Database & Data Management · pricing
Microsoft SQL Server pricing
Microsoft SQL Server publishes 4 tiers. Below is each one, what it adds over the tier beneath it, and where the ladder stops being worth climbing for most people.
- Entry price
- Free
- Model
- Not recorded
- Tiers
- 4
- Free tier
- Yes
Microsoft SQL Server plans, side by side
Every published tier in ascending order of price, with the number of features each one lists. An absence here means the record does not itemise it, not that the tier lacks it.
| Plan | Price | Features listed | Step up from the tier below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express | Free | 3 | Entry tier |
| Developer | Free | 2 | +$0/free, 2 more features |
| Standard | $3945/per 2-core pack | 3 | +$3945/per 2-core pack, 3 more features |
| Enterprise | $15123/per 2-core pack | 3 | +$11178/per 2-core pack, 3 more features |
What each tier adds
The set difference between each tier's feature list and the one beneath it. Where a tier lists nothing new, the vendor has either stopped repeating the inherited list or the tier raises limits rather than adding capability, the record does not distinguish the two, so this page does not either.
Express
FreeThe entry tier. It covers 4 cores maximum, 1.4 gb memory per instance, 50 gb database size limit.
Developer
FreeOver Express, this tier adds:
- All Enterprise features
- Non-production use only
Standard
$3945/per 2-core packOver Developer, this tier adds:
- 32 core maximum per instance
- 256 GB buffer pool memory
- Basic availability groups with 2 replicas
Enterprise
$15123/per 2-core packOver Standard, this tier adds:
- Unlimited scaling
- Always On with up to 8 secondaries
- Advanced security and HA features
Where Microsoft SQL Server stops being free
Express, Free
- 4 cores maximum
- 1.4 GB memory per instance
- 50 GB database size limit
Standard, $3945/per 2-core pack
The first thing you pay for:
- 32 core maximum per instance
- 256 GB buffer pool memory
- Basic availability groups with 2 replicas
What the product covers
The full Microsoft SQL Server feature record, grouped as the catalogue groups it. This is the product as a whole; the record does not map every feature onto a specific tier.
Core
- T-SQL
- ACID Compliance
- Advanced Security
- In-memory OLTP
- Columnstore Indexes
- Always On Availability
- Machine Learning Services
Integrations
- Azure
- Power BI
- SSMS
- Visual Studio
- .NET
Platform
- Windows support
- Linux support
- Docker support
People bring Microsoft SQL Server in for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting, data analytics. If that is not the job you are buying for, the alternatives to Microsoft SQL Server are worth a look before you commit to a tier.
How that compares in Database & Data Management
Too few database & data management tools in this directory publish a starting price to quote a meaningful median, so the table below is a like-for-like list rather than a ranking.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Rated | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft SQL Server (this page) | Free | - | - | |
| Knack | On request | subscription | - | vs Microsoft SQL Server |
| Ninox | On request | subscription | - | vs Microsoft SQL Server |
| Grist | On request | subscription | - | vs Microsoft SQL Server |
| Cloudinary | Free | freemium | - | vs Microsoft SQL Server |
| Azure SQL | Free | - | - | vs Microsoft SQL Server |
| Amazon Aurora | Free | usage-based | - | vs Microsoft SQL Server |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry, they are not reviews hosted on Softwr. How each figure is used is set out on the Microsoft SQL Server badges page.
Before you pay for Microsoft SQL Server
Three things this page cannot tell you, and all three change the bill. The record carries a price and a billing period but not the unit - per-seat and flat-rate pricing are indistinguishable in this data, so a five-person team may be looking at five times the figure above. It carries no annual rate, so any discount for paying yearly is not something this page can quote. And it carries no trial length.
What it can tell you is the shape of the ladder: 4 tiers between Free and $15123/per 2-core pack, with the jump itemised above. Because there is a free tier, the cheapest way to answer the rest is to use it before paying anything.
Microsoft SQL Server runs on windows server, linux (rhel, suse, ubuntu), docker, azure, and is published by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington. The full record is on the Microsoft SQL Server review, and the rest of the category is under best database & data management tools.
Microsoft SQL Server pricing questions
- How much does Microsoft SQL Server cost?
- Microsoft SQL Server publishes 4 tiers, from Free for Express up to $15123/per 2-core pack for Enterprise. The entry tier costs nothing.
- Does Microsoft SQL Server have a free plan?
- Yes. The Express tier costs nothing and covers 4 cores maximum, 1.4 gb memory per instance, 50 gb database size limit. Paying starts at $3945/per 2-core pack for Standard.
- What is the difference between Express and Developer on Microsoft SQL Server?
- Developer costs Free against Free, and adds all enterprise features, non-production use only.
- Is the Enterprise plan on Microsoft SQL Server worth it?
- That depends entirely on whether you need what it adds, which on the published record is unlimited scaling, always on with up to 8 secondaries, advanced security and ha features. It costs $15123/per 2-core pack against $3945/per 2-core pack for Standard. Softwr has not used either tier, so this page can tell you what changes, not whether it is worth the difference to you.
- Which database & data management tools can I use without paying?
- 5 of the 8 database & data management tools listed alongside Microsoft SQL Server have a free tier: Cloudinary, Azure SQL, Amazon Aurora, Apache Druid, Apache Pinot.
- What am I actually paying for with Microsoft SQL Server?
- The record lists 15 features across 3 areas: core, integrations, platform. In practice it is brought in for transaction processing, data storage, application backend.
- Does Microsoft SQL Server charge per user?
- The record carries a price and a billing period for each of its 4 tiers, but not the unit that price is charged in. Per-seat and flat-rate billing look identical in this data, so check the vendor's page before budgeting for a team.
- Are these Microsoft SQL Server prices current?
- They are what the catalogue entry holds, refreshed when the entry is. Vendors change pricing without notice and nobody at Softwr re-verifies each tier by hand, so treat this as a structured summary and the vendor's own pricing page as the authority.
- What should I compare Microsoft SQL Server against before paying?
- The closest database & data management tools in this directory are Knack, Ninox, Grist, Cloudinary. Each has a side-by-side comparison with Microsoft SQL Server covering price, platforms and features.