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Databases · head to head

MotherDuck vs MySQL

MotherDuck logo

MotherDuck

Databases

Serverless analytics data warehouse built on DuckDB

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MySQL logo

MySQL

Web Development

The world's most popular open source database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: MotherDuck the free Lite plan caps compute at 10 hours per month, which limits it to light or hobbyist workloads.; MySQL hot online backup is not in the free Community Server; MySQL Enterprise Backup is a paid Enterprise Edition component
  • They diverge on capability: MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, MySQL covers ACID compliance.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MotherDuck and MySQL actually diverge.

Attributes where MotherDuck and MySQL differ
AttributeMotherDuckMySQL
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
Platformsweb, apiWindows, Macos, Linux, Unix
CategoryDatabasesWeb Development
Founded20221995

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 MotherDuck

  • Serverless DuckDB instances
  • Cloud storage querying
  • MCP server
  • Dives
  • Flights
  • Read-scaling replicas

Only in MySQL

  • ACID compliance
  • SQL support
  • Multi-version concurrency control
  • Replication
  • Partitioning
  • Stored procedures
  • Triggers
  • Views

What people use each for

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

MotherDuck

  • Ad-hoc analytics on gigabyte-to-terabyte datasetsnot MySQL
  • Querying data lake files in S3/GCS/Azure without ingestionnot MySQL
  • AI agent data analysis via MCPnot MySQL
  • Scheduled data pipeline transformationsnot MySQL

MySQL

  • Web application backendnot MotherDuck
  • E-commerce platformsnot MotherDuck
  • Content management systemsnot MotherDuck
  • Data warehousingnot MotherDuck
  • Business applicationsnot MotherDuck

Where each one falls short

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

MotherDuck

  • The free Lite plan caps compute at 10 hours per month, which limits it to light or hobbyist workloads.
  • Business plan usage charges on top of the $250/month base can make costs less predictable than flat-rate competitors.
  • There are no academic or non-profit discounts, unlike some competing data platforms.
  • Annual billing requires going through a sales conversation rather than a self-serve toggle.

MySQL

  • Hot online backup is not in the free Community Server; MySQL Enterprise Backup is a paid Enterprise Edition component
  • Transparent Data Encryption, data masking and de-identification are Enterprise Edition only
  • MySQL Enterprise Firewall, which guards against SQL injection, and MySQL Enterprise Audit are both paid components
  • External authentication against PAM or Windows Active Directory requires MySQL Enterprise Authentication
  • The thread pool ships as MySQL Enterprise Scalability rather than in the community build

Pricing, plan by plan

MotherDuck

Free
  • LiteFree
    • Up to 3 internal active users
    • 2 service accounts
    • 10GB free storage
  • Business$250/month
    • Up to 10 internal active users
    • Unlimited service accounts
    • 5 instance types with read-scaling replicas
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited internal users and service accounts
    • Fixed-cost capacity pricing
    • AWS PrivateLink, IP allowlisting

MySQL

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Open source license
    • Full SQL support
    • InnoDB storage engine
  • Standard Edition$2000/year
    • Commercial license
    • Oracle Premier Support
    • MySQL Enterprise backup
  • Enterprise Edition$5000/year
    • Advanced security
    • MySQL Enterprise Monitor
    • High Availability

Which should you pick?

Choose MotherDuck if

  • You need serverless duckdb instances.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want cloud storage querying.
MotherDuck review

Choose MySQL if

  • You need acid compliance.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Unix.
  • You also want sql support.
MySQL review

Questions people ask

Is MotherDuck or MySQL better?
Neither clearly leads. MotherDuck starts at Free and MySQL at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MotherDuck or MySQL?
MotherDuck starts at Free and MySQL at Free.
Does MotherDuck or MySQL run on more platforms?
MotherDuck runs on web, api. MySQL runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Unix.
Can I use MotherDuck for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is MotherDuck best used for?
MotherDuck is most often used for ad-hoc analytics on gigabyte-to-terabyte datasets, querying data lake files in s3/gcs/azure without ingestion, ai agent data analysis via mcp, scheduled data pipeline transformations. Of those, ad-hoc analytics on gigabyte-to-terabyte datasets and querying data lake files in s3/gcs/azure without ingestion are not what MySQL is typically brought in for.
What can MotherDuck do that MySQL cannot?
MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, Cloud storage querying, MCP server, Dives. MySQL covers ACID compliance, SQL support, Multi-version concurrency control, Replication.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

MotherDuck: What does MotherDuck cost?

The Lite plan is free (up to 3 users, 10GB storage, 10 hours of Pulse compute/month). Business is $250/organization/month plus usage, with Enterprise available at custom fixed-cost pricing.

Source
MySQL: Does MySQL cost money?

MySQL is primarily open-source and free to use. Commercial editions and support services are available but pricing is not published on the main website.

Source
MotherDuck: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?

Yes, the Lite plan is free for up to 3 internal active users and 2 service accounts, with 10GB of storage and 10 hours of Pulse compute per month.

Source
MySQL: How do I get MySQL pricing information?

For MySQL commercial editions and support pricing, customers can contact MySQL sales directly at +1-866-221-0634 or navigate to individual product pages.

Source
MotherDuck: How is usage metered?

Compute instances (Pulse, Standard, Jumbo, Mega, Giga) are billed per second at hourly rates from $0.60 to $24.00/hour, storage is $0.04/GB-month, and AI Functions cost $1.00 per AI Unit.

Source
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