Compare SQL Server to MySQL

Zero cost, scalable, reliable, PHP

Develop and deploy ASP and PHP applications on SQL Server, using free and compact editions and grow seamlessly to include enterprise capabilities not found in MySQL. Innovate with geospatial maps or native XML, and scale up to 256 processors. All of this in a database with a stable roadmap, and now easier to deploy via the free Web Platform Installer.

Start small & free, and grow to hundreds of Terabytes with zero code changes

Build application with SQL Server Express -- free to develop and free to deploy, then add features beyond anything MySQL has, with no code changes: deploy web sites with no database size or memory limit through low cost SQL Server Web, extend with Reporting and Analysis via SQL Server Standard, and grow to mission critical with SQL Server Enterprise -- with advanced capabilities like Transparent Encryption & Compression. MySQL only has one edition, and cannot grow to include most of the additional capabilities available in SQL Server paid editions.

Use the language of your choice, including PHP

Develop applications on a variety of languages, now also with PHP through the PHP driver for SQL Server. Power ASP, C, Java and PHP applications with a reliable database with online backup, automatic tuning, even add Reports and maps to PHP – not offered by MySQL.

Deliver smarter, innovative and embedded solutions

Take advantage of native geospatial data, web based maps, native high speed XML, high precision time format, and many other innovations. The tight integration with Visual Studio provides SQL Server based applications with one of the most advanced development and debugging tools available today. For smaller form factors, choose the Free SQL Compact edition for embeddable applications; the 1.8MB download is smaller than the MySQL download.

Develop web solutions easy and at no cost

Use the Web Platform Installer to quickly download and install development or production environments, at zero cost, in a single download. Choose which components to deploy, from database up to the common PHP and ASP applications. Embed SQL Server Express and Compact in solutions, and don’t pay to embed the database, even if the application is sold commercially. Use SQL Server Management studio to manage the database in a user-friendly and effective way.

Grow with a platform with stable roadmap

SQL Server has more than 1,000 developers improving the product, with continuous releases, predictable code updates, and a proven record for supporting and extending the free solutions, starting with MSDE up to today with SQL Server Express 2008. MySQL founder has shared his concerns with “crashing bugs” even in the current version of MySQL

Scale up to the largest complex databases

SQL Server has been proven for the most demanding applications on the planet, through benchmarks like SAP Sales & Distribution (93,000 concurrent users: 10x largest customer in the planet), the #1 price/performance 10TB TPC-H benchmark, and production Data Warehouses of more than 400TB. MySQL has no industry standard benchmarks and can currently address only 4 CPUs/cores vs 256 for SQL Server. SQL Server provides scale out, scale up, failover technologies, disaster recovery, parallel online operations, and many other capabilities required for large complex deployments.

Resources and Customer Evidence