PostgreSQL
An established, feature-rich open source relational database system with strong reliability
- Vendor
- The PostgreSQL Global Development Group
- Also known as
- postgres, psql
Available worldwide
What is PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL is an open source relational database with over 35 years of active development. It supports transactions, user-defined functions, and a broad subset of SQL, widely used for data storage and retrieval in applications ranging from small projects to enterprise deployments.
PostgreSQL pricing
We don't have PostgreSQL's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What PostgreSQL does
The capabilities that matter for relational databases, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- SQL model
- Full SQL
- ACID transactions
- Full
- Highest isolation level
- -
- Consistency
- -
- Horizontal scale
- Read replicas
- Replication
- -
- Automatic failover / HA
- ✓
- Deployment
- Self-hosted
- Serverless / scale-to-zero
- ✗
- Wire compatibility
- -
- Extensions / plugins / UDFs
- ✓
- Licence class
- Permissive OSS
- JSON / document support
- ✓
- Geo / spatial
- Extension
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- macOS
- Linux
- Windows
- Cloud / SaaS
- Self-hosted
Integrations (10)
Independently observed- CloudNativePG
- Kubernetes
- Patroni
- pgAdmin
- pgVector
- PostGIS
- pgAudit
- Spock
- Cilium
- Submariner
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
PostgreSQL FAQ
Common questions about PostgreSQL, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL is a free, open-source relational database system that emphasizes extensibility and standards compliance. It provides robust support for complex data types and advanced query capabilities, making it suitable for both small applications and large-scale enterprise deployments.
Source: https://www.postgresql.org
Is PostgreSQL free to use?
PostgreSQL is open-source and available at no cost under the PostgreSQL License. Organizations can deploy and modify the software without paying licensing fees, though managed hosting services may charge for their infrastructure and support.
What operating systems does PostgreSQL support?
PostgreSQL is cross-platform and runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS, and other operating systems. This broad platform support makes it accessible for diverse infrastructure environments.
Does PostgreSQL guarantee data integrity through ACID compliance?
PostgreSQL fully implements ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions, ensuring that database operations are reliable and data remains consistent even in the face of failures or concurrent access patterns.
Source: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/tutorial-concepts.html
What are common database alternatives to PostgreSQL?
Organizations often evaluate PostgreSQL alongside MySQL for relational workloads, Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server for large enterprise deployments, and NoSQL systems like MongoDB for document-based requirements. The choice depends on specific priorities around complexity, scalability, and data structure needs.
Source: https://www.postgresql.org
How can developers deploy PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL can be deployed on self-managed infrastructure using binary installations or containerization, or through managed database services from cloud platforms such as AWS RDS, Google Cloud SQL, and Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Managed services typically handle automated backups, scaling, and routine maintenance.
What advanced features enable complex analytical and transactional work in PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL supports JSON/JSONB data types for semi-structured data, full-text search capabilities, window functions, Common Table Expressions, and custom extensions through its extensibility architecture. These features reduce the need for application-layer complexity and the addition of specialized separate systems.
Source: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-syntax.html
Is PostgreSQL suitable for production and mission-critical applications?
PostgreSQL is used in production by thousands of organizations ranging from startups to large enterprises. It includes comprehensive features for data replication, backup strategies, and high-availability configurations, making it a reliable choice for applications where data consistency and uptime are critical.
Source: https://www.postgresql.org/
PostgreSQL alternatives
Other relational databases we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- SupabasePostgreSQL hosting with pricing that scales based on your usagemedium · 70%
- NeonA serverless PostgreSQL platform designed for scalable application and agent deploymentmedium · 70%
- PlanetScaleManaged cloud databases built on sharded MySQL and PostgreSQL for high-scale applicationsmedium · 70%
- MySQLWidely-used open-source SQL database systemmedium · 53%
- CockroachDBA distributed SQL database that automatically scales horizontally across multiple nodes while maintaining transactional consistency and high availability.medium · 65%
- SQLitemedium · 53%
Compare PostgreSQL
Side by side against other relational databases, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for PostgreSQL, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer Q&A activity | 93 | 0.14 | 12.6 | ✓ |
| Development activity | 63 | 0.14 | 8.5 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 87 | 0.08 | 7.0 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 50 | 0.08 | 4.1 | ✓ |
| Stars | 82 | 0.05 | 3.9 | ✓ |
| Security score | 61 | 0.05 | 3.3 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 24 | 0.05 | 1.3 | ✓ |
| Dependent projects | 0 | 0.05 | 0.0 | ✓ |
| Security posture | 5 | 0.12 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.04 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 100 | mediumsource · 2026-10-05 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 8 items | highsource · 2026-07-30 · 93% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Hosting: both · Sql model: full_sql · Data model: relational · Deployment: self_hosted · Serverless: No · Geo spatial: extension | mediumsource · 2026-10-05 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 6 | mediumsource · 2026-10-05 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | C | highsource · 2026-10-05 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | PostgreSQL | highsource · 2026-07-30 · 95% |
Market
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Source: https://www.postgresql.org · Confidence: 0.95 · PrimaryMarkets: … · AvailabilityScope: global · AvailableCountries: … · NotAvailableCountries: … | highsource · 2026-10-05 · 75% |
Pricing
Release
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence days | 90 | mediumsource · 2026-07-30 · 70% |
Security
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Disclosure policy | Yes | mediumsource · 2026-10-05 · 60% |
| Scorecard | 6.1 | highsource · 2026-10-05 · 90% |
| Vulnerabilities | Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=helm&package_name=openstack-helm%2Fpostgresql&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0 | highsource · 2026-10-05 · 90% |
| Trust center | https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/faq/2013-04-04/ | mediumsource · 2026-10-05 · 60% |
Is PostgreSQL the right choice for you?
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