--- title: "MySQL Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is MySQL the right Database solution for you? Explore 2100 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/11482/MySQL/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-21" --- MySQL 4.6 (2088) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/11482/MySQL/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated October 21st, 2026 # Reviews of MySQL Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews NH Nay Myo H Software EngineerBanking, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “MySQL is one of the most widely used databases, meaning there’s extensive documentation, community support, and established best practices that can assist in troubleshooting and optimization.“ October 28, 2024 BS Ben S Infrastructure ArchitectEducation Management, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The available backup solutions and vendor selection for MySQL simply does not compare to MSSQL and could be greatly improved upon.“ July 25, 2026 BS Ben S Infrastructure ArchitectEducation Management, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “MySQL is an excellent selection when choosing a database due to it being free, runs on almost anything, has great management, and has easy to use tools.“ July 25, 2026 Rhys B Senior Product ManagerBiotechnology, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The UI sometimes crashes when trying to export large CSV's from exported results, which is critical to our workflow.“ March 30, 2026 Rashad G New Well Delivery and Geomechanics Team LeadOil & Energy, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “MySQL handles structured data well and is relatively straightforward to work with once a database is set up.“ September 13, 2026 ML Margaret L Owner - AdministratorE-Learning, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “At the beginning of using it, I didn't create a backup and lost one of my websites. Until I purchased a back-up service, I did back-ups myself and it was very time consuming because of my website size.“ November 9, 2024 Shaunak P Senior Data EngineerInformation Technology and Services, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Almost all web hosting providers supports MySQL by default and it is undisputed choice for a lot of PHP based applications.“ March 6, 2025 AT Adam T Software AnalystsFood & Beverages, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Although, it can be a bit challenging to deal with complex queries, bigger databases, problems that we might face when we scale up“ February 22, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 2088 available reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use R Reviewer Software Engineer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "MySQL provides reliable relational data storage for backend APIs" November 2, 2026 5.0 MySQL offers incredible value for money given its open-source nature. The ease of use when connecting backend ORMs is fantastic. While we rarely need enterprise customer support, the massive developer community handles any edge case we hit. Pros The ACID compliance features ensure total data integrity during concurrent API transactions. Writing SQL for complex table creation is intuitive, and automating physical backup and storage dumps via cron keeps our disaster recovery solid. Cons Complex query issue identification can be painful, as parsing slow query logs and EXPLAIN outputs often feels clunky during high-stress production outages. Review Source Verified Reviewer New Well Delivery and Geomechanics Team Lead Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "A solid foundation for working with structured data" September 15, 2026 4.0 MySQL has been a solid choice for storing, querying, and managing structured data, especially during integrated projects. I have found it particularly useful when working with datasets that need to be organized and retrieved efficiently. Pros MySQL handles structured data well and is relatively straightforward to work with once a database is set up. Writing queries, filtering data, joining tables, and retrieving specific information is efficient, and there is a large amount of documentation available when you need help. Cons Troubleshooting queries and database configuration can sometimes take time, particularly when an error message does not immediately point to the actual problem. Review Source Vijay D. Director Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A Mature database that continuous deliver for business Application" August 11, 2026 5.0 Last two years, we have deployed 7-8 client projects for our client and not a single client have face any disruptions due to database which is most rewarding to a software consultancy Pros Whenever we developed any customized software for any of the clients , first question is which database we will be using which have very good customer support and which is value for money. MySQL have great features for a organization which is depending on no crash and no performance issues. Backup will be smooth. It has good connectivity among all the backend tools. Cons MySQL Workbench needs enhancement and command line tools needs more commands. One of the most irritating problem is crashing Workbench during altering tables Review Source R Reviewer Développeur fullstack Java - Angular Used the software for: 3-5 years ### " base de données fiable" August 7, 2026 5.0 Pros MySQL est une base de données fiable qui offre de bonnes performances pour gérer des informations importantes. Son utilisation est simple pour les projets de différentes tailles. Cons La configuration initiale peut demander un peu de temps, surtout pour les personnes qui débutent. Review Source Ben S. Infrastructure Architect Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "MySQL is an excellent database solution to save on costs and