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Database & Data Management · head to head

MariaDB vs Wise Business

MariaDB logo

MariaDB

Database & Data Management

The open source relational database for the enterprise

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wise Business logo

Wise Business

Accounting & Finance

The smart way to send and receive business payments

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only MariaDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: MariaDB jSON support using text fields rather than native binary type; lacks MySQL's JSON syntax and functions; Wise Business opening a Wise Business account in the UK carries a one off setup fee of 50 GBP
  • They diverge on capability: MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Wise Business covers Multi-currency accounts.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MariaDB and Wise Business actually diverge.

Attributes where MariaDB and Wise Business differ
AttributeMariaDBWise Business
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Unix, Windows, macOSWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryDatabase & Data ManagementAccounting & Finance
Founded20092011

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 MariaDB

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

Only in Wise Business

  • Multi-currency accounts
  • International transfers
  • Batch payments
  • API access
  • Team management
  • Xero
  • QuickBooks
  • Various

What people use each for

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

MariaDB

  • Transaction processingnot Wise Business
  • Data storagenot Wise Business
  • Application backendnot Wise Business
  • Reportingnot Wise Business
  • Data analyticsnot Wise Business

Wise Business

  • Holding and converting multiple currencies as a businessnot MariaDB
  • Paying international suppliers and contractors at the mid market ratenot MariaDB
  • Receiving payments into local currency account details in several countriesnot 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

Wise Business

  • Opening a Wise Business account in the UK carries a one off setup fee of 50 GBP
  • Volume discounts on transfers start only above 20,000 GBP equivalent sent per month

Pricing, plan by plan

MariaDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the MariaDB review.

Wise Business

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Multi-currency account
    • Real exchange rate
    • Batch payments

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 Wise Business if

  • You need multi-currency accounts.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want international transfers.
Wise Business review

Questions people ask

Is MariaDB or Wise Business better?
Neither clearly leads. MariaDB starts at Free and Wise Business at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MariaDB or Wise Business?
MariaDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MariaDB and $29/month for Wise Business.
Does MariaDB or Wise Business run on more platforms?
MariaDB runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS. Wise Business runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use MariaDB for free?
Yes. MariaDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Wise Business starts at $29/month.
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 Wise Business is typically brought in for.
What can MariaDB do that Wise Business cannot?
MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Aria Storage Engine, ColumnStore, Galera Cluster. Wise Business covers Multi-currency accounts, International transfers, Batch payments, API access.

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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