Can PostgreSQL surpass Oracle in 2025?

Oracle and PostgreSQL remain powerful database choices for DBAs and software engineers in 2025. This guide gives you a balanced look at these database systems, focusing on key differences in features like data types and concurrency control. We show how Oracle’s Real Application Clusters provide advanced scalability, while PostgreSQL offers cost savings with its open-source licensing. We also discuss how AI-powered tools like SQLFlash reduce optimization costs, helping you make the right decision for your project.
Oracle Database and PostgreSQL are still important choices for managing data in 2025. This article helps database administrators (DBAs) and software engineers understand the differences between them. Choosing the right database depends on your project’s specific needs.
Oracle Database is a commercial relational database management system (RDBMS). This means you need to pay for a license to use it. Oracle is known for being able to handle a lot of data (scalability), working quickly (performance), and having many features.
π‘ Oracle offers different versions, like:
PostgreSQL is an open-source object-relational database management system (ORDBMS). This means it’s free to use! PostgreSQL is known for being able to add new features easily (extensibility), following database standards, and having a helpful community.
Both Oracle and PostgreSQL have been around for a long time and are still used by many companies. They are reliable and can handle different types of projects.
This article will compare Oracle and PostgreSQL, focusing on:
π― We aim to give you a balanced view so you can decide which database is best for your needs in 2025. The best choice depends on what your project needs.
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This chapter compares Oracle and PostgreSQL based on their features. We will look at data types, how they handle many users at once (concurrency control), and how well they grow as your data gets bigger (scalability and performance).
Data types are like labels for the information you store in your database. They tell the database what kind of data to expect, like numbers, text, or dates.
Oracle: Oracle has many built-in data types. This includes:
VARCHAR2
: For text.NUMBER
: For numbers.DATE
: For dates.BLOB
: For storing large files like images or videos.CLOB
: For storing large text files.SDO_GEOMETRY
: For storing location data (like points on a map). πΊοΈPostgreSQL: PostgreSQL is also flexible with data types. It has common types like:
VARCHAR
: For text.INTEGER
: For whole numbers.DATE
: For dates.BYTEA
: For storing binary data (like files).JSON
(JavaScript Object Notation) data. This is useful for storing data that doesn’t fit neatly into rows and columns. It also supports hstore
, which lets you store key-value pairs within a single field. π‘Feature | Oracle | PostgreSQL |
---|---|---|
Built-in Types | Rich set, including spatial and multimedia | Standard set with JSON and hstore support |
User-Defined Types | Supported | Supported, with custom domains |
Concurrency control is how the database handles many people using it at the same time. It makes sure that everyone sees the correct data and that changes don’t get mixed up.
Oracle: Oracle uses Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC). This means that when someone changes data, Oracle keeps a copy of the old data. Other people can still read the old data while the changes are being made. This avoids blocking. Oracle uses row-level locking, meaning only the row being changed is locked, not the whole table. Oracle uses “undo” to rollback the changes and “redo” to apply the changes.
PostgreSQL: PostgreSQL also uses MVCC. When someone changes data, PostgreSQL creates a new version of the row. Readers see the last committed version. This is called snapshot isolation. Long-running transactions may have performance impacts. PostgreSQL uses Write-Ahead Logging (WAL). This means changes are written to a log file before they are applied to the database. This makes sure that changes are not lost if the database crashes. β οΈ
Feature | Oracle | PostgreSQL |
---|---|---|
MVCC | Yes | Yes |
Locking | Row-level | Row-level |
Transaction Logs | Undo/Redo | Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) |
Scalability is how well the database can grow to handle more data and more users. Performance is how fast the database can do its job.
Oracle: Oracle has advanced features for scalability.
PostgreSQL: PostgreSQL also has ways to scale:
Feature | Oracle | PostgreSQL |
---|---|---|
Horizontal Scaling | Real Application Clusters (RAC) | Connection Pooling, Read Replicas, Sharding |
Partitioning | Yes | Yes |
Parallel Queries | Yes | Improved in recent versions |
Choosing a database involves more than just its features. The cost of the database, including licenses and ongoing maintenance, is a very important factor. Let’s look at the cost and licensing models of Oracle and PostgreSQL.
Oracle uses a commercial licensing model. This means you need to pay to use their database software. β οΈ Oracle’s licensing can be complex, and it’s important to understand the different options to avoid unexpected costs.
Example Scenario: Imagine a company with a server that has 2 processors, each with 10 cores. If they choose per-core licensing, they would need to pay for 20 core licenses. This can be a substantial investment. π‘
License Type | Description | Cost Implications |
---|---|---|
Per-Core License | Fee based on the number of CPU cores the database uses. | Can be very expensive, especially for servers with many cores. |
Named User Plus (NUP) | Fee based on the number of named users accessing the database. | More cost-effective for applications with a limited and well-defined user base. |
Processor License | Fee based on the number of processors on the server. | May be simpler to manage than per-core in some cases, but can become costly on multi-processor systems with many cores. |
PostgreSQL is open-source software. This means you can download, use, and modify it without paying any licensing fees. π― This is a major advantage of PostgreSQL.
Cost Savings: Using PostgreSQL can lead to significant cost savings compared to Oracle. You avoid the upfront licensing fees and can potentially reduce ongoing support costs. However, you might need to invest in internal expertise or pay for commercial support to manage complex deployments.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) includes all the costs associated with owning and running a database system, not just the initial licensing fees.
Cost Category | Oracle | PostgreSQL |
---|---|---|
Licensing Fees | Significant per-core or per-user fees. | None. Open-source. |
Support Costs | Mandatory support contracts, typically a percentage of license fees. | Optional commercial support available, or rely on community support. |
Hardware Costs | Can be high depending on the edition and features used. | Typically lower hardware requirements. |
Administrative Overhead | Requires specialized Oracle DBAs. | Can be managed by general DBAs with PostgreSQL knowledge. |
Training Costs | Oracle-specific training is often required. | PostgreSQL training is widely available and often less expensive. |
Important Consideration: Choosing PostgreSQL doesn’t automatically mean lower TCO. If you lack internal expertise and need to rely heavily on paid support, your TCO could be higher than expected. Similarly, Oracle’s performance optimizations in some workloads may justify the higher licensing costs. A thorough analysis of your specific needs is crucial.
The ecosystem and community around a database are very important. They provide support, tools to manage the database, and ways to add new features. Let’s see how Oracle and PostgreSQL compare.
Oracle has a large and well-established ecosystem. This means there are many tools and a lot of support available.
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM) | Database management tool for monitoring, administration, and performance tuning. |
Support Options | Paid support plans with varying levels of service and response times. |
Training | Comprehensive training courses and certifications available. |
PostgreSQL has a strong open-source community. This means many people work together to make it better.
Extension | Description |
---|---|
PostGIS | Adds support for geographic data. |
TimescaleDB | Optimized for time-series data. |
Citus | Enables distributed PostgreSQL for scalability. |
π‘ Key takeaway: PostgreSQL’s open-source nature means a large community provides support and extensions. Oracle offers comprehensive paid support and tools.
The best ecosystem for you depends on your needs.
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