15 Greatest Free Database Software program for Knowledge Administration in 2024

Whether or not you’re a marketer or software program developer, you’ve got most likely heard of “database”.

A database is a part of any laptop system that shops and organizes information in a handy type. The idea of database software program isn’t arduous to understand as all of us use databases constantly.

Think about an Excel spreadsheet: a group of information organized into columns and rows. A database operates equally however often on a bigger scale throughout many interconnected computer systems and with extra advanced types of information.

However getting your arms on one of the best database software program could be difficult. Quite a few choices can be found, and deciding which is best for you is not straightforward. We’ve compiled a listing of the highest free database software program, together with their professionals and cons. 

You might want to take into account a number of elements, particularly when deciding on database software program to develop functions. The database software program provides sturdy information administration capabilities, together with environment friendly information parsing for streamlined data dealing with. This contains asking the appropriate questions on a software program’s capabilities, making certain whether or not to spend money on studying a brand new database and determining what you need to obtain together with your functions.

For those who do not need to pay, loads of free database options are divided into two fundamental teams: relational and non-relational. However, when you haven’t selected the database software program (paid or free) you need to use, right here are some things to think about:

• Complexity: Sure database software program could be moderately advanced and require some technical information. Then again, some venture administration software program simplifies managing project-related information.
• Safety: No person desires their information to fall into the flawed arms. Selecting software program that makes use of cutting-edge information safety protocols is crucial.
• Integrations: Software program integrations permit customers to deal with information throughout many functions, akin to CRM software program or messaging apps.
• Pricing: As we discover a few of the high free database software program, some functions could have premium plans that present extra options, storage capability, and extra. So select a database answer that provides one of the best worth for cash.

How did we choose and consider one of the best database software program?

At G2, we rank software program options utilizing a proprietary algorithm that considers buyer satisfaction and market presence based mostly on genuine person critiques. Our market analysis analysts and writers spend weeks testing options in opposition to a number of standards set for a software program class. We offer you unbiased software program evaluations; that is the G2 distinction! We didn’t settle for cost or trade hyperlinks for product placements on this listing. Please learn our G2 Analysis Scoring Methodology for extra particulars.

A relational database is an organized assortment of information parts linked collectively by predefined associations. These parts are organized in a collection of tables with rows and columns.

Relational database software program helps companies draw significant data by way of linked tables. Customers can simply comprehend the patterns and connections or how the tables are associated.

The listing beneath incorporates real-user critiques of one of the best free relational database options in the marketplace. To be included on this listing, the developed functions have to be free and:

• Provide information storage
• Construction information in a relational mannequin by defining a desk with rows and columns
• Let customers acquire, replace, ship, or delete information

*This listing is predicated on G2 information collected in 2024. Some critiques could have been edited for readability.

1. Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS)

Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) allows customers to construct, handle, and broaden databases within the cloud. It provides scalable capability whereas automating time-consuming administrative duties, together with {hardware} provisioning, setup, patches, and backups.

It frees companies to concentrate on providers and supplies them with the wanted efficiency and safety. High operational options embrace the Amazon RDS Administration Console, the AWS RDS Command-Line Interface, and easy API requires fast and simple setup. 

What customers like greatest: 

“What I like greatest about Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) is its capacity to simplify the administration of relational databases with automated backups, scaling, and upkeep. This permits customers to concentrate on utility growth with out worrying concerning the underlying database infrastructure. The seamless integration with different AWS providers and sturdy safety features additional improve its attraction.”

– Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) Evaluation, Cuong M. 

What customers dislike: 

“As a managed service, RDS could not provide the identical degree of customization and management as self-managed databases, which could be a limitation for sure superior use circumstances.“

– Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) Evaluation, Nireeksha P. 

2. IBM Db2

IBM Db2 is a relational database administration system (RDBMS) that effectively shops, analyzes, and retrieves information. Firms of all sizes use Db2 for transactional and analytical processes because it provides steady information availability to maintain them working easily. Db2 additionally helps NoSQL options, akin to XML, graph retailer, and JSON.

