 2.0 | — |
| Maximum JSON Document Size(GB) | 64MB (practical limit) | 1GB+ (JSONB)(winner) |
| Hosting Provider Compatibility(percent) | 99% of providers(winner) | 85% of providers |
| Time to Production(minutes) | 120-1440 minutes (self-hosted) | — |
| Window Functions Availability | No (until 8.0) | Yes (since 8.4) |
| Multi-Region Failover Time (RTO)(seconds) | Manual, typically 5-15 minutes | — |
| PostgreSQL SQL Compatibility(percent) | 100% (native) | — |
| Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes) | 30-60 minutes | — |
| ACID Transaction Support(boolean) | Full compliance, all operations | — |
| Storage Overhead (vs Equivalent Relational)(multiple) | 1x baseline (normalized) | — |
| Schema Enforcement | Required (schema-on-write) | — |
| Typical Setup Complexity(time to production (hours)) | 2-4 hours (widely supported, simpler setup) | — |
| Supported Concurrent Connections (Free Tier)(connections) | Unlimited (depends on installation) | — |
| Maximum Storage (Base Plan)(GB) | Unlimited (hardware dependent) | — |
| Time to Deploy Production Database(minutes) | 240-1440 minutes (4-24 hours) | — |
| Supported Geographic Regions(count) | Unlimited (self-hosted) | — |
| Point-in-Time Recovery Retention(days) | Customizable via WAL archiving | — |
| Data Portability(score out of 10) | Trivial (native format, zero lock-in) | — |
| Available PostgreSQL Extensions(count) | 500+ (all available from PostgreSQL ecosystem) | — |
| Community Size & Support(user base estimate) | 10,000,000+ deployments globally | — |
MySQLPostgreSQLACID Compliance Level
Partial (InnoDB only)
Complete (all operations)
Uptime SLA(percent)
User-dependent (no guarantee)
—
Multi-row/Document Transactions(null)
Full multi-statement ACID
—
Automatic Daily Backups(boolean)
Not included - manual setup required
—
Simple Query Throughput(queries/sec)
~28,000 (MySQL 8.4)
~25,000 (PostgreSQL 18)
Complex Join Performance(ms response time)
~450 (5-table join)
~320 (5-table join)
Replication Lag (typical)(ms)
5-50 (binary log)
10-100 (WAL)
Concurrent Connections(connections)
151 (default, configurable)
—
Memory Footprint(MB)
150-500 MB
—
Show 18 more attributes
Typical Query Response Time(milliseconds)
5-50 ms (indexed queries)
—
Average Query Latency (structured data)(ms)
3-5ms for simple queries
—
Write Throughput (single server)(operations/second)
10,000-50,000 ops/sec
—
Read Throughput Improvement(x multiplier)
1x baseline
—
Read Query Performance (SELECT 1M rows)(seconds)
2.8s (MySQL 8.0)
—
Write Performance (INSERT 100K rows)(seconds)
4.2s (MySQL 8.0)
—
Simple SELECT Query Speed(milliseconds (relative))
100ms (baseline)
115-120ms
Complex Analytical Query Speed (with JOINs + aggregations)(milliseconds (relative))
850ms (without window functions)
320ms (with window functions)
Simple Query Speed (1M rows, SELECT *)(milliseconds)
45ms (MySQL)
52ms (PostgreSQL)
Complex Analytical Query Speed (Aggregate + Join)(milliseconds)
1,200ms (MySQL)
850ms (PostgreSQL)
Single-Node Write Throughput(writes/sec)
35,000 writes/sec
—
Write Throughput (bulk inserts)(documents/second)
15,000-25,000 docs/sec
—
Memory Usage (100K documents)(MB)
150-200 MB
—
Maximum Concurrent Connections(connections)
1,000+
—
Max Write Throughput (Optimized)(writes/second)
~10,000 (single node)
—
Maximum Database Size(items supported)
Unlimited (petabyte+ capable)
—
Auto-scaling Response Time(seconds)
Manual; requires 5-60 minutes intervention
—
Cold Start Latency(milliseconds)
0 seconds (always running)
—
JSON Query Capability
JSON functions only
JSONB with full indexing
Full-Text Search
Limited, basic support
Comprehensive native support
Time-Series Optimization
