Software · head to head
Hive 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: Hive the free plan is capped at 200 MB of storage; MariaDB jSON support using text fields rather than native binary type; lacks MySQL's JSON syntax and functions
- They diverge on capability: Hive covers Tasks, MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hive and MariaDB actually diverge.
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 Hive
- Tasks
- Gantt view
- Kanban
- Time tracking
- Forms
- Slack
- Zoom
- Google Drive
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.
Hive
- Project and task management with multiple project viewsnot MariaDB
- Coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teamsnot MariaDB
MariaDB
- Transaction processingnot Hive
- Data storagenot Hive
- Application backendnot Hive
- Reportingnot Hive
- Data analyticsnot Hive
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Hive
- The free plan is capped at 200 MB of storage
- The Starter plan at $5 per user per month is limited to 10 projects
- Eight capabilities are sold as $5 per user add ons on the Teams plan, including CRM, timesheets, proofing, resourcing, advanced dashboards, external users and SSO
- Buying SSO plus a few of those add ons therefore costs more than the $12 base seat itself
- AI credits are metered monthly at 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 by plan
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
Hive
On request- FreeFree
- Basic features
- 10 users
- Teams$12/month
- Unlimited users
- Time tracking
- Automations
MariaDB
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the MariaDB review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Hive if
- You need tasks.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
- You also want gantt view.
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 Hive or MariaDB better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hive 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, Hive or MariaDB?
- MariaDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Hive and Free for MariaDB.
- Does Hive or MariaDB run on more platforms?
- Hive runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop. 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. Hive starts at On request.
- What is Hive best used for?
- Hive is most often used for project and task management with multiple project views, coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams. Of those, project and task management with multiple project views and coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams are not what MariaDB is typically brought in for.
- What can Hive do that MariaDB cannot?
- Hive covers Tasks, Gantt view, Kanban, Time tracking. 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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