10 Best Databases for Websites and Web Apps of 2026

1. 1

   PostgreSQL

   Free, open source object-relational database that runs most modern web stacks.

   9.9overall

   Free, open source object-relational database that runs most modern web stacks.

   Best forMost new websites and custom web apps

   Adoption data

   57.9%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 57.9% of the 12,061 developers who answered the database question had done extensive development work in PostgreSQL over the past year, the highest share of any database.

   Stack Overflow, Databases, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “PostgreSQL 6,984 57.9%”

   PostgreSQL is the safest default for a new web app in 2026. The project describes it as an open source object-relational database with nearly 40 years of development on the core, ACID compliance since 2001 and conformance with at least 170 of the 177 mandatory features for SQL:2023 Core as of version 18. For web developers the practical benefits are breadth and portability: one engine handles relational tables, JSON columns and extensions such as PostGIS, and the same database runs on a $5 VPS, on Supabase, on Neon or on PlanetScale, so you are not tied to one host. Adoption backs this up, with 57.9% of database respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey reporting extensive work in PostgreSQL. The trade-offs are operational. Running it yourself means owning backups and upgrades, serverless platforms need a connection pooler, and WordPress sites should stay on MySQL or MariaDB because that is what WordPress.org requires.

   Strengths

   • +Free under an open source license with no paid edition
   • +Offered by Supabase, Neon, PlanetScale and most cloud hosts, so you can move between them
   • +Top database in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey at 57.9%

   Limitations

   • −Self-hosting means you run backups, upgrades and tuning
   • −Not the database WordPress.org lists in its requirements
   • −Many short-lived serverless connections need a pooler such as PgBouncer

   SummaryPostgreSQL is the best choice for most websites and web apps because it is free, ACID-compliant and supported by nearly every host. Pick it unless your platform requires MySQL.

2. 2

   MySQL

   Open source relational database from Oracle and the long-time default for PHP hosting and WordPress.

   9.2overall

   Open source relational database from Oracle and the long-time default for PHP hosting and WordPress.

   Best forWordPress, PHP sites and shared hosting

   Adoption data

   35.1%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 35.1% of the 12,061 developers who answered the database question had done extensive development work in MySQL over the past year.

   Stack Overflow, Databases, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “MySQL 4,235 35.1%”

   MySQL is the database most websites already run on, because it is the default for WordPress and for PHP hosting. WordPress.org's requirements page asks hosts for MySQL 8.0 or greater, or MariaDB 10.11 or greater, so any WordPress, WooCommerce or classic PHP site should start here. In the 2026 Stack Overflow survey 35.1% of database respondents had worked extensively with MySQL, behind only PostgreSQL and SQLite. The Community Edition is a free download from Oracle, and nearly every shared host, VPS image and cloud provider offers it, which keeps setup simple for site owners who are not database specialists. Compared with PostgreSQL it offers a narrower set of advanced SQL features and extensions, and Oracle keeps some enterprise capabilities in paid editions. Oracle's MySQL web pages returned an error page when we checked on November 12, 2026, so we could not re-verify pricing text that day and marked it pending.

   Strengths

   • +Required or recommended by WordPress, the most common website platform
   • +Third most used database in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey at 35.1%
   • +Available on almost every web host without extra setup

   Limitations

   • −Oracle's MySQL sites were unreachable from our checker on November 12, 2026, so pricing is unverified
   • −Fewer advanced SQL features than PostgreSQL
   • −Enterprise features sit in paid Oracle editions

   SummaryMySQL is the best choice for WordPress and PHP sites because WordPress.org recommends MySQL 8.0 or greater and nearly every host supports it. For custom apps without that constraint, PostgreSQL ranks higher.

3. 3

   SQLite

   Serverless SQL database engine that stores the whole database in a single file.

   9.1overall

   Serverless SQL database engine that stores the whole database in a single file.

   Best forSmall sites, prototypes and single-server apps

   Adoption data

   42.1%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 42.1% of the 12,061 developers who answered the database question had done extensive development work in SQLite over the past year.

