Software · head to head
MariaDB vs Remote

MariaDB
Software
The open source relational database for the enterprise
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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; Remote employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, charged per head with no volume tier published
- They diverge on capability: MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Remote covers Global Payroll.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which MariaDB and Remote actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 MariaDB
- MySQL Compatibility
- Aria Storage Engine
- ColumnStore
- Galera Cluster
- MaxScale
- Spider Engine
- Temporal Tables
- phpMyAdmin
Only in Remote
- Global Payroll
- EOR Services
- Contractor Management
- Compliance
- Benefits
- Equity Management
- HRIS
- BambooHR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
MariaDB
- Transaction processingnot Remote
- Data storagenot Remote
- Application backendnot Remote
- Reportingnot Remote
- Data analyticsnot Remote
Remote
- Employing staff in countries where you have no legal entity through an employer of recordnot MariaDB
- Paying and managing international contractors with compliant agreementsnot MariaDB
- Running payroll and HR records for a distributed workforcenot 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
Remote
- Employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, charged per head with no volume tier published
- Global Payroll carries an implementation fee to set up entities plus a recurring payroll delivery fee on top of the $29 per employee per month rate
- Contractor Management Plus is $99 per contractor per month against $29 for the standard tier
- The Equity product is limited to Delaware C-Corps
- The PEO product bills in USD only and requires a US bank account
- Remote states it collects reserve payments in high risk circumstances, so an upfront deposit is possible
Pricing, plan by plan
MariaDB
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the MariaDB review.
Remote
Free- Contractor Management$29/month
- Contractor Payments
- Compliance
- Contracts
- Employer of Record$599/month
- Global Employment
- Payroll
- Benefits
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.
Choose Remote if
- You need global payroll.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want eor services.
Questions people ask
- Is MariaDB or Remote better?
- Neither clearly leads. MariaDB starts at Free and Remote at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, MariaDB or Remote?
- MariaDB starts at Free and Remote at Free.
- Does MariaDB or Remote run on more platforms?
- MariaDB runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS. Remote runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- 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 Remote is typically brought in for.
- What can MariaDB do that Remote cannot?
- MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Aria Storage Engine, ColumnStore, Galera Cluster. Remote covers Global Payroll, EOR Services, Contractor Management, Compliance.
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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