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PostgreSQL Review

Worth it

Should I use PostgreSQL?

The official site for PostgreSQL, the world's most advanced open source database - postgresql.org

· 1 month ago

Buy if your team can write SQL and own database operations — it is free, powerful, and proven at massive scale. Skip it if you want a zero-maintenance tool or just a shared list; a spreadsheet or simple app fits better.

Confidence

High. Based on ~45 public sources; several review snippets were truncated in capture, so user quotes are short fragments.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Self-hosted

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Managed cloudfrom ~$14/mo

Best for

  • Engineering teams with SQL skills
  • High-growth apps needing serious scale
  • Companies fleeing Oracle license costs
  • Cost-conscious startups

Not for

  • Non-technical teams that just need a shared spreadsheet
  • Solo users tracking contacts or small lists
  • Companies with no DBA and no managed-hosting budget
  • Buyers expecting vendor SLA support out of the box

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

CVE-2025-1094 saw real-world exploitation; patching discipline is mandatory.

medium

Free software, but total cost is hosting, ops staff, and optional paid support (EDB, Percona).

medium

DigitalOcean customers report continued billing after deleting Postgres databases.

medium

Migrating from Oracle can save ~90% in licensing, but migration itself is complex.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free to use with no licensing fees
  • Reviewers call it robust and powerful
  • Scales to millions of users — Instagram runs on it
  • Huge adoption: 227,721 companies tracked using it
  • Deep managed-hosting ecosystem across AWS, Azure, DigitalOcean

Cons

  • No official vendor support; paid help via third parties like EDB
  • You must track and apply security patches yourself
  • Misconfiguration can compromise the database; hardening is your job
  • Key ecosystem tools like pgBackRest face open-source funding shortfalls
  • Real costs hide in hosting and operations, not licensing

Sources & method

- 13 sources - Mature and actively patched — but 2025–2026 brought real CVEs, including one exploited in the wild.

official x1review x4security x3news x5
  • CVE-2025-1094 — psql SQL injection, High-severity injection fixed by vendor; publicly exploited.
  • CVE-2026-2006 — remote code execution, RCE vulnerability tracked in PostgreSQL.
  • CVE-2026-2003 — information disclosure, Information disclosure flaw tracked in PostgreSQL.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 13

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free to use, no license fees
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Guess: developer-friendly, steep for non-technical users
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Marketed as most advanced open source database
  • Support quality: 3/5. Guess: community support; paid via EDB, Percona
  • Security posture: 4/5. CVEs disclosed and patched quickly
  • 4.4/5 G2 rating 682 reviews
  • $0 Starting price Open source license
  • Yes Free tier Full engine, self-hosted
  • 227,721 Adoption Companies tracked using Postgres

Pricing

Self-hosted

$0

  • Full-featured open source engine
  • Community support only

Managed cloud

from ~$14/mo

  • Azure Flexible Server entry tier
  • AWS RDS and DigitalOcean options
  • Vendor handles ops and backups

Security

Mature and actively patched — but 2025–2026 brought real CVEs, including one exploited in the wild.

  • CVE-2025-1094 — psql SQL injectionHigh-severity injection fixed by vendor; publicly exploited.⁵
  • CVE-2026-2006 — remote code executionRCE vulnerability tracked in PostgreSQL.⁷
  • CVE-2026-2003 — information disclosureInformation disclosure flaw tracked in PostgreSQL.

What users say

Developers consistently praise Postgres as robust, fast, and the default relational choice; the friction is operations, not the engine.

“PostgreSQL is just nicer”
Reddit, r/programming
“It can be 100 times fast”
Reddit, r/dotnet
“Postgres is an excellent”
Reddit, r/SQL

Alternatives

Compare PostgreSQL with each alternative.

  • MySQL

    Simpler, ubiquitous open source database with easy hosting everywhere.

  • SQLite

    Zero-admin, single-file database for small apps and prototypes.

    PostgreSQL vs SQLite

  • Supabase

    Managed Postgres with instant APIs; skips your ops work.

  • Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL

    Same Postgres, AWS-managed; you skip patching and backups.

Companies that use it

  • Instagram10
  • Vanten Inc.
Full analysis

Based on ~45 public sources; several review snippets were truncated in capture, so user quotes are short fragments.

Free, powerful open source database. Great for technical teams; overkill if you just need a spreadsheet or contact list.

Methodology

Based on ~45 public sources; several review snippets were truncated in capture, so user quotes are short fragments.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. PostgreSQL Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features — G2g2.com
    review
  2. PostgreSQL Products | Read 682 Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  3. Just use Postgres — r/programmingreddit.com
    review
  4. PostgreSQL Reviews, Pros and Cons — Software Advicesoftwareadvice.com
    review
  5. CVE-2025-1094: PostgreSQL psql SQL injection (FIXED) — Rapid7rapid7.com
    security
  6. 12-Year-Old PostgreSQL Vulnerability Enables Database Server Takeover — SecurityWeeksecurityweek.com
    security
  7. CVE-2026-2006: PostgreSQL RCE Vulnerability — SentinelOnesentinelone.com
    security
  8. Postgres Hosting Options 2026: Pricing Comparison — Bytebasebytebase.com
    news
  9. Companies that use PostgreSQL (227,721) — TheirStacktheirstack.com
    news
  10. Everyone Uses Postgres… But Why? — DEV Communitydev.to
    news
  11. PostgreSQL official sitepostgresql.org
    official
  12. Supabase snags $100M in funding — SiliconANGLEsiliconangle.com
    news
  13. pgBackRest Crisis Highlights PostgreSQL Open-Source Funding — LinuxInsiderlinuxinsider.com
    news

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