Database Face-Off
MariaDB vs MySQL: Which Database Runs Faster on Your Host
MariaDB began as a fork of MySQL by its original creators the year Oracle acquired it — here's what changed under the hood, and why most cPanel-style hosts default to the fork rather than the original.
Open-source
MariaDB's fully open licensing model
2010
Year MariaDB forked from MySQL after Oracle's acquisition
NVMe
SSD storage under every database on Hosting Cheap
Default
MariaDB is the default database on Hosting Cheap hosting
In short
MySQL vs MariaDB comes down to who controls the code and which storage engine runs your queries: MariaDB is a fully open-source fork built by MySQL's original developers, defaulting to storage engines like Aria and XtraDB alongside InnoDB, while MySQL stays Oracle-owned with a separate Enterprise edition. Both share the same wire protocol, so WordPress and WooCommerce run unchanged on either. Hosting Cheap defaults to MariaDB across its cPanel-style hosting.
The performance gap shows up mostly in specific storage-engine choices and thread handling, not a blanket 'one is faster' rule — the sections below break down where each one actually wins.
MariaDB exists because of a single event: Oracle's 2010 acquisition of Sun Microsystems, which brought MySQL under Oracle's ownership. Concerned about MySQL's future as a truly open project, its original creator and several lead developers forked the last fully open-source version and continued developing it independently as MariaDB. That's not a rebrand or a compatibility layer — it's a genuine fork with its own release schedule, its own storage engine development, and its own governance separate from Oracle.
Because of that shared ancestry, MariaDB and MySQL still speak the same wire protocol and support the same core SQL syntax, which is why WordPress, WooCommerce, and most PHP applications built against MySQL run against MariaDB without any code changes. Where the two diverge is in what happens under the hood once a query actually reaches the storage engine — and that's where any real speed conversation has to start.
Storage Engines: Aria and XtraDB vs InnoDB Alone
MySQL has standardized almost entirely on InnoDB as its default storage engine, which handles transactions, row-level locking and crash recovery well but is the only serious option MySQL ships with today. MariaDB kept InnoDB fully compatible but added its own engines alongside it — Aria as a crash-safe replacement for the old MyISAM engine, and XtraDB, a Percona-developed InnoDB fork, as an alternative transactional engine with additional tuning options.
That matters practically because it gives MariaDB more room to pick the right tool for a given table — a session table that gets hammered with simple reads might run faster on Aria, while a transactional orders table still wants InnoDB or XtraDB's row-locking guarantees. MySQL, with InnoDB as effectively the only serious choice, doesn't offer that same per-table flexibility.
Query Performance: Thread Pool and Optimizer Differences
MariaDB introduced a thread pool for handling connections more efficiently under high concurrency, reusing a fixed pool of threads across many connections rather than spawning a new thread per connection the way MySQL traditionally has. Under heavy concurrent load — many simultaneous database connections, common on busy WooCommerce stores — that threading model tends to use less memory per connection.
MariaDB's query optimizer has also picked up several improvements Oracle's MySQL hasn't merged back, including better handling of certain subqueries and join types. Benchmarks vary by workload and query pattern, so neither database wins every test outright, but MariaDB's independent optimizer development means it isn't simply tracking MySQL's roadmap a version behind — it's made its own choices about where to invest engineering effort.
Licensing and Ownership: Fully Open vs Oracle-Controlled
MySQL is owned by Oracle, and while its core Community Edition remains GPL-licensed and free, Oracle also sells a separate Enterprise Edition with additional proprietary features and support, and controls the roadmap and release cadence for both. That's a normal commercial arrangement, but it means MySQL's future direction runs through one company's business priorities.
MariaDB has no equivalent proprietary tier — it's developed under a fully open-source model with no features held back for a paid edition. For a hosting environment where the database needs to run free at scale across many customer accounts, that licensing clarity is part of why it's the more common default.
