SQL Server pricing, alternatives and how to move

Why teams keep paying for it#

Alternatives to SQL Server#

Only alternatives we have checked. An open-source project is listed with the license its repository reports, on the date shown; one whose license could not be read as a single standard id is not offered as open source. Read the license guide before running any of them.

Features, pros and cons#

Each feature below is what the product's own page or README says, linked to where we read it on the date shown. Pros and cons are limited to what those pages state and to what the path itself changes. We do not rank products on quality.

• SQL Serverwhat you pay for today

  Features it states

  • SQL Server 2022 is described as the most Azure-enabled release yet, with hybrid management through Azure Arc. (SQL Server 2022)
  • Lists an immutable ledger to help guard data against tampering. (SQL Server 2022)
  • Lists continuous replication to and from the cloud for disaster recovery through Azure SQL Managed Instance. (SQL Server 2022)
  • Lists governance of the data estate through Microsoft Purview. (SQL Server 2022)

  Pros

  • Pro: Express and Developer editions are listed as free downloads. (SQL Server pricing)
  • Pro: Editions and prices are published, so a license can be sized before a quote. (SQL Server pricing)

  Cons

  • Con: Paid editions are priced per core or per server plus a license for every user or device, so the bill grows with size or headcount. (SQL Server pricing)
  • Con: Leaving means re-testing every application that uses it, and some vendor products only support one database.

• MariaDB

  Features it states

  • Described as one of the most widely deployed open-source relational databases, built by a community with the MariaDB Foundation and MariaDB plc. (MariaDB Server repository README)
  • Offers pluggable storage engines with InnoDB as the default for transactional workloads. (MariaDB Server repository README)
  • Lists asynchronous and semi-synchronous replication and Galera synchronous multi-primary clustering. (MariaDB Server repository README)
  • Lists CTEs, window functions, system-versioned tables and JSON functions. (MariaDB Server repository README)
  • Lists role-based access control, data-at-rest encryption and TLS. (MariaDB Server repository README)

  Pros

  • Pro: No per-core license fee; the license is GPL-2.0, as shown in the table (read the repository).

  Cons

  • Con: You run it: hosting, backups, updates and tuning are yours, or a provider's you pay.
  • Con: The README describes MySQL compatibility and an Oracle SQL mode; it does not describe SQL Server dialect compatibility, so expect to rewrite. (MariaDB Server repository README)
  • Con: Licensed GPL-2.0; read the license for what it asks of you if you modify and distribute it.

SQL Server pricing, as published#

Open no-level estimated retail prices in US dollars as printed on Microsoft's page on the checked date. Microsoft says to contact a reseller for specific pricing, so what you pay will differ.

What the database does for you before you decide to leave it#

Run the numbers on SQL Server#

Samples are made up and are not SQL Server's prices. Type in the figures from your own invoice or order form.

Arithmetic only, not tax, accounting or legal advice. Check the figures against your own order form.

How to move off SQL Server#

Move a copy, never the original. The old database stays the source of truth until the new one has carried a full close.

1. 1

   Inventory the databases

   List every database, the application that uses it, its size and its edition. Mark development and test servers separately.

2. 2

   Right-size the licenses first

   Match each database to the cheapest edition that fits it: a free edition where its terms and limits allow, a paid one where they do not.

3. 3

   Ask each vendor

   For a platform change, ask each application vendor whether their product supports another database. Where it does not, the database stays.

4. 4

   Test on a copy

   Load a copy of the data, with personal data masked or access limited, into the candidate. Run the real queries and reports and compare results.

5. 5

   Cut over and run in parallel

   Freeze writes to the old database, move the data and run both side by side through a full month-end close with someone comparing totals.

6. 6

   End or reduce the contract

   Keep a full export and the last backup. After a month, end or reduce the licenses inside the notice window, confirm in writing, and delete temporary copies.

Spotting SQL Server in your books#

• Search the vendor list for “Microsoft” and look for a license or volume-licensing line apart from the 365 subscription. A reseller's name may appear instead.
• Look in software and IT accounts, and in prepaid accounts, for an annual or multi-year payment. How to find software in QuickBooks shows the search.
• Check for hosting or cloud charges for the servers it runs on, and for a consultant who administers it.
• Compare licensed cores or CALs on the invoice with the servers and people that actually use it.

Run the vendor report for QuickBooks Online or Xero, then open the free audit.

Before you cancel#

• Find the volume license agreement, Software Assurance or subscription terms and write down the term, the renewal date and the notice the contract asks for. A purchase through a reseller follows the reseller's terms. Act inside the window and keep the confirmation.
• Read what the license lets you keep running after the term. A perpetual license and a subscription behave differently, and the contract is the authority.
• Count licenses against what is installed. Microsoft's pricing page says client access licenses are required for every user or device accessing a server in the Server + CAL model, so a count that does not match is worth settling with the vendor in writing before you change anything.
• List every application, report, scheduled job and outside connection that uses each database. Vendor products often support only specific databases.
• Check whether a customer contract, audit or regulator sets how long records must be kept, and where. The destination must meet that before data moves.
• Databases hold personal data. Plan who may read the copies made during a move and delete the temporary ones afterward.
• If the licenses or support were paid in advance, the unused months sit in prepaid expenses. Ask your CPA how to treat an early end.

General information, not legal advice. See cancelling without penalties. Last reviewed Oct 25, 2026. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to identify them.

Common questions#

Guides for this move#

• GuideConsolidating into one suiteFind overlapping jobs across your tools and check what the suite you already pay for includes, using only the published plan pages, before buying more.
• GuideOpen-source licenses for foundersMIT, Apache, MPL, GPL and AGPL in plain English for founders who run open-source software instead of paying a license, and what each asks you to do.
• GuideThe audit checklistPull twelve months of vendor spend, rank it, and find annual charges, duplicates, seat creep and owners. A checklist you can finish in an afternoon.
• GuideExport before you cancelA checklist for exporting your data before you cancel a software subscription: what to pull, how to check it is complete, and what to keep for the books.
• GuideCancelling without penaltiesHow to end a software subscription cleanly: find the term and notice window, cancel in writing, export your data, and avoid paying for an unused year.

Keep going#

• Large platformsOracle Database alternativesA relational database an application stores its records in
• Everyday softwarePower BI alternativesa business intelligence tool for turning company data into shared reports and dashboards
• Large platformsMicrosoft 365 apps alternativesWord processing, spreadsheets and slides
• Large platformsQlik alternativesDashboards and analysis over company data

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