What customers like greatest: 

“IBM Db2 is a secure platform and built-in relational database administration system that leverages high-performance, virtualization, and power effectivity options. Additionally, it’s supported by totally different media.”

– IBM Db2 Evaluation, Sachin D.

What customers dislike: 

“It might be nice if we may have assist to have a local UI instrument to view information and execute queries. The question efficiency is likely to be sluggish generally for long-running processes.”

– IBM Db2 Evaluation, Vignesh V.

3. MariaDB

MariaDB relieves companies of proprietary databases’ prices, limitations, and intricacy, permitting them to concentrate on what issues most: constructing artistic, customer-facing apps. MariaDB employs pluggable, purpose-built storage engines to accommodate workloads that historically wanted a spread of specialist databases.

MariaDB supplies unmatched operational agility with out shedding vital company capabilities akin to real ACID compliance and full SQL.

What customers like greatest: 

“It is a dependable and open-source database system that does not fear the customers. I used this database over oracle due to its efficiency and availability. We are able to go away an impression on the purchasers through the use of the MariaDB database.”

– MariaDB Evaluation, Tabassum Ok.

What customers dislike: 

“It isn’t handy for a giant stream of information. Additional, it performs comparatively effectively by way of clustering and is continually up to date with new options and features.”

– MariaDB Evaluation, Satyam G.

A doc database (typically often called a document-oriented database or a doc retailer) shops information within the type of paperwork. It is a non-relational (also called NoSQL) database well-suited for catalogs, person profiles, and content material administration methods, the place every doc is exclusive and modifications over time.

Doc database software program makes it a lot simpler for programmers to save lots of and question information in a database as a result of they make use of the identical document-model format as their codebase. Versatile indexing, sturdy advert hoc searches, and analytics over collections of paperwork are all potential with doc databases.

The listing beneath incorporates actual person critiques from one of the best free doc database options in the marketplace. Along with being a free utility, to be included on this listing, it’s essential to additionally:

• Provide information storage
• Construction information in a doc mannequin
• Let customers retrieve information

*This listing is predicated on G2 information collected in 2024. Some critiques could have been edited for readability.

1. Couchbase

Couchbase is a feature-rich database administration system for small and midsize organizations and massive companies in numerous industries, together with banking, accommodations, power, data expertise (IT), retail, telecommunications, and manufacturing. 

Couchbase is a multi-model NoSQL database designed completely for mission-critical functions.It’s a document-oriented distributed database that mixes two standard NoSQL applied sciences: Membase and CouchDB.

What customers like greatest: 

“Simple to get began. We are able to question over the DB utilizing N1QL, which is similar to SQL, so it does not want additional information to get began. The UI may be very clear and simple to know. Indexing is straightforward to implement; we are able to see all of the accessible indices, and whereas working the queries, we are able to see which index was picked up. Cherished this selection.”

– Couchbase Evaluation, Amit P.

What customers dislike: 

“Including approved customers was a bit difficult. Nonetheless, my group figured it out after some poking round.”

– Couchbase Evaluation, Nico P.

2. ArangoDB

ArangoDB is a extremely scalable, multi-model database that excels in dealing with advanced, interconnected information constructions. As a doc database, it is optimized for storing and querying information in a versatile JSON-like format, making it ultimate for functions that require speedy growth and environment friendly information administration.

What customers like greatest: 

“The combination of the doc, search, and graph fashions has made our selections simpler. We are able to restrict our stack to make use of Arango and never have an explosion of vendor methods for every function.”

– ArangoDB Evaluation, Kevin B.

What customers dislike: 

“Creating Property graphs is straightforward. Nonetheless, there is no such thing as a direct method to create an RDF/OWL graph. RDF triples are helpful in machine studying.”

– ArangoDB Evaluation, Amardeep Singh S.

3. MarkLogic 

MarkLogic is an enterprise-grade NoSQL doc database famend for its capacity to deal with large volumes of numerous information, together with XML, JSON, and RDF. It provides a singular mix of database, search, and utility server functionalities inside a single platform.

