Overview
MariaDB was started in 2009 by original MySQL developers, with Michael “Monty” Widenius regarded as its founder, and was designed as an enhanced drop-in replacement for MySQL[16]. The MariaDB Foundation, a Delaware non-profit funded by sponsors, states that MariaDB Server will remain free and open source under GPLv2 independent of any commercial entity[16]. The commercial company, MariaDB plc (MariaDB Corporation), is the primary code contributor and sells subscriptions and enterprise features; Widenius serves as its chief technology officer and as a Foundation board member[16].
MariaDB’s commercial Enterprise Platform is sold in three self-managed subscription tiers, Platform, Platform Plus and Platform Ultimate, each priced on request, and a separate MariaDB Cloud service has its own pricing[17]. Compatibility with MySQL has diverged over time, however, so migrations in either direction need testing, and enterprise pricing is not published.
What MariaDB does
- MySQL-compatible SQL
- GPLv2 Community Server
- Foundation-governed open source
- Enterprise Platform subscriptions
- MariaDB Cloud service
MariaDB pricing
Community Server free under GPLv2; Enterprise Platform (Platform, Platform Plus, Platform Ultimate) quote-based; MariaDB Cloud priced separately.
MariaDB strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Free and GPL-licensed
- Familiar to MySQL users
- Non-profit foundation stewardship
- Commercial support available
Limitations
- MySQL compatibility has diverged
- Enterprise prices unpublished
- Naming of corporate entity inconsistent
- Smaller managed-service footprint than MySQL
Appears in
MariaDB alternatives and competitors
Alternatives to MariaDB: companies ranked in the same lists.
- Oracle
Microsoft Power BI- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
MongoDB
Amazon Lex
Redis
IBM Consulting
SQLite
CockroachDB
Supabase
Neon
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