ProxySQL vs MariaDB MaxScale

ProxySQL9.2Visit MMMariaDB MaxScale8.6Visit

Higher score ProxySQL #2 in Database Proxy Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit ProxySQL

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

• ProxySQL fits best

  Free, mature MySQL/PostgreSQL proxying

• MariaDB MaxScale fits best

  Enterprise MariaDB proxy operations

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Side by side

Feature	ProxySQL 9.2/10 Visit ↗	MMMariaDB MaxScale 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.6
Ranking	#2 in Database Proxy Software	#6 in Database Proxy Software
Best for	Free, mature MySQL/PostgreSQL proxying	Enterprise MariaDB proxy operations
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	Pricing on request · 30-day trial
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension
Platforms	Linux	Web, Linux
Support	Email, Community, Docs · 24/7	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Enterprise, Mid-market
Features ProxySQL 4/4 · MariaDB MaxScale 4/4
Connection pooling	✓	✓
Query routing	✓	✓
Load balancing	✓	✓
Automatic failover	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Both
Supported databases	MySQL protocol, PostgreSQL protocol, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Percona Server for MySQL, ClickHouse	MariaDB Server, MySQL-compatible servers, ColumnStore, Enterprise Cluster, MongoDB protocol
Maximum connections	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Connection pooling, multiplexing, routing, and read/write splitting Failover, load balancing, caching, rewriting, and sharding support Prometheus metrics, REST API, and web administration included	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	Self-hosted deployment requires your team to operate the software Commercial support, consulting, training, and managed services are quote-based Its feature breadth may be more than a simple proxy deployment needs	Production use requires an enterprise subscription Pricing uses a contact-sales model No free plan is available
Our verdict	ProxySQL is an open-source, protocol-aware database proxy for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and compatible systems. It provides a single database endpoint while handling connection multiplexing, pooling, query routing, read/write splitting, load… 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

• ProxySQL — where it wins

  • Connection pooling, multiplexing, routing, and read/write splitting
  • Failover, load balancing, caching, rewriting, and sharding support
  • Prometheus metrics, REST API, and web administration included

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires your team to operate the software
  • Commercial support, consulting, training, and managed services are quote-based
  • Its feature breadth may be more than a simple proxy deployment 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

• ProxySQL9.2/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source proxy for routing, pooling, balancing, and managing database traffic.

  Visit ProxySQLFull 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 →