List of the Top 14 Free SQL Databases in 2025

Percona Server serves as a fully-compatible and enhanced open-source alternative to MySQL, designed for seamless integration. With its remarkable performance, scalability, and advanced instrumentation, the software has garnered over 5.3 million downloads, demonstrating its widespread acceptance. The support for high-performance hardware ensures that users experience outstanding reliability in their database operations. In addition to these features, Percona Server MySQL provides enterprise-level capabilities, increased uptime, and numerous advantages that significantly boost database performance and operational efficiency. As users find themselves spending less time on tuning and administration tasks, they can redirect their focus toward more critical aspects of their projects and businesses. Recognized as a leader in the market, Percona offers a range of enterprise-class software solutions and support options. Their services encompass consulting, managed solutions, and training for both on-premise and cloud-based open-source databases. Established with a vision that everyone deserves access to scalable, secure, and efficient database solutions without the burdens of vendor lock-in or exorbitant costs, Percona remains committed to empowering its users with the tools and knowledge they need.

SQLite is a library written in C that delivers a compact, efficient, and fully-featured SQL database engine that is both reliable and widely used. It is regarded as the most popular database engine in the world, integrated into virtually every mobile device and most computers, along with countless applications that people utilize on a daily basis. Functioning as an in-process library, SQLite serves as a self-contained, serverless, and zero-configuration transactional SQL database engine. The source code is in the public domain, allowing anyone to utilize it freely for both commercial and personal endeavors. Thanks to its extensive integration and deployment across various platforms, SQLite has become an essential resource for developers engaged in significant projects. Its remarkable adaptability and user-friendliness are key factors that contribute to its unparalleled popularity within the database arena, making it a go-to choice for many. This widespread adoption showcases its importance in modern software development and data management practices.

MySQL is recognized as the leading open source database in the world. Its impressive history of reliability, performance, and ease of use has made it the go-to choice for many web applications, including major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as the five most visited websites. Additionally, MySQL is a popular option for embedded database solutions, with many independent software vendors and original equipment manufacturers distributing it. The database's flexibility and powerful capabilities further enhance its popularity across diverse sectors, making it a critical tool for developers and businesses alike. Its continued evolution ensures that it remains relevant in an ever-changing technological landscape.

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 merges cutting-edge intelligence with robust security features, presenting a wealth of additional tools at no extra expense while maintaining exceptional performance and flexibility tailored for on-premises needs. Users can effortlessly migrate to the cloud, fully leveraging its operational efficiency and nimbleness without modifying their existing codebase. By harnessing Azure, organizations can speed up the generation of insights and engage in predictive analytics more effectively. The development process remains versatile, empowering users to select their preferred technologies, including those from the open-source community, all backed by Microsoft's continuous innovations. This platform facilitates straightforward data integration within applications and provides an extensive range of cognitive services designed to nurture human-like intelligence, accommodating any data volume. AI is fundamentally woven into the data platform, enabling faster insight extraction from data stored both on-premises and in the cloud. Combining proprietary enterprise data with global datasets allows organizations to cultivate a culture steeped in intelligence. Moreover, the adaptable data platform ensures a uniform user experience across diverse environments, significantly reducing the time required to launch new innovations; this flexibility enables developers to create and deploy applications in multiple settings, ultimately boosting overall operational productivity and effectiveness. As a result, businesses can respond swiftly to market changes and evolving customer demands.

Redis Labs serves as the official home of Redis, showcasing its leading product, Redis Enterprise, which is recognized as the most advanced version of Redis. Offering much more than mere caching capabilities, Redis Enterprise is accessible for free in the cloud, delivering NoSQL solutions and utilizing the fastest in-memory database available. The platform is designed for scalability and enterprise-level resilience, enabling massive scaling along with user-friendly administration and operational efficiency. Notably, Redis in the Cloud has gained popularity among DevOps professionals due to its capabilities. Developers benefit from advanced data structures and a broad range of modules, empowering them to foster innovation and achieve quicker time-to-market. Chief Information Officers appreciate the robust security and reliable expert support that Redis provides, ensuring an impressive uptime of 99.999%. For scenarios involving active-active configurations, geodistribution, and conflict resolution with read/write operations across multiple regions on the same dataset, relational databases are recommended. Furthermore, Redis Enterprise facilitates various flexible deployment options, making it adaptable to different environments. The ecosystem also includes Redis JSON, Redis Java, and Python Redis, along with best practices for Redis on Kubernetes and GUI management, solidifying its versatility in modern application development.

