Databases · alternatives
Alternatives to Oracle Database
23 databases tools sit alongside Oracle Database in this directory. Below is what separates each from Oracle Database on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 23
- With a free tier
- 18
- Cheaper to start
- 8
- Oracle Database starts at
- Free, then $47500/processor
Why people look past Oracle Database
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Oracle Database entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
It costs more than the category median
Oracle Database starts at $47500/processor. Across the 6 databases tools listed beside it that publish a price, the median entry point is $112/month.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud
- Starts $47500 a month cheaper, at Free.
The world's most advanced open source relational database
Priced and rated the same as Oracle Database on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
The cloud-native distributed SQL database
- Starts $47500 a month cheaper, at Free.
MPP analytical database with a MySQL wire protocol and sub-second aggregation on wide tables
Priced and rated the same as Oracle Database on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
The Meta-lineage distributed SQL query engine, distinct from the Trino fork
Priced and rated the same as Oracle Database on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Erlang MQTT broker for large IoT fleets, relicensed to BSL with production free use limited to one node
- Starts $47266 a month cheaper, at $234/month.
Every Oracle Database alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Database (this page) | Free, then $47500/processor | - | - | |
| Amazon AuroraCloud-based relational database compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL, offering similar functionality with pay-as-you-go pricing | Free | Usage-based | 2 | vs Oracle Database |
| PostgreSQLOpen-source relational database offering comparable SQL functionality without licensing costs | Free | - | - | vs Oracle Database |
| Cockroach LabsDistributed SQL database with Postgres compatibility and built-in scaling for enterprise applications | Free | Freemium | - | vs Oracle Database |
| Apache Doris | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| Presto | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| EMQX | Free, then $234/month | Per month by connection and session volume | 4 | vs Oracle Database |
| StarRocks | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 2 | vs Oracle Database |
| Solace PubSub+ | Free | Quote | 4 | vs Oracle Database |
| Tinybird | Free, then $25/month | Per month by compute and storage | 4 | vs Oracle Database |
| Dremio | Free, then $0.2/hour | Per Dremio Compute Unit consumed | 3 | vs Oracle Database |
| VerneMQ | Free | Quote | 3 | vs Oracle Database |
| Timeplus | Free, then $199/month | Per month for cloud, quoted for self-hosted | 3 | vs Oracle Database |
| RisingWave | Free, then $0.227/hour | Per RisingWave Unit hour | 4 | vs Oracle Database |
| NATS | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| Redpanda | Free | Source-available community edition with paid enterprise and cloud tiers | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| RabbitMQ | Free | Open source, no licence fee; managed services billed separately | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| Canary Labs | $3000/year | Per tag band per year | 4 | vs Oracle Database |
| Instaclustr | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| Immuta | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| Privacera | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| TIBCO Enterprise Message Service | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| Apache Solr | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
| Apache Pulsar | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Oracle Database |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Oracle Database badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (18)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Amazon Aurora , Free
- PostgreSQL , Free
- Cockroach Labs , Free
- Apache Doris , Free
- Presto , Free
- EMQX , Free, then $234/month
- StarRocks , Free
- Solace PubSub+ , Free
Cheaper than Oracle Database (8)
Entry price under Oracle Database's $47500/processor. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Amazon Aurora , Free
- Cockroach Labs , Free
- EMQX , Free, then $234/month
- Tinybird , Free, then $25/month
- Dremio , Free, then $0.2/hour
- Timeplus , Free, then $199/month
- RisingWave , Free, then $0.227/hour
- Canary Labs , $3000/year
What you would be giving up
Oracle Database is most often brought in for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting, data analytics. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Oracle Database is broadly right and the question is cost, the Oracle Database pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Databases category lists everything the directory holds, and best databases tools ranks them.
Oracle Database runs on on-premises, oracle cloud, linux, windows, unix. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Oracle Database alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Oracle Database?
- 23 other databases tools are listed in this directory, led by Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, Cockroach Labs, Apache Doris. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Oracle Database?
- 18 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, Cockroach Labs, Apache Doris, Presto.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Oracle Database?
- Yes. 8 of the alternatives below start under Oracle Database's $47500/processor: Amazon Aurora at Free, Cockroach Labs at Free, EMQX at Free, then $234/month, Tinybird at Free, then $25/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Oracle Database?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: it costs more than the category median. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Oracle Database?
- Oracle Database is most often brought in for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting, data analytics. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Oracle Database?
- None of the databases tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Oracle Database alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Databases, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Oracle Database against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Oracle Database covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every databases tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Databases category, 23 tools beside Oracle Database. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.