ProxySQL vs PgDog

ProxySQL9.2Visit PgDog8.4Visit

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

vs

PgDog #8 in Database Proxy Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit PgDog

• ProxySQL fits best

  Free, mature MySQL/PostgreSQL proxying

• PgDog fits best

  Free PostgreSQL pooling and sharding

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Side by side

Feature	ProxySQL 9.2/10 Visit ↗	PgDog 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.4
Ranking	#2 in Database Proxy Software	#8 in Database Proxy Software
Best for	Free, mature MySQL/PostgreSQL proxying	Free PostgreSQL pooling and sharding
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Email, Community, Docs · 24/7	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ProxySQL 4/4 · PgDog 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	PostgreSQL
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	Free, open-source PostgreSQL connection pooling and multiplexing Combines routing, read/write splitting, lag monitoring, and sharding Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, on-premises, or customer cloud accounts
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	Supports PostgreSQL rather than multiple database engines Failover detection is disabled by default AGPLv3 licensing may not suit every deployment or distribution model
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 →	PgDog is an open-source PostgreSQL proxy for teams that need to manage connection capacity, distribute reads across replicas, or route traffic across sharded databases. Its scope covers transaction-mode connection pooling, connection… 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

• PgDog — where it wins

  • Free, open-source PostgreSQL connection pooling and multiplexing
  • Combines routing, read/write splitting, lag monitoring, and sharding
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, on-premises, or customer cloud accounts

  Where it doesn't

  • Supports PostgreSQL rather than multiple database engines
  • Failover detection is disabled by default
  • AGPLv3 licensing may not suit every deployment or distribution model

• ProxySQL9.2/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit ProxySQLFull verdict →
• PgDog8.4/10 · Free plan

  A free PostgreSQL proxy with pooling, routing, replica balancing, and sharding.

  Visit PgDogFull verdict →