Firebird is a versatile relational database that adheres to many ANSI SQL standards and offers compatibility across Linux, Windows, and various Unix platforms. Its features include exceptional concurrency, high performance, and strong support for stored procedures and triggers, which contribute to its widespread use in different applications. Since its launch in 1981, Firebird has been employed in various production settings under several different names. The Firebird Project functions autonomously, comprising a team of C and C++ developers, technical advisors, and community supporters who all play a role in the continued enhancement of this multi-platform relational database management system, derived from the source code released by Inprise Corp (now known as Borland Software Corp) on July 25, 2000. In addition, the Firebird Project offers an extensive array of documentation for users, developers, and administrators, including beginner-friendly Quick Start guides and detailed expert articles that delve into various features of the Firebird system. This comprehensive resource guarantees that anyone engaging with Firebird has access to the necessary information to refine their experience and maximize the database's capabilities. As a result, the Firebird community continues to grow, enhancing collaboration and knowledge sharing among its users.

Greenplum Database® is recognized as a cutting-edge, all-encompassing open-source data warehouse solution. It shines in delivering quick and powerful analytics on data sets that can scale to petabytes. Tailored specifically for big data analytics, the system is powered by a sophisticated cost-based query optimizer that guarantees outstanding performance for analytical queries on large data sets. Operating under the Apache 2 license, we express our heartfelt appreciation to all current contributors and warmly welcome new participants to join our collaborative efforts. In the Greenplum Database community, all contributions are cherished, no matter how small, and we wholeheartedly promote various forms of engagement. This platform acts as an open-source, massively parallel data environment specifically designed for analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence initiatives. Users can rapidly create and deploy models aimed at addressing intricate challenges in areas like cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, risk management, and fraud detection, among many others. Explore the possibilities of a fully integrated, feature-rich open-source analytics platform that fosters innovation and drives progress in numerous fields. Additionally, the community thrives on collaboration, ensuring continuous improvement and adaptation to emerging technologies in data analytics.

Apache Phoenix effectively merges online transaction processing (OLTP) with operational analytics in the Hadoop ecosystem, making it suitable for applications that require low-latency responses by blending the advantages of both domains. It utilizes standard SQL and JDBC APIs while providing full ACID transaction support, as well as the flexibility of schema-on-read common in NoSQL systems through its use of HBase for storage. Furthermore, Apache Phoenix integrates effortlessly with various components of the Hadoop ecosystem, including Spark, Hive, Pig, Flume, and MapReduce, thereby establishing itself as a robust data platform for both OLTP and operational analytics through the use of widely accepted industry-standard APIs. The framework translates SQL queries into a series of HBase scans, efficiently managing these operations to produce traditional JDBC result sets. By making direct use of the HBase API and implementing coprocessors along with specific filters, Apache Phoenix delivers exceptional performance, often providing results in mere milliseconds for smaller queries and within seconds for extensive datasets that contain millions of rows. This outstanding capability positions it as an optimal solution for applications that necessitate swift data retrieval and thorough analysis, further enhancing its appeal in the field of big data processing. Its ability to handle complex queries with efficiency only adds to its reputation as a top choice for developers seeking to harness the power of Hadoop for both transactional and analytical workloads.

As the shift towards distributed applications and architectures accelerates, it becomes crucial for your database to evolve in response. Experience the versatility of a distributed SQL database that can be deployed anytime and anywhere, customized to fit your unique needs. Upgrade your existing SQL applications to a powerful multi-node framework that can easily scale up or down based on fluctuating demand. Our Transaction Engines (TEs) and Storage Managers (SMs) work in harmony to ensure ACID compliance across diverse nodes. Through the adoption of a distributed architecture, your database gains the ability to endure the failure of one or more nodes while still providing uninterrupted access. You can strategically position TEs and SMs to meet the demands of your workload or across the various environments your teams utilize, including private clouds, public clouds, hybrid configurations, or multiple cloud services. This remarkable flexibility guarantees that your database stays resilient and efficient amid a rapidly changing technological environment. Ultimately, the ability to adapt and thrive in such conditions will give your organization a significant competitive edge.