complexity. " July 26, 2026 5.0 Overall MySQL is the default selection when vendors are building problems due to keeping costs low, no complicated license requirements, it has always been pretty fast and stable. Pros MySQL has long been the go-to opensource database for years. MySQL is an excellent selection when choosing a database due to it being free, runs on almost anything, has great management, and has easy to use tools. Cons The available backup solutions and vendor selection for MySQL simply does not compare to MSSQL and could be greatly improved upon. Review Source Ryan M. Board Advisor Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "MySQL stands the test of time" May 14, 2026 5.0 We have a great experience with mysql in our software internally that uses it. we can get the information we need quickly and our apps run along side it very well. Pros I use MySQL for all our internal projects in our company for our DB software. Mysql is reliable for our transactional db needs. Cons I would be nice to have better json support but tradional querys it is simple and works very well for our needs. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Senior Product Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "A solid workhorse for database management" April 1, 2026 4.0 Overall, I can see how this product is an industry standard for database management and querying. I like how accesible it is, and I use it daily. 90% of the time it works without any bugs or issues! Pros In my opinion it is the easiest option to host our databases. A lot of our company relies on this platform. It is easy enough for non-developers to learn and be able to access data on their own. I personally had no experience in coding and managed to learn a decent amount of MySQL in a few years. Cons The commands can sometimes be a little buggy, and the server response times can be a little slow. The UI sometimes crashes when trying to export large CSV's from exported results, which is critical to our workflow. Review Source Myanmar A. Administrative Aide VI Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "One of the best open source database management tool" February 27, 2026 5.0 I will still MySQL until today since I had use it when I was in college until my professional years. Pros MySQL has improved some of its features and its still one of the best open source platform for database development Cons MySQL may had improved but there are also bugs and errors are still present which may improve for its functionality. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Formateur Technique Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Base de données relationnelle gratuite" February 5, 2026 4.0 Pros Il bénéficie d'une large communauté d'utilisateurs et est connu à travers le monde. Son utilisation est gratuite. Cons Certaines fonctionnalités nécessitent la consultation de la documentation pour être comprises et utilisées. Review Source R Reviewer Finance Analyst Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "MySQL experience " January 9, 2026 5.0 My overall experience has been pretty good so far and make easier my work process every day is very nice Pros I like the most about MySQL that is wonderful and most easier structured query language that I have seen Cons I like the easy way that I could update, insert, delete, update documents, it’s nice for me and my colleagues Review Source Sreerekha B. Sr Developer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Usage of mysql" May 26, 2025 3.0 It is convenient to use to preoare database and data, becayse it is open souce the cide sql can be customized to suit the needs of custonwrs Pros It is useful to retrieve and make a database using sql queries. The queries can be customized using the nesyed queries and can utilize the techniques of sql Cons It is opensource internally uses sql. All capabilities of sql can ve ised within queries. It can used for large scale and ecommer applications Review Source Jack I. IT Development Lead Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Reliable, scalable, free, what’s not to love" July 28, 2025 5.0 Generally brilliant and reliable. I’ve used MySQL in countless projects as the database backend for its reliability and scalability. Pros MySQL is an intuitive database language that provides incredible reliability and scalability for what is a community driven language. Cons Coming from a mixed SQL background, it would be great if MySQL shared some of the advanced features that MSSQL has. Review Source Verified Reviewer CEO - IT Consultant Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "MySQL...The Power to Manage Your Data" May 29, 2025 4.0 I've used the community version of MySQL for 25+ years and have found it to be a very powerful database for use for web site, mobile apps, and software back ends. Pros MySQL is a powerful database software that has been open source and community driven for many years and is now owned by Oracle Cons MySQL was purchased by Oracle and the commercial use cost and support have gone up. The community version of MySQL have also lost features and many in the community and user base have slowly moved away. Review Source R Reviewer Software Developer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great RDBMS" November 28, 2025 5.0 Pros Ease of administration and deployment, Workbench is a great UI for quick querying and one-off administration tasks Cons Worse performance than Postgres and lack of granular ACLs and table inheritance. It's also less extensible (no custom types) Review Source Shaunak P. Senior Data Engineer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Best open source tool for beginners trusted by enterprises." March 17, 2025 5.0 I use MySQL very often for making small proof-of-concept for my work. It is very easy to handle multiple databases with work bench. I also use cloud version of it and the one hosted on cPanels for data hosting purposes. Pros 1) Biggest benefit that I see with MySQL is it supports addition of columns to desired position (using BEFORE and AFTER keyword), this basic functionality is not provided with premier tools like Postgre SQL. 2) Almost all web hosting providers supports MySQL by default and it is undisputed choice for a lot of PHP based applications. 