Compatibility: Why Switching Is a Drop-In, Not a Migration
Because MariaDB maintains wire-protocol and SQL-syntax compatibility with MySQL, switching the underlying database engine for an existing WordPress or WooCommerce site doesn't require touching application code, plugins, or connection strings — the same mysqli or PDO calls that worked against MySQL work identically against MariaDB.
That compatibility is also why free managed migration can move a MySQL-based site onto MariaDB-backed hosting without a rebuild: the database dump imports cleanly, the same queries run, and the only real difference visible afterward is what's happening in storage-engine choice and thread handling underneath.
Why Hosting Cheap Defaults to MariaDB
Every Hosting Cheap plan runs MariaDB as the default database, paired with pure NVMe SSD storage, so the storage-engine flexibility and thread-pool efficiency described above are already configured rather than something you'd need to request or set up.
That default sits on the same cPanel-style panel used to manage the rest of a hosting account, and free managed migration moves an existing MySQL-based site onto it without touching a single query in your application code.
- MariaDB as the default database engine on every plan, no configuration needed
- Full MySQL wire-protocol compatibility for WordPress, WooCommerce and PHP apps
- Pure NVMe SSD storage under every database table and query
- Free managed migration moves existing MySQL sites over without a rebuild
Why Hosting Cheap
What you get
MariaDB by default
Every plan runs MariaDB's storage engines and thread pool without extra setup.
Full MySQL compatibility
Existing WordPress and WooCommerce database queries run unchanged.
Fully open-source licensing
No proprietary Enterprise tier holding back features you might need later.
NVMe-backed storage
Database reads and writes run on pure NVMe SSD rather than older disks.
Free managed migration
Move a MySQL-based site onto MariaDB hosting without rewriting a single query.
24/7 human support
Real help if a migrated database needs a second look after the move.
How It Works
Get set up in a few steps
Check your current database engine
Confirm whether your existing host runs MySQL, MariaDB, or another variant.
Migrate to MariaDB-backed hosting
Use free managed migration to move your database, files and configuration across.
Confirm queries and plugins still run
Test WordPress or WooCommerce database-dependent features after the move.
Included
Everything you need, on every plan
- Confirm whether your current host runs MySQL, MariaDB or a different engine
- Check which storage engine your busiest database tables actually use
- Ask whether thread-pooling is enabled for high-concurrency connection handling
- Review your CMS or application for any MySQL-specific proprietary features
- Confirm free managed migration covers your existing database dump size
- Test checkout and search features on WooCommerce after any database migration
- Weigh licensing clarity against any Oracle Enterprise features you might rely on
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is MariaDB actually faster than MySQL?
It depends on the workload — MariaDB's thread pool and additional storage engines like Aria often perform better under high concurrent connection counts, while MySQL's InnoDB remains a strong transactional choice either way. Neither wins every benchmark outright.
Will my WordPress site work the same on MariaDB?
Yes, MariaDB maintains full wire-protocol and SQL-syntax compatibility with MySQL, so WordPress and its plugins run unchanged. The same is true for WooCommerce and most PHP applications built against MySQL.
Why did MariaDB get created in the first place?
MySQL's original creator and several lead developers forked the last fully open-source version of MySQL in 2010, the same year Oracle acquired it through the Sun Microsystems purchase, to keep development fully open and independent of Oracle's roadmap.
Does MySQL have features MariaDB doesn't?
Oracle's MySQL Enterprise Edition includes some proprietary tools not available in MariaDB, but the core, freely licensed feature set that most WordPress and WooCommerce sites actually use is functionally equivalent between the two.
Can I migrate from MySQL to MariaDB without downtime?
A standard database dump and import moves cleanly between the two thanks to their shared SQL syntax, and free managed migration handles that process along with your site's files and configuration.
What database does Hosting Cheap use?
Hosting Cheap runs MariaDB as the default database engine across its cPanel-style hosting plans, backed by pure NVMe SSD storage.
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