Alternatives
10 best MariaDB alternatives
Tools that cover the same task as MariaDB (database), ranked by how completely their pricing, free tier and API access are documented. Checked Oct 4, 2026.
- MariaDB starts at
- Not listed
- Free plan
- Free to start
- API
- API available
- 01
Pritunl
Pritunl is an open-source enterprise VPN platform for OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IPsec with a web management UI, multi-host clustering over MongoDB, and optional premium features such as SSO and site-to-site links. It targets self-hosted remote access and VPC peering across clouds.
Best for: Infrastructure teams needing self-hosted VPN with horizontal scaling and enterprise authentication options.
- 02
Aiven
Aiven is a managed open-source data platform spanning PostgreSQL, Kafka, OpenSearch, ClickHouse, Grafana, and related services. It targets teams that want cloud-hosted databases and streaming infrastructure with transparent plan-based pricing across major hyperscalers.
Best for: Platform engineers who need managed OSS data services without operating their own Kubernetes database operators.
- 03
Knime
KNIME provides a free open-source Analytics Platform for visual data science workflows spanning ETL, analytics, machine learning, and generative AI. Paid Hub plans add collaboration, automation, secrets management, and enterprise governance on top of the desktop builder.
Best for: Data teams and analysts who want drag-and-drop pipelines with optional paid automation and team governance in KNIME Hub.
- 04
Mem0
Mem0 provides persistent memory infrastructure for AI agents and applications so context survives across sessions, users, and agents. The platform offers hosted plans with SDK integration plus open-source options for developers building production agents that need durable recall.
Best for: Agent builders and app teams that need hosted memory layers with defined add and retrieval quotas.
- 05
AppVeyor
AppVeyor is a hosted CI/CD service for Windows, Linux, and macOS that connects to source control and runs builds on cloud VMs with admin access. It supports multi-stage deployments, self-hosted build agents, and parallel jobs for teams shipping cross-platform software.
Best for: Developers and release teams that need Windows-friendly CI/CD alongside Linux and macOS build agents.
- 06
Authgear
Authgear is an open-source customer and workforce identity platform from Skymakers. It delivers passkeys, passwordless OTP, SAML SSO, adaptive MFA, RBAC, and user management on Authgear Cloud, customer VPC, or self-hosted deployments with data sovereignty options.
Best for: Teams replacing legacy CIAM vendors who need every login method on every tier and portable user exports.
- 07
Medplum
Medplum is an open-source healthcare developer platform for building and running modern clinical apps on FHIR-native infrastructure. It offers hosted cloud tiers and self-hosted options with bots, integrations, authentication, and compliance features aimed at digital health teams shipping production patient-facing software.
Best for: Healthcare engineering teams building FHIR-based apps who need an open-core platform with hosted or self-managed deployment paths.
- 08
Vendo
Vendo embeds an open-source agent inside SaaS products so end users can automate work, build views, and connect tools under tenant guardrails. Pricing includes a free developer tier with included usage credits and paid Pro or Teams plans with publishing, tenant orgs, governance, and published token rates.
Best for: Product teams adding in-app AI copilots, automations, and tenant-scoped integrations without rebuilding agent infrastructure.
- 09
Novu
Novu is open-source notification infrastructure for connecting AI agents and products to customers across in-app, email, SMS, push, WhatsApp, Slack, Teams, and Telegram channels. Cloud plans meter workflow runs while enterprise options add compliance, residency, and self-hosted deployment.
Best for: Product and platform teams that need multi-channel notification workflows with inbox components and usage-based scaling.
- 10
DB Designer
DB Designer is a web ERD tool for creating database models with collaborative editing and export options. The plans page lists individual, academic, and nonprofit tiers with limits on models and tables for free Starter users.
Best for: Developers and data modelers who want a browser-based ER diagram designer with upgrade paths for larger schemas.
MariaDB alternatives: common questions
What is the best free alternative to MariaDB?
Pritunl has an ongoing free plan. Community plan is free for a single host with unlimited users, devices, and VPN servers on that host. Free plans change, so check the vendor before relying on one.
What is the cheapest MariaDB alternative?
Aiven has the lowest listed starting price at $5/mo.
Which MariaDB alternatives have an API?
Pritunl, Aiven, Mem0, AppVeyor, Authgear mention API or developer access.