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Google Workspace vs MariaDB

Google Workspace logo

Google Workspace

All industries

Everything you need to get work done, all in one place

From
€3.4/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: Google Workspace starter tier storage limited to 30 GB per user, requiring upgrade to Standard or higher for adequate document storage; MariaDB jSON support using text fields rather than native binary type; lacks MySQL's JSON syntax and functions
  • They diverge on capability: Google Workspace covers Gmail business email, MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Workspace and MariaDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Workspace and MariaDB differ
AttributeGoogle WorkspaceMariaDB
Starting price€3.4/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebLinux, Unix, Windows, macOS
CategoryAll industriesDatabase & Data Management
Founded20062009

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 Google Workspace

  • Gmail business email
  • Google Drive storage
  • Google Docs, Sheets, Slides
  • Google Calendar
  • Google Meet video conferencing
  • Google Chat
  • Google Forms
  • Google Sites

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.

Google Workspace

  • Business email and calendar managementnot MariaDB
  • Collaborative document editingnot MariaDB
  • Video conferencing and meetingsnot MariaDB
  • Secure document storage and sharingnot MariaDB

MariaDB

  • Transaction processingnot Google Workspace
  • Data storagenot Google Workspace
  • Application backendnot Google Workspace
  • Reportingnot Google Workspace
  • Data analyticsnot Google Workspace

Where each one falls short

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

Google Workspace

  • Starter tier storage limited to 30 GB per user, requiring upgrade to Standard or higher for adequate document storage
  • Starter and Standard tiers both capped at maximum 300 users per organisation
  • Video meetings limited to 100 participants on Starter tier, 150 on Standard tier
  • Recording capabilities only available on Standard tier and above
  • eDiscovery, Vault, and advanced security features only available on Plus and Enterprise tiers

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

Google Workspace

€3.4/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Google Workspace review.

MariaDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the MariaDB review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Workspace if

  • You need gmail business email.
  • You also want google drive storage.
Google Workspace 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 Google Workspace or MariaDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Workspace starts at €3.4/month and MariaDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Workspace or MariaDB?
MariaDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at €3.4/month for Google Workspace and Free for MariaDB.
Does Google Workspace or MariaDB run on more platforms?
Google Workspace runs on Web. 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. Google Workspace starts at €3.4/month.
What is Google Workspace best used for?
Google Workspace is most often used for business email and calendar management, collaborative document editing, video conferencing and meetings, secure document storage and sharing. Of those, business email and calendar management and collaborative document editing are not what MariaDB is typically brought in for.
What can Google Workspace do that MariaDB cannot?
Google Workspace covers Gmail business email, Google Drive storage, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Google Calendar. MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Aria Storage Engine, ColumnStore, Galera Cluster.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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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