Best Free SQL Databases of 2025

Redis Labs is the home of Redis. Redis Enterprise is the best Redis version. Redis Enterprise is more than a cache. Redis Enterprise can be free in the cloud with NoSQL and data caching using the fastest in-memory database. Redis can be scaled, enterprise-grade resilience, massive scaling, ease of administration, and operational simplicity. Redis in the Cloud is a favorite of DevOps. Developers have access to enhanced data structures and a variety modules. This allows them to innovate faster and has a faster time-to-market. CIOs love the security and expert support of Redis, which provides 99.999% uptime. Use relational databases for active-active, geodistribution, conflict distribution, reads/writes in multiple regions to the same data set. Redis Enterprise offers flexible deployment options. Redis Labs is the home of Redis. Redis JSON, Redis Java, Python Redis, Redis on Kubernetes & Redis gui best practices.

Percona Server is a fully-compatible, enhanced and open-source drop-in replacement for MySQL. It offers superior performance, scalability and instrumentation. Percona Server boasts over 5,300,000. Downloads and support for high-performance hardware provide excellent performance and reliability. Percona Server MySQL offers enterprise-grade features, higher uptime, and a variety of key benefits that increase database performance and efficiency. Because users spend less time tuning and administering, they have more time to focus on the most important priorities. Percona is a market leader providing enterprise-class software and support. Consulting, managed services, as well as training for open-source databases that are both on-premise or cloud-based, include consulting, training, and consulting. Percona was founded with the belief that everyone should be able to access scalable, secure and efficient database software features without any vendor lock-in or excessive fees.

SQLite is a C-language library that offers a compact, efficient, and reliable SQL database engine that is fully featured. Recognized as the most popular database engine globally, SQLite is embedded in every mobile device and the majority of computers, while also being included in a myriad of applications that are used daily by individuals. Operating as an in-process library, SQLite provides a self-sufficient, serverless, and zero-configuration transactional SQL database engine. The source code of SQLite resides in the public domain, making it available for anyone to use freely, whether for commercial or personal purposes. With its extensive deployment and integration into numerous applications, SQLite stands out as an invaluable tool for developers in various high-profile projects. Its versatility and ease of use contribute to its unmatched popularity in the database landscape.

MySQL stands out as the most widely used open source database globally. Thanks to its established track record in performance, dependability, and user-friendliness, it has emerged as the preferred database for web applications, powering notable platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, alongside the top five websites. Furthermore, MySQL is also highly favored as an embedded database solution, being distributed by numerous independent software vendors and original equipment manufacturers. Its versatility and robust features contribute to its widespread adoption across various industries.

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 incorporates both intelligence and security, providing users with added features at no additional cost while ensuring top-tier performance and adaptability for on-premises requirements. You can seamlessly transition to the cloud, taking full advantage of its efficiency and agility without the need to alter your existing code. By leveraging Azure, you can accelerate insight generation and predictive analytics. Development is flexible, allowing you to utilize your preferred technologies, including open-source options, supported by Microsoft's advancements. The platform enables easy data integration into your applications and offers a comprehensive suite of cognitive services that facilitate the creation of human-like intelligence, regardless of data volume. The integration of AI is intrinsic to the data platform, allowing for quicker insight extraction from both on-premises and cloud-stored data. By combining your unique enterprise data with global data, you can foster an organization that is driven by intelligence. The dynamic data platform provides a consistent user experience across various environments, expediting the time it takes to bring innovations to market; this allows you to develop your applications and deploy them in any environment you choose, enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Apache Phoenix provides low-latency OLTP and operational analytics on Hadoop by merging the advantages of traditional SQL with the flexibility of NoSQL. It utilizes HBase as its underlying storage, offering full ACID transaction support alongside late-bound, schema-on-read capabilities. Fully compatible with other Hadoop ecosystem tools such as Spark, Hive, Pig, Flume, and MapReduce, it establishes itself as a reliable data platform for OLTP and operational analytics through well-defined, industry-standard APIs. When a SQL query is executed, Apache Phoenix converts it into a series of HBase scans, managing these scans to deliver standard JDBC result sets seamlessly. The framework's direct interaction with the HBase API, along with the implementation of coprocessors and custom filters, enables performance metrics that can reach milliseconds for simple queries and seconds for larger datasets containing tens of millions of rows. This efficiency positions Apache Phoenix as a formidable choice for businesses looking to enhance their data processing capabilities in a Big Data environment.

Firebird is a relational database that incorporates numerous features compliant with ANSI SQL standards and is compatible with Linux, Windows, and multiple Unix systems. It boasts remarkable concurrency, impressive performance, and robust support for stored procedures and triggers, making it a popular choice for various applications. Since its inception in 1981, Firebird has been utilized in production environments under different names. The Firebird Project operates independently, consisting of C and C++ developers, technical advisors, and supporters who contribute to the ongoing development of this multi-platform relational database management system, which is based on the source code released by Inprise Corp (now Borland Software Corp) on July 25, 2000. Moreover, the Firebird Project provides a wealth of documentation for users, developers, and administrators, ranging from beginner Quick Start guides to in-depth expert articles that explore numerous aspects of the Firebird system. This extensive resource ensures that anyone working with Firebird can find the information they need to optimize their experience.

