Top 10 Free Database Software For Windows, Linux And Mac

List and Comparison of the Top Free Open Source Database Software for Small Businesses:

A database is an electronic method to store and organize data or information.

You can also say it as a collection of data.

There are different types of databases like hierarchical database, relational database, network database, object database, ER database, Document database, graph database, etc.

The relational database is the database that stores the data in a structured pattern and can identify the relationship between the stored items of that data. The document database is a database that is non-relational and is used to store the semi-structured data.

Graph database is the one which makes use of graph structures and properties.

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Databases will improve the quality of data. It will provide a disciplined approach for data management and will make data management easier. Database management systems provide the functions for managing the stored data, transforming & presenting data, managing backup, and recovery, and for managing the security of data, etc.

Developers select the database based on the application requirement. Eduonix has done a survey and found that the maximum number of times the developers select MySQL based on the requirement analysis.

The Below graph will show you more details of this research and the developer’s choice of databases according to the requirement analysis.

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We have shortlisted the top free database software for your reference. We will compare them and see the detailed review for each of them.

List of Top Free Database Software

Enlisted below are the most popular Free Database Software.

1. MySQL
2. Oracle
3. SQL Server
4. Firebird
5. PostgreSQL
6. MongoDB
7. Cubrid
8. MariaDB
9. DynamoDB
10. CouchDB
11. Altibase

Comparison Of Top Open Source Database Software

free database software	Platform	Limited to	Ease of use	Cloud Version
MySQL	Windows, Linux, Mac.	No limitation	Easy	Yes
Oracle	Windows, Linux	1 GB RAM 11 GB database. 1CPU.	Medium	Yes
SQL Server	Windows, Linux.	1 GB RAM & 10 GB database. 1 CPU.	Very Easy	No
Firebird	Windows, Linux, and Mac.	Multi-CPU, 20 TB database.	--	No
PostgreSQL	Windows, Linux, and Mac	No limitation	Easy for developers.	No.
Altibase	Linux	No limitation	Very Easy	Yes

Let’s review these in detail!

#1) MySQL

Platform: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Languages: SQL and C, C++, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, and Tcl for client programming.
Cloud Version: Yes

MySQL will return high performance and help you to build scalable database applications. This open-source database has different editions like Enterprise Edition, Standard Edition, and Classic Edition. MySQL offers different features for each one of them.

It also provides an Oracle MySQL Cloud Service which is a cost-effective solution for enterprise-grade database service.

Features:

• It follows Client-server architecture.
• ODBC interface is supported by MySQL.
• It supports C, C++, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, and Tcl for client programming.
• It supports Unicode, Replication, Transactions, full-text search, triggers, and stored procedures.

Verdict: MySQL can be used for high volume websites, packaged software, and business-critical systems. It works even when the network is not available. It has host-based verification.

Website: MySQL

#2) Oracle

Platform: Windows and Linux
Languages: C, C++, Java, COBOL, Pl/SQL, and Visual Basic.
Cloud Version? Yes

Oracle provides on-premises as well as cloud-based solutions for database management. These solutions are for small, medium, and large organizations. Oracle also provides a cloud infrastructure with flexible configurations. For database security, Oracle makes use of Standard data encryption algorithms.

Features:

• Oracle provides features for Application development like APIs and Pre-compilers, JDBC and Web Services, PL/SQL Improvements, and SQL language improvements, etc.
• It has features for content management like Text Improvements and interMedia Improvements.
• Oracle has features for clustering, Grid Management, Server Manageability, and Grid Computing, etc.

Verdict: Oracle is one of the popular databases and can be used by small, medium, or large organizations.

Website: Oracle

#3) SQL Server

Platform: Windows & Linux.
Languages: C++, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP, Visual Basic, Delphi, Go, and R.
Cloud Version? No.

SQL server can be used from small marts to large enterprises. It will reduce your storage need by using the enhanced data compression technique. SQL Server provides Insights and Reports which are accessible on Windows, Android, and iOS devices.

Features:

• It can be integrated with non-relational sources like Hadoop.
• For security and compliance, SQL Server uses row-level security, dynamic data masking, transparent data encryption, and robust auditing.
• SQL server takes care of high availability and disaster recovery.

Verdict: SQL Server is the database solution for small to large enterprises. It makes use of a data compression technique to reduce your data storage needs.

Website: SQL Server

#4) Firebird

Platform: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Languages: SQL, C, and C++.
Cloud Version: No.

Firebird provides the database solution for developing interoperable applications which work in homogeneous and hybrid environments. This relational database management system is open source and runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Features:

• Firebird has multi-generational architecture and hence it supports OLTP and OLAP applications.
• Triggers and stored procedures are also supported by Firebird.
• It provides real-time monitoring, SQL debugging, and Audit. For backup and restore, it supports online backup, online dump, and incremental backup.

Verdict: Firebird is completely open source and is free for commercial and educational purposes. It provides Windows trusted authentication. It supports four architectures i.e. SuperClassic, Classic, SuperServer, and Embedded. It doesn’t have temporary tables and integration with the other databases.

Website: Firebird

#5) PostgreSQL

Platform: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Languages: PL/pgSQL, PL/Tcl, PL/Perl, and PL/Python.
Cloud Version? No.

PostgreSQL provides a relational database solution which is reliable and delivers high performance. It is an open source solution with robust features. It is useful for building applications, protecting data integrity, building fault-tolerant environments, and for managing the data.

