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MySQL Review

Depends

Should I use MySQL?

Open-source relational database, Oracle-owned - mysql.com

· 1 month ago

Buy it if you're a developer running a web app — the free Community Edition is battle-tested and cheap to grow with. Skip it if you're a non-technical team that just needs to track contacts; use Airtable or a spreadsheet instead.

Confidence

High. Based on ~40 public sources: review sites, CVE databases, Oracle licensing docs, and Reddit threads.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo clear evidence
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Community Edition

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Standard/EnterprisePaid per-server subscription

Best for

  • Developers building web apps
  • High-transaction backends
  • Cost-conscious teams wanting open source
  • Existing LAMP-stack shops

Not for

  • Non-technical teams that just need a contact list
  • Small teams without a DBA or ops budget
  • Buyers wanting cutting-edge SQL features — Postgres fits better
  • One-person projects where a spreadsheet suffices

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Best features sit behind Oracle's paid per-server Enterprise licenses

medium

Old versions like MySQL 5.7 trigger paid extended support on AWS RDS

medium

Self-hosting means you own patching, backups, and hardening

low

Managed cloud versions (RDS, Azure) bill separately by usage

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Community Edition is free and open source
  • Consistently ranks among the world's most popular databases
  • Simple syntax, mild learning curve versus rivals
  • Reviewers praise transactional performance

Cons

  • Reviewers cite performance and speed as cons
  • Oracle editions create licensing complexity and real cost
  • Steady CVE stream demands regular patching
  • Visible developer pushback; some teams migrate away

Sources & method

- 10 sources - Actively maintained; recurring CVEs patched through Oracle Critical Patch Updates.

official x3review x4security x2news x1
  • CVE-2024-21247, CVE-2024-21209, CVE-2024-21231, Security advisories issued for multiple MySQL vulnerabilities in 2024.
  • CVE-2022-21460, CVE-2022-21462, CVE-2022-21478, CVE-2022-21479, CVE-2022-21482, Batch of MySQL vulnerabilities patched in May 2022.
  • CVE-2026-22001, Oracle MySQL Server information disclosure vulnerability.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free Community Edition; paid tiers optional
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Simple syntax per DBMS comparisons
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Mature RDBMS; enterprise editions add depth
  • Support quality. No clear evidence
  • Security posture: 3/5. Frequent CVEs, actively patched
  • 1,684+ G2 reviews reviews on G2
  • $0 Starting price Community Edition
  • Yes Free tier open-source Community Edition
  • $18.5M Peak funding Series C round; later acquired by Oracle

Pricing

Community Edition

Free

  • Full open-source database
  • Self-managed
  • Community support

Standard/Enterprise

Paid per-server subscription

  • Advanced features
  • Oracle support
  • See Oracle pricelist PDF

Security

Actively maintained; recurring CVEs patched through Oracle Critical Patch Updates.

  • CVE-2024-21247, CVE-2024-21209, CVE-2024-21231Security advisories issued for multiple MySQL vulnerabilities in 2024.⁷
  • CVE-2022-21460, CVE-2022-21462, CVE-2022-21478, CVE-2022-21479, CVE-2022-21482Batch of MySQL vulnerabilities patched in May 2022.
  • CVE-2026-22001Oracle MySQL Server information disclosure vulnerability.

What users say

Reviewers praise transactional performance and value, while critics cite performance/speed issues and some teams migrating to Postgres.

“MySQL is a good choice.”
Reddit, r/Database

Companies that use it

Full analysis

Based on ~40 public sources: review sites, CVE databases, Oracle licensing docs, and Reddit threads.

Free, battle-tested database for developers building apps. Overkill and too technical if you just need a contact list.

Methodology

Based on ~40 public sources: review sites, CVE databases, Oracle licensing docs, and Reddit threads.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. MySQL Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features — G2g2.com
    review
  2. MySQL Reviews from Real Users — TrustRadiustrustradius.com
    review
  3. MySQL Software Reviews, Demo & Pricing — SoftwareAdvicesoftwareadvice.com
    review
  4. MySQL Licensing 2026: Editions and Real Costredresscompliance.com
    official
  5. MySQL Pricing Explained — Airbyteairbyte.com
    official
  6. MySQL CVE List — CVE Detailscvedetails.com
    security
  7. MySQL vulnerabilities CVE-2024-21247, CVE-2024-21209, CVE-2024-21231 — F5my.f5.com
    security
  8. Leaving MySQL — Reddit r/programmingreddit.com
    review
  9. What are the top 6 MySQL alternatives? — IONOSionos.com
    news
  10. MySQL Enterprise Customer Successesmysql.com
    official

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