Best Relational Databases in 2026
Updated
In short: MySQL is ranked #1 of 31 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Aiven for PostgreSQL and Amazon RDS. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Aiven for PostgreSQL. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Google Cloud SQL at $0.04/mo.
If your application stores structured data in relationships, relational databases offer a range of deployment and operating approaches to assess. Compared on deployment model and managed service, the entries also provide criteria such as backup retention, high availability, and read replicas. Check maximum connections and JSON data support against your workload, and weigh free-plan availability alongside paid-from prices. MySQL, Aiven for PostgreSQL, and Amazon RDS are among the options shown. Consider which responsibilities your team wants to operate, what continuity capabilities matter, and how your application’s data requirements shape the choice.
31 relational databases ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Relational Databases, one module each. A lit port is something its maker publishes; 11 of the 25 on this page have a public API.
- 01 MySQL API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 02 Aiven for PostgreSQL API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.2$5/mo
- 03 Amazon RDS API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 04 InterSystems IRIS API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 05 Neon API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.2$0.11/mo
- 06 SQLite API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.2$12.50/mo
- 07 H2 Database Engine API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.1Free
- 08 Crunchy Bridge API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.7$9/mo
- 09 EDB Postgres AI Hybrid Manager API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.7
- 10 Render API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.7$25/mo
- 11 Google Cloud SQL API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.6$0.04/mo
- 12 Firebird API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8€199/mo
- 13 MariaDB Server API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 14 PostgreSQL API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.7Free
- 15 Oracle Autonomous AI Database API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.6Free
- 16 Microsoft SQL Server API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.5
- 17 Oracle Database API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.4
- 18 SAP Customer Data Platform API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.3
- 19 HSQLDB API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.2$8.33/mo
- 20 DigitalOcean Managed Databases API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1$15.15/mo
- 21 rqlite API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 22 AlloyDB for PostgreSQL API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 23 CUBRID API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 24 openGauss API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 25 ALTIBASE API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 4.9
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which relational database is ranked first on Inferse?
MySQL is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 7.4. Aiven for PostgreSQL is second and Amazon RDS third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Google Cloud SQL has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.04/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.