# MariaDB vs Neon

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Neon

| Attribute | MariaDB | Neon |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 49.9 (42% (low)) | 71.5 (70% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 8,358 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A widely deployed open source database that evolved from MySQL while maintaining compatibility, offering advanced SQL capabilities, native vector search, pluggable storage engines, and multi-primary clustering for production workloads. It is indexed under Relational Databases.","source":"https://mariadb.org","question":"What is MariaDB?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"MariaDB is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the GPL-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://mariadb.org","question":"Is MariaDB free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"MariaDB supports Windows and Linux. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://mariadb.org","question":"What platforms does MariaDB support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. MariaDB can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://mariadb.org","question":"Can MariaDB be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 14 integrations for MariaDB, including MariaDB Connector/C, MariaDB Connector/Node.js, MariaDB Connector/ODBC, MariaDB Connector/J, MariaDB Connector/Python, MariaDB Connector/R2DBC, MySqlConnector for ADO.NET and ADO.NET Driver for MySQL, plus 6 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://mariadb.org","question":"What does MariaDB integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for MariaDB. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as MariaDB not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://mariadb.org/privacy-policy","question":"What security certifications does MariaDB have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Yes. MariaDB is published under the GPL-2.0 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server","question":"Is MariaDB open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"Neon is a managed Postgres database service that automatically scales compute and storage based on workload demands. It features instant database branching for testing and development, point-in-time restore capability, and maintains SOC2 and HIPAA compliance. It is indexed under Relational Databases.","source":"https://neon.tech","question":"What is Neon?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Neon offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $0.00. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://neon.tech","question":"Is Neon free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Neon. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://neon.tech","question":"What platforms does Neon support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Neon, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://neon.tech","question":"Can Neon be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for Neon. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Neon not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://neon.tech","question":"What security certifications does Neon have?","confidence":0.6}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A widely deployed open source database that evolved from MySQL while maintaining compatibility, offering advanced SQL capabilities, native vector search, pluggable storage engines, and multi-primary clustering for production workloads. | A fully-managed PostgreSQL database that automatically scales compute resources, supports Git-like environment branching, and includes built-in user authentication without additional licensing. |
| features.capabilities | `{"sql_model":"full_sql","consistency":"tunable","geo_spatial":"native","replication":"sync","extensibility":true,"json_document":true,"license_class":"copyleft","horizontal_scale":"distributed_native","acid_transactions":"full","automatic_failover":true,"wire_compatibility":"mysql"}` | `{"isolation":"serializable","sql_model":"full_sql","deployment":"managed","serverless":true,"consistency":"strong","replication":"async","license_class":"proprietary","horizontal_scale":"read_replica","acid_transactions":"full","automatic_failover":true,"wire_compatibility":"postgres"}` |
| integrations.count | 17 | 2 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"MariaDB Connector/C"},{"name":"MariaDB Connector/Node.js"},{"name":"MariaDB Connector/ODBC"},{"name":"MariaDB Connector/J"},{"name":"MariaDB Connector/Python"},{"name":"MariaDB Connector/R2DBC"},{"name":"MariaDB Connector/C++"},{"name":"MySqlConnector for ADO.NET"},{"name":"ADO.NET Driver for MySQL"},{"name":"ODBC Driver for MySQL"},{"name":"JDBC Driver for MySQL"},{"name":"Node.js Driver for MySQL"},{"name":"C++ Driver for MySQL"},{"name":"C Driver for MySQL"},{"name":"C API for MySQL"},{"name":"PyMySQL"},{"name":"mysql-python"}]` | `[{"name":"Datadog"},{"name":"OpenTelemetry","category":"monitoring"}]` |
| language.primary | C++ | - |
| license.spdx | GPL-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://mariadb.org","retrievedAt":"2026-09-10T21:05:20.008Z"}` | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free - Build and learn","features":["100 projects","100 CU-hours monthly per project","0.5 GB storage per project","Compute up to 2 CU (8 GB RAM)","Unlimited team members","Managed backend","Better Auth","Object Storage (Beta)","Functions (Beta)"],"description":"Build and learn free with no time limits and no credit card required","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"0.5 GB per project","projects":"100","max_compute_cu":"2","cu_hours_monthly":"100 per project"}},{"free":false,"name":"Launch","summary":"Usage-based, typical $15/mo (intermittent load, 1 GB)","features":["Compute autoscaling up to 16 CU","Scale to zero when inactive","Database storage with 7-day instant restore history","100 snapshots","Monitoring with 3-day retention","Private networking options","Object Storage (Beta)","Functions (Beta)","AI Gateway (Beta)"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"CU-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.106,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.35,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"branch-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.002,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.2,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Pay-per-usage plan for variable workloads","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"projects":"100","max_compute_cu":"16","branches_per_project":"10"}},{"free":false,"name":"Scale","summary":"Usage-based, typical $701/mo (high load, 100 GB)","features":["Compute autoscaling up to 56 CU","Configurable scale-to-zero","Database storage with up to 30-day instant restore history","100 snapshots","SLAs included","HIPAA compliance","Private networking with Private Link","Monitoring with 14-day retention and export (Datadog, OTel)","Spending limits","Multiple egress options","Object Storage (Beta)","Functions (Beta)","AI Gateway (Beta)"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"CU-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.222,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.35,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"branch-hour"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.002,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB-month"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.2,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.01,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Pay-per-usage plan for production workloads with SLAs and compliance features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"projects":"1000+","max_compute_cu":"56","branches_per_project":"25"}}],"summary":"Free tier with 100 CU-hours/mo. Usage-based: Launch plan $0.106/CU-hr + $0.35/GB-mo, Scale plan $0.222/CU-hr + $0.35/GB-mo. Typical $15–$701/mo.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://neon.tech","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T12:40:59.605Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0.002,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-13.0.2","date":"2026-09-15T15:55:36Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-13.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-13.1.1","date":"2026-09-15T15:56:12Z","type":"prerelease","version":"mariadb-13.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-12.3.3","date":"2026-08-24T22:31:19Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-12.3.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-11.8.9","date":"2026-08-24T22:30:45Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-11.8.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-11.4.13","date":"2026-08-24T22:30:23Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-11.4.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-10.11.19","date":"2026-08-24T22:27:58Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-10.11.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-10.6.28","date":"2026-08-13T18:00:31Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-10.6.28"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-13.0.1","date":"2026-05-29T19:32:21Z","type":"prerelease","version":"mariadb-13.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-12.3.2","date":"2026-05-28T19:32:07Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-12.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-11.8.8","date":"2026-05-27T18:25:31Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-11.8.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-11.4.12","date":"2026-05-27T18:24:55Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-11.4.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-10.6.27","date":"2026-05-27T18:23:42Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-10.6.27"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-10.11.18","date":"2026-05-27T18:24:20Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-10.11.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-11.8.7b","date":"2026-05-18T16:20:36Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-11.8.7b"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-11.4.11b","date":"2026-05-18T16:19:48Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-11.4.11b"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-10.6.26","date":"2026-05-18T16:17:25Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-10.6.26"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-10.11.17","date":"2026-05-18T16:18:44Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-10.11.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-12.2.2","date":"2026-02-12T19:39:07Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-12.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-12.3.1","date":"2026-02-12T19:39:55Z","type":"prerelease","version":"mariadb-12.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/MariaDB/server/releases/tag/mariadb-11.8.6","date":"2026-02-04T22:03:31Z","type":"stable","version":"mariadb-11.8.6"}]` | - |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.95 |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.fedramp | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 4.7 | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=helm&package_name=openinfradev%2Fmariadb&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Relational Databases)

| Capability | MariaDB | Neon |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| SQL model | Full SQL | Full SQL |
| **Transactions** |  |  |
| ACID transactions | Full | Full |
| Highest isolation level | - | Serializable |
| **Consistency** |  |  |
| Consistency | Tunable | Strong |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Horizontal scale | Natively distributed | Read replicas |
| **Replication** |  |  |
| Replication | Sync | Async |
| **Availability** |  |  |
| Automatic failover / HA | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | - | Managed |
| Serverless / scale-to-zero | - | ✓ |
| **Compatibility** |  |  |
| Wire compatibility | MySQL protocol | Postgres protocol |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensions / plugins / UDFs | ✓ | - |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Licence class | Copyleft | Proprietary |
| **Data types** |  |  |
| JSON / document support | ✓ | - |
| Geo / spatial | Native | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:50:19.161Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*