Head-to-head · Database Proxy Software

MariaDB MaxScale vs Cloudflare Hyperdrive

Updated Nov 2026
Both researched from official sources
5 checks side by side

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

Cloudflare Hyperdrive #7 in Database Proxy Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Cloudflare

MariaDB MaxScale leads on 0 checks, Cloudflare Hyperdrive on 1, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

Highest scoreMariaDB MaxScale · 8.6/10
Free planonly Cloudflare Hyperdrive
Free trialonly MariaDB MaxScale
Most featuresMariaDB MaxScale · 4 of 4

MariaDB MaxScale scores higher on our rubric for database proxy software: 8.6 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #7.

Cloudflare Hyperdrive offers free plan; MariaDB MaxScale doesn't. On deployment model, MariaDB MaxScale gives you Both where Cloudflare Hyperdrive offers Managed.

MariaDB MaxScale is the better fit for enterprise MariaDB proxy operations. Cloudflare Hyperdrive is the better fit for managed edge database connectivity.

MariaDB MaxScale fits best
Enterprise MariaDB proxy operations
Cloudflare Hyperdrive fits best
Managed edge database connectivity

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Side by side

Show only differences

Feature	MariaDB MaxScale 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Cloudflare Hyperdrive 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.5
Ranking	#6 in Database Proxy Software	#7 in Database Proxy Software
Best for	Enterprise MariaDB proxy operations	Managed edge database connectivity
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Pricing on request · 30-day trial	—
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	11 integrations
Built for	Enterprise, Mid-market	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features MariaDB MaxScale 4/4 · Cloudflare Hyperdrive 2/4
Connection pooling	✓	✓
Query routing	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Load balancing	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Automatic failover	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Both	Managed
Supported databases	MariaDB Server, MySQL-compatible servers, ColumnStore, Enterprise Cluster, MongoDB protocol	PostgreSQL 9.0–17.x; MySQL 5.7–8.x; MariaDB; PostgreSQL- and MySQL-compatible providers
Maximum connections	Not checked yet	100 connections
Our review
Pros	SQL-aware routing, read/write splitting and load balancing Automatic failover with connection migration and transaction replay Firewalling, caching, streaming and multiple administration interfaces	Pooling, caching, transaction pooling, and failover recovery Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and compatible providers Includes query and connection-pool metrics with configurable limits
Cons	Production use requires an enterprise subscription Pricing uses a contact-sales model No free plan is available	Free usage is limited to 100,000 database queries per day Paid access is tied to the Workers Paid plan Documented connection limits are approximately 100 per configuration
Our verdict	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 →	Cloudflare Hyperdrive is a managed database proxy for developers building globally distributed Cloudflare Workers applications. It connects Workers to existing regional databases without requiring a major database migration or application… Read the review →

M MariaDB MaxScaleDatabase Proxy Software 8.6Pricing on request · 30-day trial
Cloudflare HyperdriveDatabase Proxy Software 8.5Free plan

Compare the top tools in

Strengths and trade-offs

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
Cloudflare Hyperdrive — where it wins
- Pooling, caching, transaction pooling, and failover recovery
- Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and compatible providers
- Includes query and connection-pool metrics with configurable limits
Where it doesn't
- Free usage is limited to 100,000 database queries per day
- Paid access is tied to the Workers Paid plan
- Documented connection limits are approximately 100 per configuration

MariaDB MaxScale8.6/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial
A feature-rich MariaDB proxy for routing, failover and production database operations.
Visit MariaDB Full verdict →
Cloudflare Hyperdrive8.5/10 · Free plan
A managed edge proxy for Workers applications connecting to existing databases.
Visit Cloudflare Full verdict →