Is MariaDB or Postgres better?

Neither clearly leads. MariaDB starts at Free and Postgres at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, MariaDB or Postgres?

MariaDB starts at Free and Postgres at Free.

Does MariaDB or Postgres run on more platforms?

MariaDB runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS. Postgres runs on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.

Can I use MariaDB for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is MariaDB best used for?

MariaDB is most often used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting. Of those, transaction processing and data storage are not what Postgres is typically brought in for.

What can MariaDB do that Postgres cannot?

MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Aria Storage Engine, ColumnStore, Galera Cluster. Postgres covers ACID compliance, Complex queries, Foreign keys, Triggers.

Databases · head to head

MariaDB vs Postgres

MariaDB

Databases

The open source relational database for the enterprise

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Postgres

Technology

The world's most advanced open source database

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: MariaDB jSON support using text fields rather than native binary type; lacks MySQL's JSON syntax and functions; Postgres each major version is supported for only 5 years after its initial release, after which it is end-of-life
They diverge on capability: MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Postgres covers ACID compliance.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MariaDB and Postgres actually diverge.

Attributes where MariaDB and Postgres differ
Attribute	MariaDB	Postgres
Pricing model	Unknown	open-source
Platforms	Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS	Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker
Category	Databases	Technology
Founded	2009	1996

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 MariaDB

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

Only in Postgres

ACID compliance
Complex queries
Foreign keys
Triggers
Views
Stored procedures
JSON/JSONB support
Full-text search

What people use each for

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

MariaDB

Transaction processingnot Postgres
Data storagenot Postgres
Application backendnot Postgres
Reportingnot Postgres
Data analyticsnot Postgres

Postgres

Running a general purpose relational database for applicationsnot MariaDB
Self-hosting an open source SQL database with no licence feenot MariaDB
Workloads needing extensions, JSON and full text search in one enginenot MariaDB

Where each one falls short

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

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

Postgres

Each major version is supported for only 5 years after its initial release, after which it is end-of-life
Major version upgrades break on-disk compatibility and require a full dump and reload or the pg_upgrade tool
New major versions ship about once a year, so staying supported means a disruptive upgrade cycle
Minor releases contain only frequently-encountered bug fixes, low-risk fixes, security issues and data corruption fixes, so feature gaps are not addressed within a major version
There is no vendor SLA; commercial support must be bought separately from third party professional services listed by the project

Pricing, plan by plan

MariaDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the MariaDB review.

Postgres

Free

Community EditionFree
- Full database features
- No limitations
- Community support

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Postgres if

You need acid compliance.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.
You also want complex queries.

Postgres review

Questions people ask

Is MariaDB or Postgres better?: Neither clearly leads. MariaDB starts at Free and Postgres at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MariaDB or Postgres?: MariaDB starts at Free and Postgres at Free.
Does MariaDB or Postgres run on more platforms?: MariaDB runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS. Postgres runs on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.
Can I use MariaDB for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is MariaDB best used for?: MariaDB is most often used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting. Of those, transaction processing and data storage are not what Postgres is typically brought in for.
What can MariaDB do that Postgres cannot?: MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Aria Storage Engine, ColumnStore, Galera Cluster. Postgres covers ACID compliance, Complex queries, Foreign keys, Triggers.

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

Postgres: How much does PostgreSQL cost to use?

PostgreSQL is completely free to download, install, and use. No licensing fees, subscription costs, or per-seat charges apply. The database is open source under the PostgreSQL License. Source: https://www.postgresql.org

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

Postgres: Are there commercial PostgreSQL support options available?

Official PostgreSQL (the project) is free. Commercial PostgreSQL services such as hosting, professional support, training, and managed database services are offered by third-party vendors, not the PostgreSQL project itself. Source: https://www.postgresql.org

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

Postgres: Do I need a license to use PostgreSQL commercially?

No. PostgreSQL is open source under the PostgreSQL License, which permits free commercial use without royalties, licensing fees, or support obligations. Source: https://www.postgresql.org

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

MariaDB vs Postgres

MariaDB

Postgres

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in MariaDB

Only in Postgres

What people use each for

MariaDB

Postgres

Where each one falls short

MariaDB

Postgres

Pricing, plan by plan

MariaDB

Postgres

Which should you pick?

Choose MariaDB if

Choose Postgres if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on MariaDB

More on Postgres

Keep looking

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