Standard table partitioning
TimescaleDB extension native
Transaction Support(consistency level)
Full ACID across multiple tables (since v5.7)
—
Auto-Scaling Capability
Manual configuration required
—
Show 12 more attributes
Storage Engines Available(count)
2 (InnoDB, MyISAM)
—
Available Storage Engines(count)
5
—
Full-Text Search Languages Supported(count)
1-2 (English mainly)
15+ languages
Built-in JSON Support
Yes, since 5.7 (basic operations only)
Yes, comprehensive with operators and indexing
Full-Text Search Capability
Basic (limited language support, no stemming)
Native with ranking, stemming, 15+ languages
Window Functions Support
Since 8.0 (limited implementation)
Full support with 20+ window functions
Index Types Supported(count)
20+ (B-tree, hash, BRIN, GiST, partial indexes)
—
Query Language Complexity Support(capability level)
Full SQL with unlimited JOIN depth and CTEs
—
Built-in Authentication Methods(methods)
0 (requires third-party)
—
Real-time Subscriptions Support(native support)
Not native - requires extensions
—
Database Branching Capability
Not built-in
—
Auto-Scaling Support
Manual or third-party tools required
—
Base Memory Footprint(MB)
~80 (minimal config)
~150 (minimal config)
Memory Usage (100GB dataset)(GB)
8-12GB working set
—
Vector Similarity Support
Via third-party extensions
Native pgvector
AWS RDS Managed Cost($/month (db.t3.micro, single-AZ))
$13.50 (MySQL 8.4)
$15.25 (PostgreSQL 18)
Enterprise Support Cost(USD/year)
$2,500-$50,000 (Oracle)
—
License Cost (Annual, Small Enterprise)(USD)
$0
—
Supported Versions (2026)(major versions)
5 (8.0-8.4 active)
5 (14-18 active)
Enterprise Support Availability
Oracle, multiple vendors
EDB, multiple vendors
Enterprise Support(null)
Free open-source; commercial support available
—
Max Database Size(TB)
140 TB per table
—
Maximum Read Replicas(instances)
Unlimited (with sharding complexity)
—
Maximum Connection Limit (Default)(connections)
151
100
Native Horizontal Scaling
No (requires partitioning/third-party)
—
Maximum Connections(concurrent connections)
Unlimited (hardware-dependent)
—
Network Access
Yes - TCP/IP protocol
—
Horizontal Scalability
Manual sharding (theoretical unlimited)
Manual sharding required
Built-in Replication
Yes - master-slave, group replication
—
Schema Flexibility
Fixed schema, requires migration for changes
Rigid, requires ALTER TABLE migrations
Years in Production(years)
25+ years (MySQL 1.0 released 1995)
—
Production Maturity (Years Active)(years)
25+ years
—
Community Popularity(% of developers)
46% of web applications (Stack Overflow 2024)
—
Developer Preference (2024 Survey)(%)
53%
44%
Setup Time(minutes)
240-480 minutes
—
Query Language Complexity (learning curve)(months)
1-2 months (SQL standardized, widely taught)
—
Monthly Cost (10GB, 100K requests)(USD)
$50-200 (self-hosted)
—
Cost (On-Demand, Single Instance/Month)(USD)
$0 (open-source)
—
Annual Enterprise Support Cost (per server)(USD)
$3,500
—
Self-Hosted Cost (Base)(USD/month)
$0 (open-source)
—
Monthly Base Cost (Small Instance)(USD)
$0 (infrastructure cost only)
—
Show 4 more attributes
Minimum Monthly Cost (Production)(USD)
$20-50 (cloud VM minimum)
—
Minimum Monthly Cost(USD)
$0 (open-source)
—
Production Tier Monthly Base Cost(USD)
$0 (self-hosted only)
—
Monthly Cost (100 GB, moderate traffic)(USD)
$50-200+ (self-hosted infrastructure) or $100-500 (managed provider)
—
Maximum Storage per Database(TB)
Unlimited
—
Maximum Storage Capacity(TB)
64TB (hardware dependent)
—
Database Branching Support
Third-party tools only
—
Community Size (Stack Overflow Tags)(questions)
600+ thousand
—
Backup Automation
Manual configuration required
—