What customers like greatest: 

“MarkLogic is a database platform managing giant dataflows and totally different datatypes. It additionally shops numerous structured and unstructured queries together with numerous dataflows that may be managed beneath a single system. It helps customers for sooner indexing and search from giant datasets and permits customers to deal with growing quantities of information. MarkLogic is compliant with atomicity, isolation, sturdiness, and consistency. MarkLogic could be built-in with numerous third-party instruments and supplies confidentiality, integrity, and auditing.”

– MarkLogic Evaluation, Harshit L. 

What customers dislike: 

“The license price is extraordinarily excessive and so is the quantity of house required to retailer information.” 

– MarkLogic Evaluation, Abdalla H. 

A graph database represents and shops information utilizing graph constructions for semantic queries, akin to nodes, edges, and properties. A graph is an important ingredient within the system and connects the info gadgets to a set of nodes and edges, the place the sides point out the nodes’ relationships.

These relationships immediately join saved information and, in lots of circumstances, retrieve it in a single operation. As a result of relationships are preserved indefinitely within the database, querying them is fast. Graph databases can simply show interconnections, which is useful for extensively interconnected data.

The listing beneath incorporates actual person critiques of one of the best free graph database options in the marketplace. To be included on this listing, not solely do you need to be a free utility, but additionally:

• Provide information storage
• Retailer and construction information in a topographical schema
• Let customers retrieve information utilizing a querying language

*This listing is predicated on G2 information collected in 2024. Some critiques could have been edited for readability.

1. Neo4j 

Neo4j is an open-source graph database that helps companies make data-driven selections because it exhibits the relationships between individuals, processes, and methods. Neo4j maintains interconnected information by default, making information simpler to grasp. Firms also can use the property graph mannequin to develop machine studying and AI fashions.

What customers like greatest: 

“Neo4j is essentially the most interactive and simple to make use of or question instrument I’ve ever labored with. The ciphers are so user-friendly that somebody with no information of programming or question languages can get began at any second, which provides us an edge in explaining the BI evaluation and parameters to our prospects. Visualizations provide help to debug and resolve the problems method sooner than different DBs. And their integration with most cloud providers permits a clean integration in our functions.“

– Neo4j Evaluation, Gariba G. 

What customers dislike: 

“I didn’t discover numerous assets to assist once I received caught. Additionally, the setup course of was a bit tedious, particularly with solely the documentation to go off, however I managed to determine the drivers points.”

– Neo4j Evaluation, Ian J. 

2. ArangoDB

ArangoDB is a flexible, multi-model database that seamlessly integrates graph, doc, and key-value information fashions inside a single platform. This unified method empowers builders to effectively handle and question advanced datasets. It shops and queries paperwork, graphs, and key-value information utilizing a single, declarative question language (AQL). Ensures information integrity and consistency throughout a number of operations.

What customers like greatest: 

“I like that it is extremely versatile with its multi-model method; you’ve the ability of a doc retailer with graph search, which primarily permits you to do no matter you do with each doc shops and with SQL databases, plus rather more because of the graph traversal. The AQL language may be very intuitive and so fast to be taught. Velocity is nice, too. It’s straightforward to make use of for prototyping, and it supplies you with DevOps instrument for cluster set up on Kubernetes.”

– ArangoDB Evaluation, Delio D. 

What customers dislike: 

“It was a little bit of a studying curve on how information is shared over the nodes within the cluster, which is crucial to know to get good efficiency when executing queries. Whereas it is seldom you need to change the identify of a group, that’s potential when working with a single standalone server, but it surely’s not potential in a cluster setup.

It is unattainable to set most popular service hours for upkeep (upgrades) for the clusters of their cloud service, so except we provoke upgrades manually, they will begin throughout our primetime.”

– ArangoDB Evaluation, Johan S. 

3. Dgraph

Dgraph is a graph database system with a single schema growth mannequin. Customers can use the instrument to develop a schema, deploy it, and obtain quick database and API entry with out writing any code.

Dgraph permits customers to decide on between GraphQL and DQL, so anybody with no prior information of graph databases to get began.

