Top 10 Open-Source Databases for Startups in 2025
The best open-source databases for startups in 2025 combine low cost, scalability, and flexibility, making them ideal for fast-growing businesses. Relational options like PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB provide reliable foundations, while FerretDB offers a MongoDB-compatible alternative. For speed and real-time performance, startups can turn to Redis, Valkey, and ScyllaDB, while ClickHouse and TimescaleDB shine in analytics and time-series workloads. AI-driven startups benefit from Neo4j for graph databases and Milvus for vector search, ensuring they can handle modern data challenges. Choosing the right database depends on your use case — SaaS, fintech, e-commerce, IoT, or AI — but open-source ensures freedom, strong community support, and enterprise-grade scalability without vendor lock-in.