Minimum Cluster Size(nodes)
1 (single instance)
—
Deployment Platforms Supported(count)
5+ (on-prem, cloud, edge, containers, hybrid)
—
Vendor Lock-in Risk(risk level)
Zero - 100% portable SQL
—
Latest Stable Version (2026)(version number)
MySQL 8.4 LTS
—
Memory Footprint (Idle instance)(MB)
145MB
—
GitHub Community Activity(stars)
~4,400 stars
—
GitHub Stars(stars)
3,500+ stars
—
Community Size & Ecosystem(relative rank)
~15k stars
—
ACID Compliance(boolean)
Yes (InnoDB)
—
ACID Compliance by Default
No (conditional)
Yes (default)
Default Memory Usage(MB)
150MB
300MB
Minimum Memory Requirement(MB)
50MB
100MB
Major Release Frequency(years)
2.0
—
Maximum JSON Document Size(GB)
64MB (practical limit)
1GB+ (JSONB)
Hosting Provider Compatibility(percent)
99% of providers
85% of providers
Time to Production(minutes)
120-1440 minutes (self-hosted)
—
Window Functions Availability
No (until 8.0)
Yes (since 8.4)
Multi-Region Failover Time (RTO)(seconds)
Manual, typically 5-15 minutes
—
PostgreSQL SQL Compatibility(percent)
100% (native)
—
Setup Time (Fresh Installation)(minutes)
30-60 minutes
—
ACID Transaction Support(boolean)
Full compliance, all operations
—
Storage Overhead (vs Equivalent Relational)(multiple)
1x baseline (normalized)
—
Schema Enforcement
Required (schema-on-write)
—
Typical Setup Complexity(time to production (hours))
2-4 hours (widely supported, simpler setup)
—
Supported Concurrent Connections (Free Tier)(connections)
Unlimited (depends on installation)
—
Maximum Storage (Base Plan)(GB)
Unlimited (hardware dependent)
—
Time to Deploy Production Database(minutes)
240-1440 minutes (4-24 hours)
—
Supported Geographic Regions(count)
Unlimited (self-hosted)
—
Point-in-Time Recovery Retention(days)
Customizable via WAL archiving
—
Data Portability(score out of 10)
Trivial (native format, zero lock-in)
—
Available PostgreSQL Extensions(count)
500+ (all available from PostgreSQL ecosystem)
—
Community Size & Support(user base estimate)
10,000,000+ deployments globally
—
Pros & Cons
10 pros·6 cons across both
MySQL
+5-3
Pros
- 15-20% faster on simple SELECT queries due to optimized read path
- Available on 99% of shared hosting providers globally
- Simpler configuration and lower memory footprint (typical: 100-200MB baseline)
- Excellent for content management systems (WordPress runs on MySQL in 64% of cases)
- Faster replication setup with master-slave architecture
Cons
- No native window functions or CTEs until version 8.0, limiting analytical queries
- Requires explicit InnoDB engine selection for ACID compliance; MyISAM loses durability guarantees
- JSON support is basic—lacks indexing and querying efficiency of JSONB
PostgreSQL
+5-3
Pros
- Full ACID compliance out-of-the-box without configuration changes
- Native JSONB data type with GIN/GIST indexing for sub-millisecond JSON queries
- Advanced analytical capabilities: window functions, CTEs, recursive queries, and array types
- Superior full-text search with stemming, dictionaries, and 15+ language support
- Extensibility: custom data types, operators, and procedural languages (PL/pgSQL, PL/Python)
Cons
- 5-15% slower on simple read queries compared to MySQL due to architectural overhead
- Available on only 85% of shared hosting providers; many budget hosts still don't support it
- Higher baseline memory requirement (typical: 250-400MB) can impact small-scale deployments
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions
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.
Resources & Learn More
Curated sources to dive deeper
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Wikipedia
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