Database & Data Management · head to head
Microsoft SQL Server vs MariaDB
Microsoft SQL Server
Database & Data Management
Enterprise-grade relational database management system
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
MariaDB
Database & Data Management
The open source relational database for the enterprise
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Microsoft SQL Server licensing and on-premises deployment costs are high compared to open-source alternatives, with Enterprise Edition exceeding $60,000 for minimum core requirements; MariaDB jSON support using text fields rather than native binary type; lacks MySQL's JSON syntax and functions
- They diverge on capability: Microsoft SQL Server covers T-SQL, MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Microsoft SQL Server and MariaDB actually diverge.
| Attribute | Microsoft SQL Server | MariaDB |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows Server, Linux (RHEL, SUSE, Ubuntu), Docker, Azure | Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS |
| Founded | 1989 | 2009 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Database & Data Management).
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 Microsoft SQL Server
- T-SQL
- ACID Compliance
- Advanced Security
- In-memory OLTP
- Columnstore Indexes
- Always On Availability
- Machine Learning Services
- Azure
Only in MariaDB
- MySQL Compatibility
- Aria Storage Engine
- ColumnStore
- Galera Cluster
- MaxScale
- Spider Engine
- Temporal Tables
- phpMyAdmin
Both cover
- Windows support
- Linux support
- Docker support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Microsoft SQL Server
- Transaction processing
- Data storage
- Application backend
- Reporting
- Data analytics
MariaDB
- Transaction processing
- Data storage
- Application backend
- Reporting
- Data analytics
Both are used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting, data analytics, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Microsoft SQL Server
- Licensing and on-premises deployment costs are high compared to open-source alternatives, with Enterprise Edition exceeding $60,000 for minimum core requirements
- Performance monitoring toolset is insufficient for hybrid cloud environments requiring real-time analytics across multiple deployment types
- Heavy I/O resource consumption can saturate disk volumes and degrade performance when processing large transaction workloads
- Always On availability groups with up to 8 secondary replicas are limited to Enterprise edition only; Standard supports only basic availability groups with 2 replicas
- CPU and memory scaling is capped at 4 sockets or 32 cores on Standard edition, limiting deployments requiring higher compute capacity
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
Microsoft SQL Server
Free- ExpressFree
- 4 cores maximum
- 1.4 GB memory per instance
- 50 GB database size limit
- DeveloperFree
- All Enterprise features
- Non-production use only
- Standard$3945/per 2-core pack
- 32 core maximum per instance
- 256 GB buffer pool memory
- Basic availability groups with 2 replicas
- Enterprise$15123/per 2-core pack
- Unlimited scaling
- Always On with up to 8 secondaries
- Advanced security and HA features
MariaDB
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the MariaDB review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Microsoft SQL Server if
- You need t-sql.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows Server, Linux (RHEL, SUSE, Ubuntu), Docker, Azure.
- You also want acid compliance.
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 Microsoft SQL Server or MariaDB better?
- Neither clearly leads. Microsoft SQL Server starts at Free and MariaDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Microsoft SQL Server or MariaDB?
- Microsoft SQL Server starts at Free and MariaDB at Free.
- Does Microsoft SQL Server or MariaDB run on more platforms?
- Microsoft SQL Server runs on Windows Server, Linux (RHEL, SUSE, Ubuntu), Docker, Azure. MariaDB runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS.
- Can I use Microsoft SQL Server for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Microsoft SQL Server best used for?
- Microsoft SQL Server is most often used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting.
- What can Microsoft SQL Server do that MariaDB cannot?
- Microsoft SQL Server covers T-SQL, ACID Compliance, Advanced Security, In-memory OLTP. MariaDB covers MySQL Compatibility, Aria Storage Engine, ColumnStore, Galera Cluster. Both handle Windows support, Linux support, Docker support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Microsoft SQL Server: What is the pricing model for SQL Server?
SQL Server uses core-based licensing with per-2-core pack pricing. Enterprise Edition costs approximately $15,123 per 2-core pack (minimum 8 cores). Standard Edition costs approximately $3,945 per 2-core pack. Developer and Express editions are free. Software Assurance adds 25-35% annually for upgrades and support.
SourceMariaDB: 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.
SourceMicrosoft SQL Server: Does SQL Server run on Linux?
Yes. SQL Server 2017 and later run on Linux (Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Ubuntu), Docker containers, and Windows with feature parity including Always On availability groups, Active Directory authentication, and encryption.
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.
SourceMicrosoft SQL Server: Is there a free edition of SQL Server?
Yes. SQL Server Express is free and includes all functionality of Enterprise edition for development and testing, with limits of 4 cores, 1,410 MB memory per instance, and 50 GB per database. Developer edition is also free for non-production use.
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.
SourceMicrosoft SQL Server: Can SQL Server be deployed offline?
Yes. SQL Server can be installed from offline media on machines without internet access. Microsoft provides complete offline installation packages for SQL Server, SSMS, and supporting components, making deployment in isolated or air-gapped environments feasible.
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.
SourceMicrosoft SQL Server: What high availability options does SQL Server provide?
SQL Server offers Always On availability groups (Enterprise only), Always On failover cluster instances, database mirroring, log shipping, and for disaster recovery, failover servers in Azure and Accelerated Database Recovery for faster recovery after failures.
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.
Source