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IBM Db2 Database vs Oracle Database comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.8
IBM Db2 Database delivers substantial ROI, praised for boosting performance and efficiency, and generating significant long-term financial benefits.
Sentiment score
6.7
Oracle Database is costly but offers long-term ROI, valued for stability and high traffic in larger enterprises.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
IBM Db2 support is reliable, efficient, and varies by region, scoring 7-9, with room for documentation improvement.
Sentiment score
6.2
Oracle users have mixed feelings about support, citing slow response, varied staff quality, and concerns with costs and time zones.
We normally receive substantial discounts on the price.
Oracle's technical support is not very effective.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM Db2 Database excels in scalability and performance but may have cost and horizontal scaling limitations compared to Oracle.
Sentiment score
7.4
Oracle Database offers strong scalability with Real Application Clusters, though licensing costs can limit its flexibility for users.
The database regularly releases new versions with better performance and security features.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
IBM Db2 Database is highly stable and reliable, frequently scoring eight to ten out of ten for stability.
Sentiment score
8.0
Oracle Database is praised for its stability, robustness, and reliability, often outperforming others in uptime and performance.
Oracle Database is very robust, and I rate its stability nine out of ten.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Db2 requires improved UI, competitive pricing, better integration, cloud readiness, simplified management, and enhanced performance monitoring.
Oracle users seek cost, complexity, and integration improvements, alongside better support, performance, security, training, and reduced upgrade downtime.
It might be slightly slower than other database vendors, but it works well since banks typically do not move quickly with leading-edge technology.
Oracle Database needs improvement in data analytics capabilities, AI involvement, machine learning, and deep learning.
 

Setup Cost

IBM Db2 Database offers cost-effective enterprise solutions but experiences complex licensing, often less costly than Oracle and pricier than SQL Server.
Oracle Database is costly compared to alternatives, but offers robust features; organizations seek better pricing and negotiation options.
For medium businesses, Oracle and IBM DB2 pricing are quite similar.
 

Valuable Features

IBM Db2 Database impresses with powerful SQL, security, and scalability, ideal for enterprises due to its versatility and resilience.
Oracle Database is known for its scalability, security, advanced analytics, robust support, and flexible architecture supporting various operating systems.
IBM Db2 Database, because of enterprise performance and support, is why banks still maintain their relationship with it.
Its data management capabilities include data quality, data integration, data architecture, modeling, and data security, which are very important for data-driven companies.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Db2 Database
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
74
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Database
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
289
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of IBM Db2 Database is 7.4%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Database is 12.9%, down from 15.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

ArpitKhare - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers optimizer plan and ALSM features along with exceptional stability
The TSA version of IBM Db2 Database doesn't meet my stability expectations. Every time when a switch over occurs, some stability issues can be noticed. The vendor should offer a free version of IBM Db2 Database. For instance, if our company wants to train new individuals on all the features of IBM Db2 Database, they can only be trained after purchasing the paid version of the solution. About ten years ago, a trial version was available for the solution that was highly beneficial for companies. The vendor can add AI or ML features in the future version of IBM Db2 Database.
Ismail Aboulezz - PeerSpot reviewer
Continuous updates improve performance and add valuable features to meet workload demands
Oracle Database ( /products/oracle-database-reviews ) is easy to install, customize, troubleshoot, and maintain. Its data management capabilities include data quality, data integration, data architecture, modeling, and data security, which are very important for data-driven companies. Furthermore, Oracle Database's performance and scalability features meet workload demands, and its continuous updates improve performance and add valuable features.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
46%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
6%
Government
5%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Db2 Database?
Db2 database scalability and performance capabilities match our database needs. It covers pretty much everything a database administrator or engineer might need.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Db2 Database?
IBM Db2 is an expensive solution. While I am not heavily involved with pricing, additional companies provide capabilities or products like those from BMC, which many installations might also purchase.
What needs improvement with IBM Db2 Database?
IBM is implementing some release improvements. It might be slightly slower than other database vendors, but it works well since banks typically do not move quickly with leading-edge technology.
How do you run Oracle Database at your organization and why?
My company has been using Oracle Exadata Database Service for some years now, and we are happy with it. I will allow myself to answer your questions about why and what benefits it provides us with ...
Do you know of any disadvantages of Oracle Database?
Undoubtedly, Oracle Database is a top product in its category. But it does have its disadvantages, and for me and my organization, that has been the limitations of the product. When it comes to Ora...
What is the best use for Oracle Database?
Oracle Database is flexible and can be used for many things. My company's main use case for this product is for storing data. We benefit from its high level of security as well as from the fact tha...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

DB2
Oracle 12c, RDBMS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Knorr-Bremse, Mizuho Bank Ltd., Australian Government Department of Defence, SCHWENK Zement, Friedhelm Loh Group, YAZAKI Europe Limited, Ekornes ASA, Baldor Electric, VSN Systemen BV, Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, PLANSEE Group, TE Connectivity, Hansgrohe SE, Openmatics, University of Toronto
Agncia Nacional de guas, Anbima, Aria Systems, Asiana Airlines, Astelit LLC, Australian Finance Group, Banco Occidental de Descuento, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, BT, Caja de Seguros S.A., Casas GEO S.A.B. de C.V., Comic Relief UK, Corsair Components Inc., CSAM Health AS, CSOB Group, Datacraft Solutions, DenizBank A.S., Department of Treasury and Finance WA, Office of State Revenue, Deutsche B_rse AG, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Deutsche Messe AG, Digicel Haiti, DPR COSEA, Essar Group, Essatto Software Pty Ltd, Farmšcia e Drogaria Nissei Ltda., Fomento Econ‹mico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA), FundaÊo Petrobras de Seguridade Social, Future Group, GFKL Financial Services AG, Grupo Posadas S.A.B. de C.V., Grupo Sinosserra, Guerra S.A. Implementos Rodovišrios, Hanatour International Service, Hays plc, Henan Mobile Co. Ltd, Hochschule Hof, Hong Kong and China Technology (Wuhan) Co. Ltd (Towngas Technology), Industries Corpa_al C.A., Infrastructure Development Finance Company Limited, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatstica, Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial, Kcell, LinkShare Corporation, MercadoLibre Inc., MetLife Inc., Nextgen Distribution, €BB-IKT GmbH, Octagon Research Solutions, Pacific Lutheran University, Paragon Data GmbH, Ping ltd., PJSC Trustbank, Prodaub _ Processamento de Dados de Uberl_ndia, Purdue University, Redknee Inc., Robi Axiata Limited, Shanghai Infoservice Technology Co. Ltd, Shanghai Sihua Technologies Co. Ltd, Sistema de Aguas de la Ciudad de M_xico, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Suddenlink Communications, Suprajit Engineering Limited, Tallink Grupp, Terminales Ro de la Plata S.A., Therap Services LLC, Think Passenger Inc., Trafigura, Transmed S.A.L Lebanon, ValeShop, VelQuest Corporation, Vodafone Group plc, West Virginia Network, WIND Hellas Telecommunications S.A
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Db2 Database vs. Oracle Database and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
855,347 professionals have used our research since 2012.