Softwr

Calendar & Time Management · head to head

Float vs MariaDB

Float logo

Float

Calendar & Time Management

Resource management for agencies and teams

From
$6/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MariaDB logo

MariaDB

Database & Data Management

The open source relational database for the enterprise

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only MariaDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Float web-only platform without native desktop applications; MariaDB jSON support using text fields rather than native binary type; lacks MySQL's JSON syntax and functions
  • They diverge on capability: Float covers Resource scheduling, MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Float and MariaDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Float and MariaDB differ
AttributeFloatMariaDB
Starting price$6/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidLinux, Unix, Windows, macOS
CategoryCalendar & Time ManagementDatabase & Data Management
Founded20112009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Float

  • Resource scheduling
  • Capacity planning
  • Time tracking
  • Project planning
  • Reports
  • Asana
  • Jira
  • Teamwork

Only in MariaDB

  • MySQL Compatibility
  • Aria Storage Engine
  • ColumnStore
  • Galera Cluster
  • MaxScale
  • Spider Engine
  • Temporal Tables
  • phpMyAdmin

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Float

  • Schedulingnot MariaDB
  • Appointment bookingnot MariaDB
  • Time trackingnot MariaDB
  • Resource managementnot MariaDB
  • Team coordinationnot MariaDB

MariaDB

  • Transaction processingnot Float
  • Data storagenot Float
  • Application backendnot Float
  • Reportingnot Float
  • Data analyticsnot Float

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Float

  • Web-only platform without native desktop applications
  • No offline mode for resource planning
  • Limited reporting customization on lower-tier plans
  • No built-in payroll or invoicing features

MariaDB

  • JSON support using text fields rather than native binary type; lacks MySQL's JSON syntax and functions
  • Galera Cluster maximum performance limited to the slowest node in cluster
  • InnoDB tables limited to 1,017 columns and 64 secondary indexes
  • Transaction size limits in Galera (128K rows and 2GB by default)
  • Less strict SQL type checking than PostgreSQL; allows implicit conversions

Pricing, plan by plan

Float

$6/month
  • Starter$6/month
    • Resource scheduling
    • Time off
    • Basic reports
  • Pro$10/month
    • Time tracking
    • Budget tracking
    • Advanced reports

MariaDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the MariaDB review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Float if

  • You need resource scheduling.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want capacity planning.
Float review

Choose MariaDB if

  • You need mysql compatibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want aria storage engine.
MariaDB review

Questions people ask

Is Float or MariaDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Float starts at $6/month and MariaDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Float or MariaDB?
MariaDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $6/month for Float and Free for MariaDB.
Does Float or MariaDB run on more platforms?
Float runs on Web, Ios, Android. MariaDB runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS.
Can I use MariaDB for free?
Yes. MariaDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Float starts at $6/month.
What is Float best used for?
Float is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management. Of those, scheduling and appointment booking are not what MariaDB is typically brought in for.
What can Float do that MariaDB cannot?
Float covers Resource scheduling, Capacity planning, Time tracking, Project planning. MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Aria Storage Engine, ColumnStore, Galera Cluster.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Float: What does Float pricing start at?

Float's Starter plan begins at $7 per user per month for basic resource scheduling and capacity management. The Pro plan costs $12 per user per month with advanced features like estimates and actuals tracking.

Source
MariaDB: Is MariaDB completely free and open source?

Yes. MariaDB Server is licensed under GPLv2 and guaranteed to remain perpetually free and open source, independent of any commercial entities.

Source
Float: Is Float independent or backed by investors?

Float is independent and self-funded. The company is a B Corp certified since 2024 and is profitable. It has never raised venture funding and operates with a fully remote team.

Source
MariaDB: Is MariaDB backward compatible with MySQL?

Yes. MariaDB was designed as a drop-in replacement for MySQL. Every application, driver, and configuration that worked with MySQL works with MariaDB without code changes.

Source
Float: What platforms does Float support?

Float is a web-based platform accessible through modern browsers. It provides visual resource management, scheduling, capacity planning, time tracking, and forecasting tools.

Source
MariaDB: What are the storage engine options in MariaDB?

MariaDB supports multiple storage engines including InnoDB (transactional, default), Aria (crash-safe, good for read-heavy workloads), and MyISAM. The Aria engine is faster than InnoDB for certain read-heavy queries and full table scans.

Source
MariaDB: How much does MariaDB cost?

MariaDB Community Server is completely free to download and use. MariaDB offers paid enterprise support and managed cloud services for organizations needing professional support.

Source
MariaDB: Does MariaDB support native JSON storage?

MariaDB stores JSON using text fields (the JSON type is an alias for LONGTEXT), not as a native binary type like MySQL does. JSON support exists but is less sophisticated than MySQL's JSON functions and syntax.

Source
MariaDB: What scaling options does MariaDB provide?

MariaDB supports both scaling up (more cores, memory, storage) and scaling out (read replication, Galera Cluster with multi-node replication). However, Galera Cluster performance cannot exceed the slowest node in the cluster.

Source
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