alternatives to
MySQL Server, the world's most popular open source database, and MySQL Cluster, a real-time, open source transactional database.
| Tool | Fit | Stars | Licence | Terms | Self-hosted | Language | Latest | Last push |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TiDB | Full replacement | 41k | Apache-2.0 | Open source | Yes | Go | v7.5.8 | 2026-10-06 |
| Dolt | Full replacement | 25k | Apache-2.0 | Open source | Yes | Go | v2.4.1 | 2026-10-06 |
| PostgreSQL | Full replacement | 22k | Other | Open source | Yes | C | REL_18_6 | 2026-10-06 |
| OceanBase | Full replacement | 10k | Apache-2.0 | Open source | Yes | C++ | v4.4.2_CE_BP3 | 2026-10-01 |
| MariaDB | Full replacement | 8.3k | GPL-2.0 | Open source | Yes | C++ | mariadb-13.0.2 | 2026-10-06 |
| MatrixOne | Partial | 2k | Apache-2.0 | Open source | Yes | Go | v4.2.5 | 2026-10-06 |
6 alternatives
TiDB is built for agentic workloads that grow unpredictably, with ACID guarantees and native support for transactions, analytics, and vector search. No data silos. No noisy neighbors. No infrastructure ceiling.
Speaks the MySQL protocol and scales out across nodes; triggers and some MySQL features are missing.
Dolt – Git for Data
Speaks the MySQL protocol and adds git-style branches, merges and diffs of the data.
Mirror of the official PostgreSQL GIT repository. Note that this is just a *mirror* - we don't work with pull requests on github. To contribute, please see https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Submitting_a_Patch
A relational database with a different SQL dialect and protocol.
OceanBase is the unified distributed database for the AI era — open-source, multi-model, one engine for your most demanding workloads.
Speaks the MySQL protocol and dialect and scales out across nodes with Paxos replication; some MySQL features are missing.
MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry.
Forked from MySQL; keeps its protocol and client libraries, and has diverged since MySQL 8.
AI-native HTAP database with Git-for-Data and built-in vector search, serving as the data and memory backbone for intelligent agents and applications.
Speaks the MySQL protocol and runs transactional and analytical queries on shared object storage.