   Stack Overflow, Databases, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “SQLite 5,083 42.1%”

   SQLite is the simplest database a website can use. The project describes it as an in-process library that implements a self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, transactional SQL engine, and a complete database with tables, indices, triggers and views lives in one disk file. That makes it a strong fit for small sites, internal tools, prototypes and apps that run on one server, because there is no database server to install, secure or pay for. Its limits are generous on paper, with a maximum database size of 281 terabytes and a maximum row size of 1 gigabyte. It is also popular with developers: 42.1% of database respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey had worked extensively with it. The catch for websites is scale-out. A local file cannot be shared safely by several app servers, and WordPress core does not use it. If you outgrow one machine, hosted options such as Turso keep the SQLite format while adding replication.

   Strengths

   • +Nothing to install or administer beyond a file
   • +Public domain, free for commercial use
   • +Second most used database in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey at 42.1%

   Limitations

   • −Not supported by WordPress core, which needs MySQL or MariaDB
   • −Best on a single server; several app servers cannot share one local file
   • −No built-in user accounts or network access control

   SummarySQLite is the best choice for small sites and single-server apps because the whole database is one public domain file with no server to run. Move to PostgreSQL or Turso once you need several app servers.

4. 4

   MariaDB

   Open source relational database made by the original MySQL developers as a drop-in MySQL replacement.

   8.9overall

   Open source relational database made by the original MySQL developers as a drop-in MySQL replacement.

   Best forWordPress and MySQL users who want a community-governed engine

   Adoption data

   20.3%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 20.3% of the 12,061 developers who answered the database question had done extensive development work in MariaDB over the past year.

   Stack Overflow, Databases, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “MariaDB 2,446 20.3%”

   MariaDB is the community-governed alternative to MySQL. The MariaDB Foundation says it is made by the original developers of MySQL, was designed as an enhanced, drop-in replacement for MySQL, and will remain free and open source under GPLv2 independent of any commercial entities. For website owners the key fact is that WordPress.org lists MariaDB 10.11 or greater alongside MySQL 8.0 in its hosting requirements, so a WordPress site runs on either, and many Linux distributions and hosts ship MariaDB as their MySQL-compatible default. The foundation names Wikipedia and WordPress.com among notable users. Adoption is solid at 20.3% of database respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey. The two engines have drifted apart over the years, so large custom apps should test before moving, and managed MariaDB hosting is less common than managed PostgreSQL or MySQL.

   Strengths

   • +Works with WordPress and most MySQL applications
   • +Governed by the MariaDB Foundation rather than one vendor
   • +Free under GPLv2

   Limitations

   • −Has diverged from MySQL in some features, so test before switching large apps
   • −Smaller managed-hosting choice than PostgreSQL or MySQL
   • −Used by 20.3% of survey respondents, well below MySQL's 35.1%

   SummaryMariaDB is the best choice for WordPress and MySQL users who prefer a foundation-governed engine because WordPress.org supports MariaDB 10.11 or greater. It is free under GPLv2.

5. 5

   Supabase

   Hosted Postgres platform that adds authentication, file storage, realtime and edge functions.

   8.9overall

   Hosted Postgres platform that adds authentication, file storage, realtime and edge functions.

   Best forWeb apps that need a database plus sign-in and storage

   Adoption data

   10 millionSupabase said in its Series F announcement that nearly 10 million developers build on the platform.

   Supabase, Supabase Series F (2026): “Nearly 10 million developers build on Supabase today, more than doubling since our last fundraising announcement eight months ago.”

   Supabase is the strongest hosted option for a web app that needs more than tables. Every project is a standard Postgres database with authentication, file storage, edge functions and realtime change feeds on top, so a single service can replace a database host, an auth provider and an object store. The free plan is usable for a real site: 500 MB of database, 50,000 monthly active users, 5 GB of egress and 1 GB of file storage, though free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity and you get 2 active projects. Pro starts at $25 per month with 8 GB of disk per project, 100,000 monthly active users and 7 days of daily backups, and includes $10 of compute credit. Supabase says nearly 10 million developers build on it, and 7.7% of database respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey had used it extensively. Turso announced in October 2026 that it is joining Supabase.

   Strengths

   • +Database, sign-in and file storage in one service
   • +Standard Postgres, so data can move to any Postgres host
   • +Free plan covers 50,000 monthly active users

   Limitations

   • −Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity, limit of 2 active projects
   • −Pro adds usage charges above the included quotas
   • −Row level security policies are needed to expose tables to the browser safely

   SummarySupabase is the best choice for web apps that need a database plus sign-in and storage because one $25 Pro plan bundles Postgres, auth for 100,000 monthly users and 100 GB of file storage. Its free plan suits side projects that stay active.

