Heimdall Database Proxy vs MariaDB MaxScale

Heimdall Database Proxy9.4Visit MMMariaDB MaxScale8.6Visit

Higher score Heimdall Database Proxy #1 in Database Proxy Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Heimdall Data

vs

MM MariaDB MaxScale #6 in Database Proxy Software 8.6/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit MariaDB

• Heimdall Database Proxy fits best

  Broad, enterprise-grade database proxying

• MariaDB MaxScale fits best

  Enterprise MariaDB proxy operations

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Side by side

Feature	Heimdall Database Proxy 9.4/10 Visit ↗	MMMariaDB MaxScale 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.6
Ranking	#1 in Database Proxy Software	#6 in Database Proxy Software
Best for	Broad, enterprise-grade database proxying	Enterprise MariaDB proxy operations
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	—	Pricing on request · 30-day trial
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension
Integrations	10 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Enterprise, Mid-market
Features Heimdall Database Proxy 4/4 · MariaDB MaxScale 4/4
Connection pooling	✓	✓
Query routing	✓	✓
Load balancing	✓	✓
Automatic failover	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Both	Both
Supported databases	MySQL, PostgreSQL, Amazon RDS, Oracle, SQL Server, MariaDB, DB2, Greenplum, Redshift	MariaDB Server, MySQL-compatible servers, ColumnStore, Enterprise Cluster, MongoDB protocol
Maximum connections	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports pooling, routing, load balancing, caching, and failover Works with major relational databases and cloud platforms Enterprise Plus adds multi-tenant routing, masking, and GDPR auditing	SQL-aware routing, read/write splitting and load balancing Automatic failover with connection migration and transaction replay Firewalling, caching, streaming and multiple administration interfaces
Cons	Enterprise features require paid editions Community Edition is specifically for Greenplum deployments Its broad feature set may exceed narrow proxying needs	Production use requires an enterprise subscription Pricing uses a contact-sales model No free plan is available
Our verdict	Heimdall Database Proxy is a data access layer for application developers, database administrators, and architects. It sits between applications and SQL databases in cloud or on-premise environments, providing connection pooling,… Read the review →	MariaDB MaxScale is a database proxy and intelligent query router for production and mission-critical MariaDB environments. It sits between applications and backend databases, handling SQL-aware query routing, read/write splitting,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Heimdall Database Proxy — where it wins

  • Supports pooling, routing, load balancing, caching, and failover
  • Works with major relational databases and cloud platforms
  • Enterprise Plus adds multi-tenant routing, masking, and GDPR auditing

  Where it doesn't

  • Enterprise features require paid editions
  • Community Edition is specifically for Greenplum deployments
  • Its broad feature set may exceed narrow proxying needs

• MariaDB MaxScale — where it wins

  • SQL-aware routing, read/write splitting and load balancing
  • Automatic failover with connection migration and transaction replay
  • Firewalling, caching, streaming and multiple administration interfaces

  Where it doesn't

  • Production use requires an enterprise subscription
  • Pricing uses a contact-sales model
  • No free plan is available

• Heimdall Database Proxy9.4/10 · Free plan

  A broad database proxy with pooling, routing, analytics, security, and failover.

  Visit Heimdall DataFull verdict →
• MMMariaDB MaxScale8.6/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

  A feature-rich MariaDB proxy for routing, failover and production database operations.

  Visit MariaDBFull verdict →