Greenplum Database® stands out as a sophisticated, comprehensive, and open-source data warehouse solution. It excels in providing swift and robust analytics on data volumes that reach petabyte scales. Designed specifically for big data analytics, Greenplum Database is driven by a highly advanced cost-based query optimizer that ensures exceptional performance for analytical queries on extensive data sets. This project operates under the Apache 2 license, and we extend our gratitude to all current contributors while inviting new ones to join our efforts. In the Greenplum Database community, every contribution is valued, regardless of its size, and we actively encourage diverse forms of involvement. This platform serves as an open-source, massively parallel data environment tailored for analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence applications. Users can swiftly develop and implement models aimed at tackling complex challenges in fields such as cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, risk management, and fraud detection, among others. Dive into the experience of a fully integrated, feature-rich open-source analytics platform that empowers innovation.

As the trend towards distributed applications and architectures continues to grow, it is essential for your database to adapt accordingly. Discover the flexibility of a distributed SQL database that allows you to deploy it wherever and whenever you need, tailored to your specific requirements. Transition your current SQL applications to a robust multi-node setup that can effortlessly scale both up and down as demand fluctuates. Our Transaction Engines (TEs) and Storage Managers (SMs) collaborate seamlessly to maintain ACID compliance across various nodes. By implementing a distributed architecture, your database can withstand the failure of one or more nodes without compromising access. You can strategically deploy TEs and SMs to align with your changing workload demands or across the various environments utilized by your teams, whether in private clouds, public clouds, hybrid setups, or across multiple cloud services. This adaptability ensures that your database remains resilient and efficient in a dynamic technological landscape.

SAP HANA is an in-memory database designed to handle both transactional and analytical workloads using a single copy of data, regardless of type. It effectively dissolves the barriers between transactional and analytical processes within organizations, facilitating rapid decision-making whether deployed on-premises or in the cloud. This innovative database management system empowers users to create intelligent, real-time solutions, enabling swift decision-making from a unified data source. By incorporating advanced analytics, it enhances the capabilities of next-generation transaction processing. Organizations can build data solutions that capitalize on cloud-native attributes such as scalability, speed, and performance. With SAP HANA Cloud, businesses can access reliable, actionable information from one cohesive platform while ensuring robust security, privacy, and data anonymization, reflecting proven enterprise standards. In today's fast-paced environment, an intelligent enterprise relies on timely insights derived from data, emphasizing the need for real-time delivery of such valuable information. As the demand for immediate access to insights grows, leveraging an efficient database like SAP HANA becomes increasingly critical for organizations aiming to stay competitive.

The Unified Analytics Warehouse. The Unified Analytics Warehouse is the best place to find high-performing analytics and machine learning at large scale. Tech research analysts are seeing new leaders as they strive to deliver game-changing big data analytics. Vertica empowers data-driven companies so they can make the most of their analytics initiatives. It offers advanced time-series, geospatial, and machine learning capabilities, as well as data lake integration, user-definable extensions, cloud-optimized architecture and more. Vertica's Under the Hood webcast series allows you to dive into the features of Vertica - delivered by Vertica engineers, technical experts, and others - and discover what makes it the most scalable and scalable advanced analytical data database on the market. Vertica supports the most data-driven disruptors around the globe in their pursuit for industry and business transformation.

FrontBase was developed to address the demand for a powerful and scalable relational database server that is designed for internet use, operates without any downtime, and necessitates no administrative efforts. With its remarkable speed, extensive features, and adaptable architecture, FrontBase can provide users with a significant competitive advantage. Not only is FrontBase exceptionally fast, but it also serves as a highly scalable relational database server. Clients utilize FrontBase to build a wide array of databases, ranging from small personal projects to some of the largest enterprise-level systems globally, all while eliminating the need for costly database administration personnel. Established in 1996, FrontBase not only develops essential tools but also crucial applications, including the Command and Control Center for the Copenhagen Police, which is a 24/7 emergency response system. With dedicated support and specialized divisions for Tools, Core Development, and Professional Services, FrontBase is committed to assisting you in reaching your objectives, supported by three global offices that enhance its ability to serve customers effectively. The company’s focus on innovation and client satisfaction continues to drive its success in the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Volt Active Data is a sophisticated data platform designed to streamline your entire technology stack, enhancing speed and cost-effectiveness, enabling applications and businesses to effortlessly scale in alignment with the extremely low latency service level agreements (SLAs) demanded by 5G, IoT, edge computing, and future innovations. It is tailored to complement your current big data assets, including NoSQL, Hadoop, Kubernetes, Kafka, and conventional databases or data warehouses, as it replaces the multiple layers usually necessary for making contextual decisions on streaming data with a singular, cohesive layer that facilitates ingestion to action in under 10 milliseconds. The digital landscape is inundated with data that is generated, stored, often overlooked, and ultimately discarded. "Active Data" refers to the information that requires immediate action for businesses to derive value from it. Numerous traditional and NoSQL data storage solutions are available for managing such data; however, there exists also a category of data that can be monetized, provided that swift action is taken to 'influence the moment' before the opportunity slips away. By harnessing the capabilities of Volt Active Data, organizations can ensure they are not merely collecting data but effectively leveraging it for real-time decision-making and strategic advantage.

It is a highly scalable, embedded SQL database that can be accessed from anywhere. It also includes commercial-grade data security, disaster recovery, change synchronization, and data security.