Software · head to head
Grasshopper vs MariaDB

MariaDB
Software
The open source relational database for the enterprise
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only MariaDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Grasshopper available only in the USA and Canada; the site returns a not available in your region error outside those countries; MariaDB jSON support using text fields rather than native binary type; lacks MySQL's JSON syntax and functions
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Grasshopper and MariaDB actually diverge.
| Attribute | Grasshopper | MariaDB |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS |
| Founded | Unknown | 2009 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Grasshopper
Nothing recorded that MariaDB does not also cover.
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.
Grasshopper
No use cases recorded yet. See the Grasshopper review.
MariaDB
- Transaction processingnot Grasshopper
- Data storagenot Grasshopper
- Application backendnot Grasshopper
- Reportingnot Grasshopper
- Data analyticsnot Grasshopper
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Grasshopper
- Available only in the USA and Canada; the site returns a not available in your region error outside those countries
- Plans start at $14/month only under a promotional discount of up to $75 off select plans, meaning the advertised entry price is not the standing rate
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
Grasshopper
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Grasshopper review.
MariaDB
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the MariaDB review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Grasshopper if
Nothing in the data separates Grasshopper from MariaDB on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Grasshopper or MariaDB better?
- Neither clearly leads. Grasshopper starts at On request and MariaDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Grasshopper or MariaDB?
- MariaDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Grasshopper and Free for MariaDB.
- Does Grasshopper or MariaDB run on more platforms?
- Grasshopper 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. Grasshopper starts at On request.
- What can Grasshopper do that MariaDB cannot?
- 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.
SourceMariaDB: 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.
SourceMariaDB: 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.
SourceMariaDB: 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.
SourceMariaDB: 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.
SourceMariaDB: 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.
SourceRelated pages
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