Head-to-head · Database Proxy Software

ShardingSphere-Proxy vs MariaDB MaxScale

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

Higher score ShardingSphere-Proxy #3 in Database Proxy Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit ShardingSphere

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

ShardingSphere-Proxy leads on 1 check, MariaDB MaxScale on 0, 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 scoreShardingSphere-Proxy · 9.0/10
Free planonly ShardingSphere-Proxy
Free trialonly MariaDB MaxScale

ShardingSphere-Proxy scores higher on our rubric for database proxy software: 9.0 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #6.

ShardingSphere-Proxy offers free plan; MariaDB MaxScale doesn't. On deployment model, MariaDB MaxScale gives you Both where ShardingSphere-Proxy offers Self-hosted.

ShardingSphere-Proxy is the better fit for open-source multi-database proxy deployments. MariaDB MaxScale is the better fit for enterprise MariaDB proxy operations.

ShardingSphere-Proxy fits best
Open-source multi-database proxy deployments
MariaDB MaxScale fits best
Enterprise MariaDB proxy operations

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Side by side

Show only differences

Feature	ShardingSphere-Proxy 9.0/10 Visit ↗	MariaDB MaxScale 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.6
Ranking	#3 in Database Proxy Software	#6 in Database Proxy Software
Best for	Open-source multi-database proxy deployments	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, Windows, macOS	Web, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Enterprise, Mid-market
Features ShardingSphere-Proxy 4/4 · MariaDB MaxScale 4/4
Connection pooling	✓	✓
Query routing	✓	✓
Load balancing	✓	✓
Automatic failover	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Both
Supported databases	MySQL, PostgreSQL, openGauss, Firebird	MariaDB Server, MySQL-compatible servers, ColumnStore, Enterprise Cluster, MongoDB protocol
Maximum connections	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Combines sharding, routing, pooling, and read/write splitting Supports failover, load balancing, migration, and distributed transactions Runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS with four protocol options	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 teams to operate the proxy No commercial paid tiers for teams seeking a managed plan Protocol access centers on MySQL, PostgreSQL, openGauss, and Firebird	Production use requires an enterprise subscription Pricing uses a contact-sales model No free plan is available
Our verdict	ShardingSphere-Proxy is a self-hosted transparent database proxy in the Apache ShardingSphere ecosystem. It provides a common proxy endpoint for applications and database tools while applying rules for sharding, query routing, read/write… 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 →

ShardingSphere-ProxyDatabase Proxy Software 9.0Free plan
M MariaDB MaxScaleDatabase Proxy Software 8.6Pricing on request · 30-day trial

Compare the top tools in

Strengths and trade-offs

ShardingSphere-Proxy — where it wins
- Combines sharding, routing, pooling, and read/write splitting
- Supports failover, load balancing, migration, and distributed transactions
- Runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS with four protocol options
Where it doesn't
- Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the proxy
- No commercial paid tiers for teams seeking a managed plan
- Protocol access centers on MySQL, PostgreSQL, openGauss, and Firebird
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

ShardingSphere-Proxy9.0/10 · Free plan
A self-hosted proxy for routing, scaling, and high availability across four database protocols.
Visit ShardingSphere Full verdict →
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 →