3) Community support is also widely available, because MySQL can be used at any machine, cloud, bare-metal, and etc. Cons There are no cons, it provides all the security features even at open-source level that are equivalent to enterprise level. Review Source Dima V. Software developer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "MySQL is the best relational database language out there!" September 13, 2021 5.0 In my few years of experience with MySQL I hightly recommend it! It is a very powervul and versatile tool to manage your data on the server. Pros Wow where to start! The two main highlights are the ability to create highly customizable indexed data tables and the ability to query them in incredibly flexible ways! When one creates a table in MySQL, one has an option to create a primary key which is unique for every record in that table. That can then be used to easily search and reference the data in that table. One can also mark other data columns as indexed and make them unique, for instance the email column. That will prevent duplicate records. And one can reference other tables' primary keys from one table - this is called a foreign key - allowing for one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many relationships. In terms of queries, one of the most powerful tools is the JOIN command. This allows one to append multiple tables to one another, using the foreign key feature. The combinations and the flexibility that this allows is out of this world as you can extract data from any number of tables into a custom table-like result with surgical precision. If you consider using MySQL, do yourself a favour and study JOIN and how to use it with foreign keys. Cons I think the biggest downside to MySQL is that there is quite a learning curve. You need to be good with structuring and organising data in theory/planning first before you approach this database language. It is only a tool, it will not do the design and architecture for you. Once you know what you want, you need to work through some tutorials and code examples to understand how to use MySQL. There are good database managers that use MySQL, suchas DBeaver or HeidiSQL, that will greatly assit you in the process - but you still have to understand how to write custom queries, so take some time to learn the language. If you don't have the time, consider maybe MS Excel or MS Access - less flexibility, but also a smaller learning curve. Review Source R Reviewer Software Developer Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Best Relational Database" April 1, 2025 4.0 Everything can be within this powerful database management system. Pros Its flexibility and reliability make it a solid choice for both small and large projects Cons I feel that the configuration and optimization can be complex Review Source R Reviewer Software Analysts Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Database Management" February 27, 2025 4.0 MySQL has been fantastic, having said that, a normal characteristic of positive evolution is developing more complex configurations for enterprises due to our growth. Therefore, it is a stable choice Pros MySQL is highly efficient with large datasets, it does it at a very fast speed with the required reliability Cons Although, it can be a bit challenging to deal with complex queries, bigger databases, problems that we might face when we scale up Review Source R Reviewer Data Analyst Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Everything in One Place" January 15, 2025 5.0 Pros It’s robust, scalable, easy to use. The paid version is a nice bonus for extra features Cons It needs tuning for big datasets or heavy traffic. Some advanced tools are only in the paid version Review Source R Reviewer Owner - Administrator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "My Experience With MySQL" November 18, 2024 5.0 I have been using MySQL since 2005. At the beginning of using it, I didn't create a backup and lost one of my websites. Until I purchased a back-up service, I did back-ups myself and it was very time consuming because of my website size. Now, with a back-up service my database is always safe. MySQL is a very sturdy platform as it has always been a great foundation for my websites over the years. Pros The MySQL interactive program makes it easy for anyone to create a simple database that connects with it. I have created many such databases over the years without problems. It usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Cons If a MySQL database is hacked or there is a bug, it cannot be repaired or replaced in most cases without a backup. Backups must be done on a regular basis. There is usually a cost for back-ups. Review Source R Reviewer Software Engineer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Love MySQL's query style but too slow when compare with MongoDB" November 13, 2024 5.0 I have about 5 years experience with mysql. Pros I like normalization on MySQL and also love query style. Cons I don't like slow. If I compare with MySQL and MongoDB, MongoDB is so fast. Review Source Joseph M. Developer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Agrxis Review on MySQL" May 18, 2023 5.0 My experience with MySQL has led me to believe that it is a superb database management system that has significantly improved my ability to store and retrieve data. My preferred option for managing massive datasets and sophisticated queries is MySQL because of how simple it is to install and configure, as well as its solid features and