6. 6

   MongoDB Atlas

   Managed cloud service for MongoDB, the document database that stores JSON-like records.

   8.7overall

   Managed cloud service for MongoDB, the document database that stores JSON-like records.

   Best forApps whose data is mostly JSON documents

   Adoption data

   19.0%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 19.0% of the 12,061 developers who answered the database question had done extensive development work in MongoDB over the past year.

   Stack Overflow, Databases, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “MongoDB 2,297 19.0%”

   MongoDB Atlas is the leading managed document database and the right pick when a web app's data is naturally JSON: product catalogs with varying attributes, user-generated content or event records. Atlas runs MongoDB for you on Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud. The pricing ladder is clear for small sites: the M0 tier is free forever with 512 MB of storage, 32 MB of sort memory and up to 100 operations per second; Flex costs $0.011 per hour with 5 GB of storage and a cap of $30 per month; and dedicated clusters start at $0.08 per hour, or $56.94 per month, for production workloads. Adoption is broad, with 19.0% of database respondents in the 2026 Stack Overflow survey reporting extensive work in MongoDB. The limits for websites are fit and cost at scale: CMS platforms such as WordPress do not use it, and relational data with many joins is easier in PostgreSQL.

   Strengths

   • +Stores JSON-like documents without a fixed schema
   • +Free tier never expires
   • +Flex bill is capped at $30 per month

   Limitations

   • −Free M0 tier is limited to 512 MB and up to 100 operations per second
   • −Production dedicated clusters start at $56.94 per month
   • −Not supported by WordPress or most PHP CMS platforms

   SummaryMongoDB Atlas is the best choice for web apps built around JSON documents because its free M0 tier never expires and Flex is capped at $30 per month. Pick a SQL database if your data is heavily relational.

7. 7

   Neon

   Serverless Postgres with branching and scale to zero, now part of Databricks.

   8.4overall

   Serverless Postgres with branching and scale to zero, now part of Databricks.

   Best forServerless web apps and preview environments on Postgres

   Adoption data

   80 percentWhen Databricks announced its agreement to acquire Neon, it said over 80 percent of databases provisioned on Neon were created automatically by AI agents rather than by people.

   Databricks, Databricks Agrees to Acquire Neon to Help Developers Deliver AI Systems (2025): “Recent internal telemetry showed that over 80 percent of the databases provisioned on Neon were created automatically by AI agents rather than by humans”

   Neon is serverless Postgres built for web apps that deploy often and sit idle between bursts of traffic. Compute and storage are separated, compute scales to zero when inactive, and branching gives each preview deployment its own copy of the database. The free plan is broad for side projects: 100 projects, 100 compute hours per project each month, 1 GB of storage per project and sizes up to 2 compute units, with no time limit and no credit card. The Launch plan is usage based at $0.106 per compute-unit hour and $0.35 per GB-month, with Neon quoting a typical spend of $15 per month for intermittent load and 1 GB. Neon now sits inside Databricks, which said when it agreed to buy the company that over 80 percent of new Neon databases were created by AI agents. The main trade-offs are less predictable usage bills and a short delay when a scaled-to-zero database wakes.

   Strengths

   • +No time limit or credit card on the free plan
   • +Scale to zero keeps quiet sites cheap
   • +Branches give each pull request its own copy of the data

   Limitations

   • −Usage-based bills are harder to predict than a flat fee
   • −Cold starts after scale to zero can add latency to the first request
   • −Fewer developers report using it than Supabase or the core engines

   SummaryNeon is the best choice for serverless Postgres web apps because its free plan includes 100 projects and compute scales to zero when idle. Teams that want a flat monthly bill may prefer Supabase.

8. 8

   Firebase

   Google's app platform with Cloud Firestore and Realtime Database for syncing data to web and mobile clients.

   8.2overall

   Google's app platform with Cloud Firestore and Realtime Database for syncing data to web and mobile clients.

   Best forRealtime web and mobile apps that talk to the database from the client

   Adoption data

   4.8%In the 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 4.8% of the 12,061 developers who answered the database question had done extensive development work in Cloud Firestore over the past year.

