MariaDB VS Microsoft SQL Server
As of 30 October 2026, Microsoft SQL Server is named by 7,099 companies and MariaDB by 681; MariaDB skews to companies under 200 people (60% vs 45%), Microsoft SQL Server to companies over 1,000 (29% vs 22%).
As of 30 October 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: MariaDB's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, Microsoft SQL Server rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- MariaDB: 2–200 employees
- 60%
- Microsoft SQL Server: 2–200 employees
- 45%
- MariaDB: 1,000+ employees
- 22%
- Microsoft SQL Server: 1,000+ employees
- 29%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.0 · 3.4
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | MariaDB | share | Microsoft SQL Server | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 5 | 1% | 36 | 1% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 52 | 8% | 373 | 5% | MariaDB |
| 11-50 employees | 175 | 26% | 1,278 | 18% | MariaDB |
| 51-200 employees | 180 | 26% | 1,525 | 21% | MariaDB |
| 201-500 employees | 70 | 10% | 1,062 | 15% | Microsoft SQL Server |
| 501-1000 employees | 47 | 7% | 750 | 11% | Microsoft SQL Server |
| 1001-5000 employees | 79 | 12% | 1,107 | 16% | Microsoft SQL Server |
| 5001-10000 employees | 17 | 2% | 315 | 4% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 56 | 8% | 653 | 9% | even |
| Segment | MariaDB | share | Microsoft SQL Server | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 349 | 51% | 3,343 | 47% | MariaDB |
| Business & finance services | 138 | 20% | 1,430 | 20% | even |
| Manufacturing & industry | 44 | 6% | 798 | 11% | Microsoft SQL Server |
| Media & content | 27 | 4% | 126 | 2% | MariaDB |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 26 | 4% | 216 | 3% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 21 | 3% | 167 | 2% | even |
| Public, community & associations | 20 | 3% | 176 | 2% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 17 | 2% | 202 | 3% | even |
| Automotive | 11 | 2% | 103 | 1% | even |
| Property & construction | 9 | 1% | 154 | 2% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 7 | 1% | 143 | 2% | even |
| Health care | 6 | 1% | 183 | 3% | even |
| Segment | MariaDB | share | Microsoft SQL Server | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 251 | 37% | 3,823 | 54% | Microsoft SQL Server |
| Germany | 117 | 17% | 534 | 8% | MariaDB |
| France | 56 | 8% | 214 | 3% | MariaDB |
| United Kingdom | 37 | 5% | 459 | 6% | even |
| India | 29 | 4% | 293 | 4% | even |
| Netherlands | 16 | 2% | 122 | 2% | even |
| Canada | 14 | 2% | 227 | 3% | even |
| Italy | 14 | 2% | 145 | 2% | even |
| Austria | 11 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Spain | 10 | 1% | 73 | 1% | even |
| Poland | 10 | 1% | 100 | 1% | even |
| Belgium | 9 | 1% | 76 | 1% | even |
| Australia | – | – | 123 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | MariaDB | share | Microsoft SQL Server | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineering | 1,033 | 53% | 17,474 | 47% | MariaDB |
| IT operations & business systems | 510 | 26% | 7,600 | 20% | MariaDB |
| Data & AI | 91 | 5% | 4,453 | 12% | Microsoft SQL Server |
| Engineering (non-software) | 29 | 1% | 809 | 2% | even |
| Product, program & project management | 28 | 1% | 559 | 1% | even |
| Sales | 19 | 1% | 229 | 1% | even |
| Customer service & success | 18 | 1% | 503 | 1% | even |
| Marketing & communications | 7 | 0% | 96 | 0% | even |
| Unclassified | 5 | 0% | 161 | 0% | even |
| Education & training | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Finance & accounting | 2 | 0% | 220 | 1% | even |
| Logistics warehouse and transport | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Quality, safety & environment | – | – | 118 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| General management & consulting | – | – | 108 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using MariaDB →
Companies using Microsoft SQL Server →
relational databases ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
Microsoft SQL Server is named by 7,099 companies in job postings and MariaDB by 681; 257 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/mariadb-vs-microsoft-sql-server)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
MariaDB vs Microsoft SQL Server: questions
Which is more used, MariaDB or Microsoft SQL Server?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Microsoft SQL Server (7,099) over MariaDB (681). By website-and-DNS footprint, Microsoft SQL Server (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses MariaDB?
60% of MariaDB companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 45% for Microsoft SQL Server. 22% of MariaDB companies have over 1,000 employees, against 29% for Microsoft SQL Server.
Do companies run both?
257 companies name both in their postings, usually MariaDB in marketing and Microsoft SQL Server in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
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