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OtterTune is Dead (2020-2024) Review

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Should I use OtterTune is Dead (2020-2024)?

OtterTune was an automated database tuning service out of Carnegie Mellon University. It is dead. - ottertune.com

· 15 hours ago

Nobody should buy: OtterTune shut down in June 2024 after a failed acquisition and the service no longer exists. Teams needing database tuning should pick a live alternative like dbtune or pganalyze.

Confidence

High. Based on 20+ public sources; all confirm the product is dead since June 2024.

Ratings

  • Value for moneyNo purchasable product remains
  • Ease of useService is shut down; nothing to use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security postureNo security page found; service defunct

Pricing

Not disclosed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • Nobody — service shut down June 2024
  • Researchers studying automated DB tuning history

Not for

  • Anyone needing working database tuning today
  • Production Postgres/MySQL fleets wanting vendor support
  • Teams avoiding dead vendors and failed acquisitions
  • Anyone — you literally cannot buy it

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Fully dead product: no trials, contracts, or renewals possible

high

Co-founder says a PE Postgres company botched the acquisition, killing it

medium

Tuning settings do not transfer; replacements must re-tune your databases

low

Competitor dbtune is actively courting stranded OtterTune users

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Automated tuning backed by serious CMU database research
  • Reportedly crushed in-house human tuning with AI tuning
  • Proven at scale: 1,000 Postgres instances for one bank
  • Users genuinely mourned the shutdown
  • Backed by Intel Capital

Cons

  • Service is shut down; cannot be purchased
  • Acquisition fell through; company wound down abruptly
  • Only lived four years as a company
  • No security page remains on the site

Sources & method

- 9 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x4review x1security x1news x3

Key stats

  • Feature depth: 4/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money. No purchasable product remains
  • Ease of use. Service is shut down; nothing to use
  • Feature depth: 4/5. AI tuning reportedly beat human DBAs at scale
  • Support quality: 1/5. Company shut down; no support exists
  • Security posture. No security page found; service defunct
  • Dead Status Shut down June 2024
  • 2020-2024 Lifespan 4 years as a startup
  • Carnegie Mellon Origin CMU research project turned startup
  • 1,000 Postgres instances Scale proof One bank's 2018 field setup

Pricing

Not disclosed

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Users praised the product and mourned the shutdown, which the founders blamed on a botched acquisition.

“Sad to hear that OtterTune is shutting down. They built a fantastic product and assembled a great team, pioneering a new era in automatic ...”
Reddit, r/Database
“I can't got into details of what happened but we got screwed over by a PE Postgres company on an acquisition offer.”
Andy Pavlo, OtterTune co-founder, on X
“@OtterTuneAI is officially dead. Our service is shutdown … screwed over by a PE Postgres company on an acquisition offer.”
Hacker News

Alternatives

Compare OtterTune is Dead (2020-2024) with each alternative.

  • dbtune

    Live AI database tuning service; publicly courted OtterTune users.

    OtterTune is Dead (2020-2024) vs dbtune

  • Guess: pganalyze

    Postgres monitoring with tuning recommendations; alive and supported.

  • Guess: pgTune

    Free generator for sane Postgres configuration settings.

  • Guess: Percona Monitoring and Management

    Open-source monitoring and tuning for MySQL and Postgres.

Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; all confirm the product is dead since June 2024.

OtterTune is dead (2020-2024). Service shut down after a failed acquisition. Do not buy; choose a live tuning tool.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; all confirm the product is dead since June 2024.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. OtterTune is Dead (2020-2024)ottertune.com
    official
  2. OtterTune security pageottertune.com
    security
  3. Andy Pavlo on the failed acquisitionx.com
    news
  4. Ottertune Is Dead — Hacker Newsnews.ycombinator.com
    news
  5. Reddit r/Database: OtterTune is shutting downreddit.com
    review
  6. dbtune: OtterTune is closeddbtune.com
    news
  7. Intel Capital investment in OtterTuneintelcapital.com
    official
  8. OtterTune field study slides (CWI)dsdsd.da.cwi.nl
    official
  9. CMU Database Group: OtterTune projectdb.cs.cmu.edu
    official

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