MySQL vs Oracle Database

by Gralio Mar 10, 2025

MySQL and Oracle Database are both powerful relational database management systems catering to different needs. MySQL excels in cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and community support, making it ideal for smaller to medium-sized businesses. Oracle Database, while more expensive, provides superior scalability, advanced features, and robust security, making it better suited for large enterprises with mission-critical operations.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 2955 reviews and 60 websites, saving 16 hours, 55 minutes of reading.

About

MySQL is the world's most popular open-source relational database. It's a reliable and robust system used by companies of all sizes to store and manage data. MySQL offers a range of solutions from free downloads to enterprise-level packages with advanced features and support. Known for its flexibility and performance, MySQL is a popular choice for web applications, data analysis, and more.
Oracle Database is a managed data management service. Essentially, it's a one-stop shop for storing, securing, and accessing your company's data without the headache of building and maintaining your own system. It offers robust security, ensures your data is always available, and grows with your business. Oracle takes care of the technical heavy lifting, so you can focus on what matters most. While not the only player in the field, it's a solid option to consider for streamlining your data management.

Summary

Main difference
MySQL is a popular open-source relational database known for its flexibility and cost-effectiveness, making it ideal for businesses seeking a robust yet affordable solution. Oracle Database, while more expensive, offers advanced features, scalability, and robust security, catering to larger enterprises with mission-critical data needs.

Relative strengths of MySQL (compared to Oracle Database)

  • Cost-effective: Being open-source, MySQL eliminates licensing fees, making it significantly more affordable than Oracle Database.

  • Easy to use and implement: MySQL is known for its ease of use, especially for basic database operations, allowing for faster deployment and reduced training costs.

  • Large community support: A vast and active community backs MySQL, ensuring ample resources, tutorials, and support for troubleshooting and development.

Relative weaknesses of MySQL (compared to Oracle Database)

  • Limited scalability: While MySQL can handle substantial workloads, it may not scale as efficiently as Oracle Database for extremely large datasets or complex operations.

  • Fewer advanced features: Compared to Oracle, MySQL offers fewer built-in advanced features for analytics, security, and data warehousing.

  • Performance limitations: MySQL can experience performance bottlenecks with complex queries or large datasets, potentially requiring optimization or hardware upgrades.

What companies are using MySQL and Oracle Database?

Who should use MySQL VS. Oracle Database

MySQL is a popular open-source database known for its ease of use and strong community support. Users appreciate its cost-effectiveness and cross-platform compatibility. However, some have noted performance limitations with large datasets. MySQL is an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes needing a reliable database solution, particularly those with online applications or e-commerce platforms.

Oracle Database is a robust and reliable managed data management service ideal for medium to large businesses. It offers scalability, security, and comprehensive data management features, including backup/recovery and disaster recovery. While praised for its stability and performance with large datasets, some users find it complex and expensive. It's best for organizations needing a powerful SQL and PL/SQL supported solution, but may be less suitable for smaller companies with limited resources.

  • Ideal for small to large enterprises seeking a robust open-source database.

  • A versatile solution suitable for various industries, especially e-commerce and online applications.

  • Ideal for medium to large enterprises (101+ employees), particularly in finance, banking, insurance, software, IT, and telecommunications.

  • Strong fit for Finance, Banking & Insurance, and Software, IT & Telecommunications; suitable for other industries like retail, manufacturing, and more.

MySQL and Oracle Database features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • HeatWave
    Supported

    MySQL HeatWave is a separate service built upon MySQL Enterprise Edition.

    Not supported

    Heatwave is not supported by Oracle Database, it is a MySQL feature.

  • MySQL Enterprise Edition
    Supported

    MySQL Enterprise Edition offers advanced features for scalability, security, reliability, and uptime.

    Not supported

    Oracle Database is a separate product and does not include MySQL Enterprise Edition features.

  • MySQL for OEM/ISV
    Supported

    MySQL supports embedding for OEMs, ISVs, and VARs, improving competitiveness and time to market.

    Not supported

    Oracle Database is a separate product and does not support embedding MySQL.

  • SQL support
    Supported

    MySQL uses SQL for querying and managing data.

    Supported

    Oracle Database supports SQL for querying data.

  • PL/SQL support
    Not supported

    PL/SQL is not supported.

    Supported

    Oracle Database fully supports PL/SQL for queries.

  • On-premise deployment
    Supported

    MySQL can be deployed on-premises.

