Best Actian Zen Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from relational databases ranked against Actian Zen on the same published basis.
- 1Actian Zen vs Azure SQL Database
- 2Actian Zen vs MySQL
- 3Actian Zen vs InterSystems IRIS
- 4Actian Zen vs Aiven for PostgreSQL
- 5Actian Zen vs Amazon RDS
- 6Actian Zen vs SQLite
- 7Actian Zen vs Neon
- 8Actian Zen vs Firebird
- 9Actian Zen vs MariaDB Server
- 10Actian Zen vs HSQLDB
- 12Actian Zen vs Google Cloud SQL
- 13Actian Zen vs H2 Database Engine
- 14Actian Zen vs Crunchy Bridge
- 15Actian Zen vs PostgreSQL
- 16Actian Zen vs Oracle Autonomous AI Database
- 17Actian Zen vs Microsoft SQL Server
- 18Actian Zen vs EDB Postgres AI Hybrid Manager
- 19Actian Zen vs Oracle Database
- 20Actian Zen vs Render
- 21Actian Zen vs Azure Database for MySQL
Actian Zen alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azure SQL Database | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | MySQL | 7.9 | Free plan | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 3 | InterSystems IRIS | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Aiven for PostgreSQL | 7.4 | Free plan | $5/mo | API, Web |
| 5 | Amazon RDS | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 6 | SQLite | 7.4 | Free plan | $12.50/mo | Android, API, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Neon | 7.1 | Free plan | $0.11/mo | API, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 8 | Firebird | 7.0 | Free plan | €199/mo | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 9 | MariaDB Server | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 10 | HSQLDB | 6.9 | Free plan | $8.33/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 12 | Google Cloud SQL | 6.8 | No | $0.04/mo | API, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 13 | H2 Database Engine | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 14 | Crunchy Bridge | 6.7 | No | $9/mo | API, Linux, Web |
| 15 | PostgreSQL | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 16 | Oracle Autonomous AI Database | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web |
| 17 | Microsoft SQL Server | 6.3 | No | — | — |
| 18 | EDB Postgres AI Hybrid Manager | 6.2 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 19 | Oracle Database | 6.2 | No | — | self-hosted |
| 20 | Render | 6.1 | No | $25/mo | API, Web |
| 21 | Azure Database for MySQL | 5.9 | No | — | Web |
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Questions about Actian Zen alternatives
What is the best alternative to Actian Zen?
Azure SQL Database, number 1 in relational databases with a score of 7.9 out of 10. The others here: MySQL, InterSystems IRIS, Aiven for PostgreSQL and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Actian Zen?
Azure SQL Database is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.