PostgreSQL sits firmly in the top tier beside Oracle, SQL Server, and MySQL. DB-Engines shows PostgreSQL at #4 this month, and developer surveys continue to show strong preference and momentum. For teams that need turn-key enterprise security (TDE, masking, auditing) without vendor lock-in, PostgreSQL Enterprise distributions fill the feature gap and keep costs sane.
The quick market read
DB-Engines’ October 2025 ranking places Oracle #1, MySQL #2, Microsoft SQL Server #3, and PostgreSQL #4. DB-Engines blends multiple public signals (searches, job mentions, discussions, etc.), updated monthly, making it useful for trend-spotting rather than absolute market share. PostgreSQL’s #4 position confirms it’s mainstream and competitive with the “big three.” DB-Engines+1
Stack Overflow’s 2025 survey shows developers actively use and want to keep using PostgreSQL, which aligns with what we see in hiring pipelines and greenfield builds. Developer preference tends to pull platform adoption forward over time.
Why PostgreSQL keeps winning
- Modern feature set without licensing pain. MVCC concurrency, robust SQL features (CTEs, window functions), strong JSON/JSONB, PostGIS for spatial, pgVector for embeddings—these cover most modern workloads without stacking add-ons and license line-items.
- Cloud-ready and ecosystem-rich. First-class support across managed services and Kubernetes operators, plus a mature extension ecosystem for search, time-series, geospatial, and AI.
- Talent availability. The developer community is large and still growing; that reduces hiring risk, training cost, and time-to-delivery. Stack Overflow
When to pick each (frank trade-offs)
- Oracle: unmatched breadth and “batteries-included” for legacy enterprise estates; heavy licensing and lock-in. Good for shops already standardized there. DB-Engines
- SQL Server: excellent tooling and BI integration in Microsoft ecosystems; licenses and OS coupling can add cost/constraints. DB-Engines
- MySQL: simple, fast, massive mindshare for web stacks; fewer advanced SQL features than Postgres; clustering nuances depend on flavor. DB-Engines
- PostgreSQL: feature-rich, standards-forward, extensible, cost-effective; base community lacks native TDE and enterprise masking/auditing out of the box—this is where enterprise distributions help. (More below.)
Closing the “enterprise features” gap with PostgreSQL Enterprise (PGEE)
Many organizations need encryption at rest, data masking for dev/test, auditable controls, and hardened operationsto satisfy frameworks like PDPL/GDPR and sector rules. Community PostgreSQL can be extended, but that means assembling and maintaining the stack yourself. CYBERTEC PostgreSQL Enterprise Edition (PGEE) delivers these capabilities out-of-the-box while staying close to upstream, avoiding lock-in:
- Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for data files, temporary files, backups, and replication streams.
- Data masking & obfuscation, including masked backups for safe dev/test sharing.
- PL/pgSQL encryption, security anomaly detection, and time-based permissions.
- Cloud readiness (Kubernetes/OpenShift) and performance enhancements beyond community defaults. CYBERTEC PostgreSQL | Services & Support+2CYBERTEC PostgreSQL | Services & Support+2
This approach means you keep the PostgreSQL developer experience and ecosystem while gaining the controls auditors look for—without falling into proprietary dead-ends.
Bottom line
- Strategic default: PostgreSQL is a safe, future-proof default for most new workloads.
- Enterprise posture: If you need encryption/masking/auditing on day one, PostgreSQL Enterprise (PGEE) gives you those features now, with an upgrade path that remains close to open source.
Call to action
Curious how PostgreSQL Enterprise can replace expensive stacks or bring your PostgreSQL estate up to PDPL-grade controls with more features (TDE, masking, auditing, cloud-ready ops) out-of-the-box?
Email us at contactus@worlber.com or
schedule a 30-minute session with our architects: https://calendly.com/contactus-worlber/30min