Features:

• PostgreSQL supports indexing, advanced indexing, and many different data types (Primitives, structured, document, geometry, and composite or custom types).
• It has security and disaster recovery features.
• It offers extensibility through stored functions and procedures, procedural languages, and foreign data wrappers.
• It has a full-text search.
• It supports international character sets.

Verdict: PostgreSQL allows you to create custom data types and query methods. It allows stored procedures to be run in many different programming languages.

Website: PostgreSQL

#6) MongoDB

Platform: Cross-platform
Languages: C, C++, C#, Java, Node.js, Perl, Ruby, Scala, PHP, and Go.
Cloud Version? Yes

MongoDB provides an open source database solution which follows a document data model. It is useful for building new apps and updating the existing ones. It can be used for mobile apps, real-time analytics, IoT, and can provide a real-time view for all your data.

Features:

• For data migrations, it provides complete deployment flexibility.
• Data storage in JSON-like documents.
• It ensures high availability by being a distributed database at its core.
• As it follows the document data model, mapping to the objects in your application code will be easier.

Verdict: MongoDB provides the features of document validation and encrypted storage engine. It is not suitable for applications with complex transactions.

Website: MongoDB

Also Read => In-depth MongoDB Tutorial for Beginners

#7) Cubrid

Platform: Windows and Linux.
Languages: Java
Cloud Version? No

Cubrid is a relational database management system with enterprise-grade features. It can be used for web applications, enterprise software, social networking, and online games. This open source solution has features of high availability, globalization, scalability, and large data optimization.

Features:

• It supports multi-volume.
• It provides the features of automatic volume expansion.
• It supports unlimited size of databases and any number of databases.
• It provides all the functionalities required for web services.

Verdict: Cubrid provides an online backup and multiple granularity locking features. It cannot be used with Apple systems. It doesn’t have a script debugger.

Website: Cubrid

#8) MariaDB

Platform: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Languages: C++, C#, Java, Python, and many others.
Cloud Version? Yes

MariaDB is an open source relational database management system which is compatible with MySQL. It can be used for a wide variety of applications, from banking to websites. It is created by the developers of MySQL. It is a good alternative to MySQL. It can be a drop-in replacement for MySQL.

Features:

• It makes use of a standard and popular querying language.
• It provides Galera cluster technology.
• It has some additional functions than MySQL.
• It can be used on cross-platform.

Verdict: MariaDB is an alternative to MySQL. It has high scalability with easy integration.

Website: MariaDB

#9) DynamoDB

Platform: Cross-platform
Languages: Java, Node.js, Go, C#, .NET, Ruby, PHP, Python, and Perl
Cloud Version? Yes

DynamoDB is a document database by Amazon and it uses a key-value method to store the data. It can be used on any scale. It is useful for gaming, mobile apps, IoT, Serverless web applications, and microservices.

Features:

• It provides built-in security.
• It is a multi-caster and multi-region database.
• It is a completely managed database system with built-in backup & restore functionality.
• For internet-scale applications, it provides in-memory caching functionalities.

Verdict: DynamoDB is a type of document database and can be used for a variety of purposes.

Website: DynamoDB

#10) CouchDB

Platform: Cross-Platform
Languages: Python, C, C++, Java, Perl, PHP, JavaScript, Ruby, R, Python, Objective-C, Scala, and LISP.
Cloud Version? No

Apache provides CouchDB for servers and PouchDB for mobile and desktop web-browsers. CouchDB makes use of the replication protocol which is helpful for the offline first feature of mobile applications.

Features:

• It is scalable from Big Data to Mobile and for that, it provides HTTP/JSON API.
• It allows you to store data on your own servers or on any popular cloud provider.
• It supports binary data.

Verdict: CouchDB provides a scalable solution. It also provides you the flexibility for storing data.

Website: CouchDB

#11) Altibase

Platform: Linux
Languages: C, C++, PHP, All languages that support ODBC or JDBC.
Cloud Version: Yes

Altibase is an enterprise-grade, high-performance, and relational open-source database. Altibase has over 650 enterprise clients including 8 Fortune Global 500 companies and has been deployed over 6,000 mission-critical use cases in various industries.

Its Main Advantages Include:

• Enterprise-Grade: 20 years of experience in serving over 650 enterprise clients including 8 Fortune Global 500 companies.
• Hybrid: The benefits of both an in-memory database and a disk-resident database in a single unified engine.
• Sharding: Optimize and economize on your scale-out with no coordinator-related performance degradation.
• Relational DBMS: Function and feature-rich with all the tools and relational capabilities required by the enterprise-grade applications.

Verdict: Altibase is an enterprise-grade high-performance relational DBMS. It is mainly used for heavy workload business-critical systems.

=> Visit Altibase Website

Conclusion

This was all about the free database software. Out of these free software, cloud Version is available for MySQL, Oracle, MongoDB, MariaDB, and DynamoDB. MySQL and PostgreSQL come without any limitation to RAM and database. MySQL and SQL Server are easy to use.

MySQL can be used for high volume websites, packaged software, and business-critical systems. Oracle works for Windows and Linux platform. SQL Server can be used by small marts to large enterprises. Firebird is a completely free and open source software for commercial purposes as well.

PostgreSQL is a database which will allow you to create custom data types and query methods. MongoDB is a document database. Cubrid is a relational database management system and provides enterprise-grade features. MariaDB is a good alternative to MySQL.

Hope this article on Free Database Software would have been informative to you!