What customers like greatest: 

“We now have opted for the Dgraph Cloud platform for our enterprise as it’s extremely scalable with low latency. It is wonderful for necessities which have real-time transactional workloads because it synchronizes buyer information successfully. Knowledge retrieval is hassle-free & we are able to carry out arbitrary depth joins with out worrying about our cluster limitations.”

– Dgraph Evaluation, Varshini S.

What customers dislike: 

“Dgraph requires excessive RAM to retailer a graph in comparison with different choices. The managed providing does not present all of the performance potential utilizing its Kubernetes cluster. The administration must be executed by your self or the DevOps group of the group.”

– Dgraph Evaluation, Aditya G.

An object-oriented database (OOD) is a system that operates with subtle information objects, akin to these present in object-oriented programming (OOP) languages. An object-oriented database is structured round objects moderately than actions and information moderately than logic.

Object-oriented databases deal with information as entire objects. As a substitute of a number of tables, all data is offered in a single, immediately accessible object package deal.

An entity is represented as an object in OOP that’s maintained in reminiscence. Members of objects embrace fields, attributes, and strategies. Objects have a life cycle that includes an object’s creation, use, and disposal. A number of main OOP languages can be found right now, together with C++, Java, C#, Ruby, Python, JavaScript, and Perl.

The listing beneath incorporates actual person critiques of one of the best free object-oriented database options in the marketplace. To be included on this listing, you need to be a free utility and:

• Provide information storage
• Retailer and construction information in object-based information fashions
• Let customers create, retailer, and replace object information fashions

*This listing is predicated on G2 information collected in 2024. Some critiques could have been edited for readability.

1. IBM Db2

IBM Db2 is a scalable object-oriented database administration system (OODBMS) designed to deal with advanced information constructions and relationships. As an OODBMS, Db2 provides a versatile and intuitive method to storing and managing information, making it well-suited for functions that require superior information modeling and querying capabilities.

What customers like greatest: 

“That is nice for storing and organizing our consumer’s information and offers the corporate the pliability to make use of recordsdata and tables as we modernize our software program platform. I take advantage of Run SQL scripts essentially the most to entry information to check my packages with totally different information units. The DB2 database is ideal for the monetary and demographic information that’s the spine of our system. The system may be very safe, which is ideal for all of the delicate information we’ve.”

– IBM Db2 Evaluation, Chris D.

What customers dislike: 

“There are some things that may be improved. Firstly, the mixing choices aren’t available. The UI could be improved to help the educational curve of recent customers.”

– IBM Db2 Evaluation, Punit S.

2. InterSystems IRIS

InterSystems IRIS is a high-performance information administration platform that offers IT specialists the instruments to develop machine studying and information connectivity functions. The software program additionally helps database administration for SQL and NoSQL databases. It is primarily designed for organizations that need bespoke apps to deal with incoming information shortly and carry out real-time information analytics.

What customers like greatest: 

“It is quick, permits you to work with many applied sciences, not simply healthcare-related ones, and integrates many cool options into your initiatives by default. With out doing any additional work, you’ll get a hint log that permits you to search and redo processes fixing errors. It features a quick and versatile database with a tree construction that will also be used with common SQL.”

– InterSystems IRIS Evaluation, Jaime L.

What customers dislike: 

“I feel the largest draw back to InterSystems Iris (and is definitely small compared to what it may very well be) is that if you wish to add customized performance, you’ll have to be taught the InterSystems Particular programming language (not less than slightly) to get it constructed out. It follows fairly customary programming guidelines and syntax, although, so it will not take lengthy to get shifting with it.”

– InterSystems IRIS Evaluation, Victoria C.

3. InterSystems Chaché

InterSystems Caché is a full-featured database system with all of the performance required to run mission-critical functions, together with journaling, backup and restoration, and system administration instruments, for healthcare, banking and monetary providers, authorities, and different industries.

What customers like greatest: 

“It is a swift and safe database and may talk with relational entry, net pages, and object entry.”

– InterSystems Caché Evaluation, Eike Scudellari F.