    Supported

    Oracle Database can be deployed on-premises.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    -0.85
    Strongly negative sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +0.85
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.42
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0
    Neutral sentiment
    +0.57
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    +0.78
    Strongly positive sentiment
    -0.38
    Rather negative sentiment
  • Scalability
    +0.25
    Neutral sentiment
    +0.43
    Rather positive sentiment

MySQL and Oracle Database Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Strongly positive
+1

See full Pricing page

No data

User sentiment

Strongly negative
-0.85
We couldn't find a pricing page for Oracle Database.

MySQL and Oracle Database review insights

2955 reviews analysed from and

Users love

  • Open-source and free, offering cost savings.
  • Easy to use and implement for basic database operations.
  • Large and active community provides ample support.
  • Cross-platform compatibility ensures flexibility.
  • Robust and reliable database solution known for its stability and security.
  • Scalable to handle massive datasets and complex workloads.
  • Comprehensive features for data management, backup/recovery, and disaster recovery.
  • SQL and PL/SQL support for data manipulation and stored procedures.
  • Large and active community, providing ample resources and support.

Users dislike

  • Slow performance with large datasets or complex operations.
  • Occasional localhost connection issues.
  • Limited advanced analytics and data warehousing capabilities.
  • Learning curve can be steep for advanced features.
  • High licensing costs make it expensive, especially for smaller organizations or those with limited resources.
  • Complex installation and administration can be challenging for beginners and require specialized expertise.
  • Limited compatibility with open-source tools and technologies.
  • Resource-intensive, requiring substantial hardware and memory for optimal performance.
  • Occasional bugs and slow performance with large datasets or complex queries.

MySQL and Oracle Database Ratings

  • G2
    4.4/5
    (1631)
  • Glassdoor
    3.8/5
    (55087)
  • G2
    4.3/5
    (940)
  • Capterra
    4.6/5
    (384)
  • Glassdoor
    3.8/5
    (55086)

Company health

Employee growth

5% increase in the last year
5% increase in the last year

Web traffic

7% decrease in the last quarter
7% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

May 1991 - $0
May 1991 - $0

How does each product's scalability compare for rapidly growing datasets?

Both MySQL and Oracle Database offer scalability options for growing datasets. MySQL, while generally suitable for moderate growth, can encounter performance issues with very large datasets and complex operations, though using features like HeatWave can improve this. Oracle Database is designed for handling massive datasets and complex workloads through vertical, horizontal, and auto-scaling. However, its scalability comes at a higher cost due to licensing and potential resource intensiveness. Therefore, Oracle is generally better suited for rapidly growing, large datasets if budget is less of a constraint.

Which product offers better support for open-source integrations?

MySQL offers significantly better support for open-source integrations. As the world's most popular open-source database, it's inherently compatible with a vast ecosystem of open-source tools and technologies. While Oracle Database is a powerful system, its closed-source nature and licensing costs can create barriers to seamless integration with open-source solutions.

What are the advantages of MySQL?

MySQL's advantages include being open-source and free, offering significant cost savings compared to commercial databases like Oracle. It's known for ease of use and implementation, especially for basic database operations, and benefits from a large, active community providing ample support. MySQL is also cross-platform compatible, offering flexibility in deployment.

What are the disadvantages of MySQL?

MySQL can exhibit slow performance with large datasets or complex operations. Some users experience localhost connection issues. It has limited advanced analytics and data warehousing capabilities compared to other solutions. Finally, while easy for basic operations, mastering advanced MySQL features has a steep learning curve.

Alternatives to MySQL and Oracle Database

Logo of PostgreSQL
mysql vs PostgreSQL
Powerful open-source database for reliable data storage and management.
Read more
Logo of MariaDB
mysql vs MariaDB
Open-source database: fast, reliable, and a drop-in MySQL replacement.
Read more
Logo of MongoDB Atlas
MongoDB Atlas
Cloud database, flexible, scalable, and easy for developers.
Read more
Logo of MySQL Heatwave
MySQL Heatwave
In-memory query accelerator for real-time analytics on MySQL.
Read more
Logo of Amazon Aurora
Amazon Aurora
MySQL and PostgreSQL compatible cloud database: fast, reliable, and scales.
Read more
Logo of Oracle MySQL Cloud Service
Oracle MySQL Cloud Service
Managed MySQL database, simple setup, secure, and scalable.
Read more
Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

How are we doing?

Is this information helpful to you? Is there anything we are missing?
Did this help you select your product?
Other issues? Vote & Let us know
NEW: Introducing Gralio Screen Buddy

An AI tool that observes your work, finds inefficiencies, and suggests smarter ways to do things. Maybe you can use your tools better, automate tasks, or switch software.

For Individuals
Streamline your daily tasks, get helpful AI tips, and find the right tools for your workflow.
For Businesses
See how your team really works, uncover automation opportunities, and get software recommendations tailored to your processes.