great performance. The broad range of services and the strong sense of community support have been crucial in helping me overcome any obstacles I faced. Due to MySQL's adaptability, I am able to effectively manage a wide range of applications, from little side projects to sophisticated business solutions. Because of its dependability, scalability, and extensive security features, I can rest easy knowing that my data is well-protected. Pros I am quite amazed by MySQL and the outstanding features it provides. MySQL has played a significant role in my professional development as a database management system by giving me a dependable and effective platform for storing, managing, and retrieving data. My favorite aspects of MySQL are its scalability and robustness. It is able to handle high data quantities with ease, ensuring optimal performance even in demanding settings. MySQL is an excellent option for both small-scale projects and enterprise-level applications due to its simplicity of use and flexibility. Its broad support for a variety of platforms and programming languages enables me to easily include it into my current software ecosystem. Cons Even while my overall experience with MySQL has been favorable, there have been a few things that I've found difficult or that could be done better. I thought the complexity of managing and establishing replication setups was one area that needed improvement. In some cases, setting up and maintaining replication in MySQL requires complex setups and a thorough understanding of the architecture. Review Source R Reviewer Junior Developer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "MySQL - One of the best FREE sql DB" February 22, 2019 4.0 I believe your experience with MySQL will vary based on the option(s) you choose to interact with it. As mentioned before, you can use the CLI which is used mainly by power users; however, the average Joe can simply use a open source GUI which will make life a whole lot easier. Just to name a few of the FREE GUI software on the web: \* HeidiSQL \* PhpMyAdmin \* SQL Workbench All are excellent options to make the user experience absolutely the best. Ever since I began using the software, I felt this bond with the ease of use, ease to remember commands and a large community support backed by tons of online documentations and tutorials. I would say this is one of my best experience using any software and would highly recommend for beginners and power users. Pros Currently we have many different types of DB on the market (No SQL and SQL). I spent the past 3 years working with MySQL and completely feel in love with the many of its' feature. \* Once you become familiar with the features and the commands, you will find it is super easy and flexible to operate. I interact with it via both the CLI (Command Line Interface) and GUI (Graphical User Interface) and just love the experience. \* It has some easy to use commands that are human readable. \* Ton loads of useful documentations on the web. \* It is an amazing open source RDBMS (Relational Database Management System). \* It can be found bundled with many current software stack (LAMP, MAMP, XAMPP) etc., just to name a few. \* You can create and cutomize databases, tables, routines, procedures which will all make the workflow super easy to manage your data with many advance tools available at your disposal. \* There is the CRUD (Create, Read, Update and Delete) features that are simple to learn and master in your everyday workflow. Cons Looking at the NoSQL DB (MongoDB) which uses a document type format to save data in their DB, I would say one of the feature I believe is missing or could be improved, is the way data is stored. What I mean, is that currently in MySQL, if the field is not created, you can't insert data as it will not automatically create necessary fields, while with MongoDB, if the particular field has not been created before data was inserted, it will be done on the fly while uploading or inserting data. Review Source Varshini S. Database Developer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "MySQL's Group Replication feature helps building our fault tolerant DB application" April 11, 2022 4.0 Many components are provisioned to be redundant so that they operate as per our requirements. It requires less maintenance and administration when compared with other database. It's data replication logic effectively coordinates between our nodes and provide workaround for our deployments. We can perform group replication to make our application to be fault tolerant, preventing server failures by isolating them upon anomalies. Pros It's user interface is simple & straightforward to work around and navigate with our applications. We can comfortably connect with its endpoint and perform backend activities with any programming languages. It effectively manages our web hosted applications and carry out administration activities with simplicity. Since it's open source database system, we can deploy any application with structured data. Cons Installing cloud based MySQL service with AWS, Azure and GCP is relatively easy when compared to other systems. While working with large database requirements, we have encountered few performance issues and slowness. It's DB clustering configurations are complex and requires experience for handling current trends in data processing. Review Source R Reviewer Free lance Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "MySQL best for DATABASE MANAGEMENT" November 18, 2022 5.0 Using MySQL gives my so much ease in terms of managing and organizing the data in databases. I would suggest everyone to use it! Pros All of the feature are impressive and important in this software since it gives so much ease of usage. Cons As a daily user of the software, I found no least feature of it because all the features are essential. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.