What customers dislike: 

“The Studio editor is a bit outdated, and I really feel a scarcity of common data on the open net.”

– InterSystems Caché Evaluation, Andy C.

A key-value database, generally often called a key-value retailer, is a non-relational database that shops information utilizing a easy key-value method. It shops, retrieves, and maintains associative arrays as a dictionary. Dictionaries comprise objects or information with many various fields that retailer information.

Keys and values could be something, from primary to classy compound objects. Key-value databases are extremely partitionable and allow horizontal scaling that different sorts of databases can’t.

When do you have to select a key-value database?

• When your utility manages many small steady reads and writes, a key-value database could be risky. It supplies fast in-memory entry.
• When preserving important information, akin to consumer data, storing web sites with the URL as the important thing and the webpage as the worth, and storing shopping-cart contents, product classes, and e-commerce product particulars.
• For packages that do not have to be up to date ceaselessly or deal with subtle queries

The listing beneath incorporates actual person critiques of one of the best free key-value database options in the marketplace. To be included on this listing, software program have to be free and:

• Provide information storage
• Retailer and construction information as a singular worth mapped to a key
• Let customers retrieve information

*This listing is predicated on G2 information collected in 2024. Some critiques could have been edited for readability.

1. ScyllaDB

ScyllaDB is an open-source distributed NoSQL database. It was created to work with Apache Cassandra whereas delivering a lot larger throughputs and diminished latencies. It helps the identical protocols and file codecs as Cassandra however is a very rewritten implementation with the C++20 language.

What customers like greatest: 

“We now have been using ScyllaDB for a very long time now. It’s a dependable and extremely accessible NoSQL DB on account of its replication. Guaranteeing that the info stays there even after a number of nodes fail.

Our in-house group received a terrific assist from ScyllaDB assist whereas implementing the DB because of its supportability with CQL. Greatest instance of information consistency, reliability and efficiency.”

– ScyllaDB Evaluation, Chanchala B.

What customers dislike: 

“The setup and configuration complexity of ScyllaDB, which could be tough for novices. Moreover, the documentation generally lacks readability for superior options.”

– ScyllaDB Evaluation, Riya V. 

2. Couchbase

Couchbase is a distributed, NoSQL database that excels at storing and retrieving information in a key-value format. As a key-value database, Couchbase is optimized for quick information entry and excessive throughput, making it ultimate for functions that require speedy efficiency and scalability.

What customers like greatest: 

“It is fairly quick, indexing and all could be executed with only one line and it makes the queries execute 100 occasions sooner. And one of the best factor I discover is the documentation. Many occasions I come throughout a brand new use case and am unable to implement it. Then I search for that within the documentation and discover all of the solutions to all of the use circumstances I had. Would not carry out effectively when information will increase, numerous occasions I get ambiguous timeout exceptions. Couchbase UI can also be very straightforward to make use of.”

– Couchbase Evaluation, Amit P.

What customers dislike: 

“I used to be utilizing it with Spring Webflux that’s reactive, so whereas processing information, the load on couchbase goes very excessive and operations begin failing. Would like to see some inbuilt assist on this to deal with site visitors correctly.”

– Couchbase Evaluation, Amit P.

3. Aerospike 

Aerospike is a cloud-based, on-premise NoSQL database platform that allows e-commerce, retail, on-line gaming, telecoms, and promoting corporations to simplify multi-site clustering, cross datacenter replication, and cargo balancing, amongst different processes, on a single platform. It protects information with encryption, authentication, role-based entry controls, and web site whitelisting.

What customers like greatest: 

“Aerospike helps retailer information as cached and the database with full XDR performance. It is a superb database by combining the ability of Redis and SQL compliant queries.”

– Aerospike Evaluation, Imran Ok.

What customers dislike: 

“Aerospike could be tough to measurement the cluster, though assist is helpful.”

– Aerospike Evaluation, Ido B.

A very good database serves as the muse for a mess of enterprise functions. Learn the way database administration can assist your information administration technique.

This text was initially revealed in 2023. It has been up to date with new data.