   Stack Overflow, Databases, Technology data 2026, Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2026): “Cloud Firestore 582 4.8%”

   Firebase is Google's platform for apps that read and write data straight from the browser or phone. Its main database, Cloud Firestore, is described by Google as a flexible, scalable database for mobile, web and server development that keeps data in sync across client apps through realtime listeners and offers offline support for mobile and web. That suits chat, collaboration and live dashboards where updates must appear instantly without a custom websocket server. The no-cost Spark plan needs no payment method and includes 1 GiB of Firestore storage, 10 GiB of egress per month, 50,000 document reads and 20,000 writes per day. The Blaze plan is pay as you go and includes the Spark allowances, plus $300 in credit for eligible accounts. In the 2026 Stack Overflow survey 4.8% of database respondents used Cloud Firestore extensively. The trade-offs are cost visibility on read-heavy pages and a document model that makes reporting harder than SQL.

   Strengths

   • +Realtime sync to the browser without running a server
   • +No payment method needed on the Spark plan
   • +Hosting, auth and database under one Google project

   Limitations

   • −Spark caps Firestore at 50,000 reads and 20,000 writes per day
   • −Blaze has no fixed price, so heavy read traffic raises costs
   • −NoSQL model makes relational reporting harder than SQL

   SummaryFirebase is the best choice for realtime web apps that sync data to the browser because Cloud Firestore pushes changes through realtime listeners and works offline. Content sites and relational apps fit better on PostgreSQL or MySQL.

9. 9

   Turso

   Hosted SQLite-compatible database service built for many small databases.

   7.6overall

   Hosted SQLite-compatible database service built for many small databases.

   Best forSQLite fans who need hosting, and multi-tenant apps on a budget

   Turso hosts SQLite-compatible databases and is the low-cost way to keep SQLite's simplicity once a site needs managed hosting. Its pricing is built around many small databases: the free plan includes 100 databases, 5 GB of storage, 500 million rows read and 10 million rows written per month with no credit card, and the Developer plan at $4.99 per month billed yearly removes the database cap and raises limits to 9 GB and 2.5 billion rows read. Turso says idle databases cost only storage, and branching and point-in-time restore add no usage cost, which suits apps that give each customer its own database. On October 2, 2026, Turso announced it is joining Supabase, so buyers should watch for plan changes. We found no citable user or customer count, so its adoption score is conservative, and it is a poor fit for WordPress or PHP CMS sites that need MySQL.

   Strengths

   • +Cheapest paid hosted database on this list at $4.99 per month
   • +Free plan needs no credit card
   • +Unlimited databases from the Developer plan suit one database per customer

   Limitations

   • −Smaller ecosystem than Postgres or MySQL hosts
   • −Not usable for WordPress
   • −Company is joining Supabase, so plans may change

   SummaryTurso is the best budget choice for hosted SQLite because the Developer plan costs $4.99 per month billed yearly with unlimited databases. Sites that need MySQL or a large ecosystem should look elsewhere.

10. 10

    PlanetScale

    Managed MySQL-compatible Vitess and Postgres databases with horizontal sharding.

    7.4overall

    Managed MySQL-compatible Vitess and Postgres databases with horizontal sharding.

    Best forHigh-traffic web apps that need managed scale

    PlanetScale is a managed database platform for web apps that expect to grow beyond one server. It offers Vitess, a MySQL-compatible engine with horizontal sharding, Neki for sharded Postgres, and plain PlanetScale Postgres. The entry point is low: a Postgres single node for development and low-traffic production starts at $5 per month, a high availability setup adds 2 replicas across 3 availability zones, and Metal clusters on local NVMe storage start at $50 per month. Pricing is resource based, so you size compute, topology and storage and can upsize or downsize as needed, with Enterprise options for running inside your own AWS or Google Cloud account. For a typical small website this is more than you need, and there is no free plan. We found no citable customer or user count, so its adoption score is conservative, but it is the clearest path on this list to sharded MySQL for a busy site.

    Strengths

    • +Offers both MySQL-compatible and Postgres engines
    • +Sharding for apps that outgrow one database server
    • +Low $5 entry point for development and low-traffic production

    Limitations

    • −No free plan
    • −Resource-based pricing needs a calculator to estimate
    • −No citable user count, so adoption is scored conservatively

    SummaryPlanetScale is the best choice for high-traffic web apps that need managed sharding because it offers MySQL-compatible Vitess and sharded Postgres. Small sites can start on its $5 Postgres node, but free options elsewhere cost less.

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