SAP HANA is a cutting-edge in-memory database that efficiently manages both transactional and analytical workloads by utilizing a single data copy, regardless of its nature. It effectively eliminates the divide between transactional and analytical functions within businesses, allowing for quick decision-making whether used in a traditional data center or through cloud services. This advanced database management system grants users the ability to develop intelligent, real-time applications, which promotes fast decision-making from a consolidated data repository. By integrating sophisticated analytics, it bolsters the performance of modern transaction processing systems. Organizations can leverage cloud-native features such as enhanced scalability, speed, and performance to create comprehensive data solutions. With SAP HANA Cloud, businesses gain access to dependable and actionable insights from a unified platform while maintaining stringent security, privacy, and data anonymization that align with established enterprise standards. In the rapidly evolving market landscape, the intelligent enterprise increasingly depends on prompt insights generated from data, highlighting the necessity for real-time access to critical information. As organizations face rising expectations for immediate insights, adopting a powerful database solution like SAP HANA is essential for maintaining a competitive edge. The ability to make informed decisions based on real-time data is becoming a key differentiator in business success.

The Unified Analytics Warehouse stands out as an exceptional resource for accessing high-performance analytics and machine learning on a large scale. Analysts in the tech research field are identifying emerging leaders who aim to revolutionize big data analytics. Vertica enhances the capabilities of data-centric organizations, enabling them to maximize their analytics strategies. It provides sophisticated features such as advanced time-series analysis, geospatial functionality, machine learning tools, and seamless data lake integration, alongside user-definable extensions and a cloud-optimized architecture. The Under the Hood webcast series from Vertica allows viewers to explore the platform's features in depth, with insights provided by Vertica engineers, technical experts, and others, highlighting its position as the most scalable advanced analytical database available. By supporting data-driven innovators globally, Vertica plays a crucial role in their quest for transformative changes in industries and businesses alike. This commitment to innovation ensures that organizations can adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving market landscape.

FrontBase was created to fulfill the need for a robust and scalable relational database server tailored for internet applications, ensuring uninterrupted operation and minimal administrative overhead. Its exceptional speed, comprehensive features, and flexible architecture grant users a considerable edge over competitors. Not only does FrontBase excel in performance, but it also offers remarkable scalability, making it an ideal choice for a diverse range of databases, from simple personal projects to some of the largest enterprise systems around the world, all while significantly reducing the need for expensive database administration staff. Founded in 1996, FrontBase not only produces vital tools but also develops essential applications, such as the Command and Control Center utilized by the Copenhagen Police for 24/7 emergency response services. With a commitment to providing dedicated support and having specialized divisions in Tools, Core Development, and Professional Services, FrontBase is focused on helping clients achieve their goals, backed by three global offices that enhance its customer service capabilities. Their unwavering commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction remains the driving force behind their success in an ever-changing technological environment, paving the way for future advancements. Thus, FrontBase continues to explore new solutions to further empower its users and refine its offerings.

Volt Active Data is an advanced data platform crafted to optimize your technology infrastructure, boosting both speed and cost-efficiency while allowing applications and enterprises to scale seamlessly to meet the stringent low latency service level agreements (SLAs) essential for 5G, IoT, edge computing, and forthcoming innovations. It is specifically designed to enhance your existing big data resources, such as NoSQL, Hadoop, Kubernetes, Kafka, and traditional databases or data warehouses, by eliminating the typically complex layers required for contextual decision-making on streaming data, instead providing a unified layer that enables ingestion to action in less than 10 milliseconds. In today's digital world, data is plentiful, often generated, stored, and subsequently ignored or discarded. The term "Active Data" pertains to the information that necessitates prompt action for businesses to extract meaningful value from it. While there are various traditional and NoSQL data storage solutions available for handling such data, a unique segment of data can be monetized if swift action is taken to 'influence the moment' before the opportunity is lost. By utilizing Volt Active Data's capabilities, organizations can transform their approach from merely gathering data to actively employing it for real-time decision-making and gaining a competitive edge. This shift not only enhances operational efficiency but also enables companies to seize opportunities in an increasingly fast-paced market.

This is a robust, easily scalable embedded SQL database that allows access from any location. Additionally, it offers top-tier data protection, disaster recovery solutions, synchronization of changes, and comprehensive data security measures.