Database Decision
PostgreSQL vs MySQL: Choosing the Right Database for Your App
MySQL built its reputation on speed and simplicity for web applications; PostgreSQL built its reputation on doing more with the data itself — the right pick depends on what your application actually needs from the database.
MVCC
PostgreSQL's multi-version concurrency control model
JSONB
Native structured data type built into PostgreSQL
NVMe
SSD storage under both MySQL-compatible and PostgreSQL databases
$9.99/mo
Starting price for VPS hosting with PostgreSQL support
In short
MySQL vs PostgreSQL comes down to what your application asks of the database: MySQL is optimized for fast, simple read-heavy web workloads and remains the default for WordPress, WooCommerce and most PHP applications, while PostgreSQL adds stricter SQL standards compliance, richer native JSON handling, and MVCC-based concurrency built for complex queries and heavier write concurrency. Hosting Cheap's web and PHP hosting runs a MySQL-compatible database by default, with PostgreSQL available on VPS plans.
Neither is objectively 'better' — a brochure site or blog will rarely notice the difference, while an application doing complex reporting queries or handling many simultaneous writes usually benefits from PostgreSQL's design choices.
MySQL grew up alongside the web itself, tuned from the start for the pattern most websites actually need: fast reads, simple writes, and a schema that doesn't change often. That focus is exactly why it became the default database behind WordPress, WooCommerce, and the huge majority of PHP-based content management systems — it's fast at the common case and doesn't ask much configuration to get there.
PostgreSQL took a different starting point: full SQL standards compliance, extensible data types, and a concurrency model designed to let many transactions read and write at once without blocking each other unnecessarily. Those choices come with slightly more overhead for the simplest workloads, but they pay off directly once an application's queries get more complex than 'fetch a post and its comments.'
SQL Standards Compliance and Data Types
MySQL historically took a pragmatic approach to the SQL standard, prioritizing speed and ease of use over strict adherence — it has, for example, been more lenient about implicit type conversions and constraint enforcement than the standard technically calls for. That leniency makes it forgiving for quick development, but it can let inconsistent data slip through that a stricter database would reject outright.
PostgreSQL adheres far more closely to the SQL standard and ships richer native data types out of the box, including a genuine JSONB type that stores JSON in a binary format supporting indexing and fast queries against nested fields, arrays as a first-class column type, and custom types you can define yourself. For applications that store semi-structured data alongside relational data, that's a meaningfully different set of tools to work with.
Concurrency: How Each Database Handles Simultaneous Writes
MySQL's InnoDB engine uses row-level locking and its own MVCC implementation, which handles typical web traffic well — reads rarely block on writes, and most WordPress or WooCommerce workloads never approach the concurrency ceiling where this becomes a bottleneck.
PostgreSQL's MVCC implementation is generally considered more robust under heavy concurrent write load, since it was built from the ground up around letting many transactions proceed simultaneously without readers blocking writers or vice versa. That difference is largely invisible on a low-traffic site, but it shows up clearly on an application running many simultaneous transactions — a booking system, a financial ledger, an analytics pipeline ingesting data continuously.
Extensibility: A Focused Feature Set vs a Broader Toolkit
MySQL keeps its feature set relatively focused, which is part of why it's easy to reason about and quick to configure for a standard web application — you're rarely surprised by an obscure feature interacting unexpectedly with your queries.
PostgreSQL is built to be extended: it supports custom functions in multiple languages, geographic data types through extensions like PostGIS, and full-text search built into the core engine. That extensibility is a genuine advantage for applications with specialized data needs — geospatial apps, analytics platforms, anything doing more than standard CRUD operations against a content schema.
Which One Actually Fits Your Project
For WordPress, WooCommerce, and the majority of PHP-based websites, MySQL, or its MariaDB-compatible equivalent, is the practical default — it's what these applications are built and tested against, it's fast for the read-heavy pattern those sites follow, and there's no meaningful reason to introduce PostgreSQL's added complexity for a standard content site.
PostgreSQL earns its place specifically when an application's data model or concurrency needs go beyond that pattern — custom applications with complex reporting queries, heavy simultaneous write loads, or a need for PostgreSQL-specific data types. On a VPS with root access, installing and running PostgreSQL alongside or instead of a MySQL-compatible database is a configuration choice rather than a limitation.
MySQL-Compatible by Default, PostgreSQL Available on VPS
Hosting Cheap's web and PHP hosting runs a MySQL-compatible database by default, which matches what WordPress, WooCommerce and most PHP applications are actually built against, all on pure NVMe SSD storage.
For applications that specifically need PostgreSQL's data types or concurrency model, VPS hosting with root access lets you install and configure PostgreSQL directly, without waiting on a shared-hosting panel to add support for it.
- MySQL-compatible database included by default on web and PHP hosting
- Root access on VPS plans to install and configure PostgreSQL directly
- Pure NVMe SSD storage under either database engine
- Free managed migration for existing MySQL or PostgreSQL-based sites
Why Hosting Cheap
What you get
MySQL-compatible by default
Matches what WordPress, WooCommerce and PHP applications are built and tested against.
PostgreSQL on VPS
Root access lets you install and run PostgreSQL for applications that need it.
NVMe-backed performance
Both database engines run on pure NVMe SSD rather than older storage.
Free managed migration
Move an existing MySQL or PostgreSQL-based application without rebuilding it.
1-click installers
WordPress and other MySQL-based CMS platforms install in one click on web hosting.
24/7 human support
Help deciding which database fits your application, before or after migrating.
How It Works
Get set up in a few steps
Review your application's data needs
Check whether your queries rely on JSON handling, complex joins or heavy concurrency.
Choose the right hosting tier
Pick MySQL-compatible web hosting, or a VPS with root access for PostgreSQL.
Migrate your existing database
Use free managed migration to move your current MySQL or PostgreSQL setup across.
Included
Everything you need, on every plan
- Confirm whether your CMS or application is actually built against MySQL or PostgreSQL
- Check if your queries rely on JSONB, arrays or custom PostgreSQL data types
- Estimate how many simultaneous write transactions your application handles
- Review whether strict SQL standards compliance matters for your data integrity needs
- Confirm root access is available if you need to install PostgreSQL yourself
- Test complex reporting or join-heavy queries against both engines if unsure
- Weigh added PostgreSQL complexity against your application's actual requirements
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is PostgreSQL better than MySQL?
Not universally — PostgreSQL offers stricter SQL compliance, richer data types and stronger concurrency for complex applications, while MySQL is faster to configure and well-suited to the read-heavy pattern most websites and CMS platforms follow.
Can WordPress run on PostgreSQL?
Not natively — WordPress and WooCommerce are built and tested against MySQL-compatible databases. Running PostgreSQL under WordPress would require unsupported third-party workarounds, so MySQL-compatible hosting is the practical choice for CMS sites.
Does PostgreSQL handle JSON data better than MySQL?
Generally yes — PostgreSQL's JSONB type stores JSON in an indexed binary format for fast queries against nested fields, while MySQL's JSON support is more limited in how deeply it can be indexed and queried.
Which database handles more simultaneous users?
PostgreSQL's MVCC implementation is generally considered more robust under heavy concurrent write load, though for typical web traffic MySQL's row-level locking handles simultaneous reads and writes well within normal limits.
Do I need root access to run PostgreSQL?
Yes, on shared hosting environments, PostgreSQL usually isn't offered alongside a MySQL-compatible default. A VPS with root access lets you install and configure PostgreSQL directly for applications that specifically need it.
What database does Hosting Cheap run by default?
Web and PHP hosting runs a MySQL-compatible database by default, matching what WordPress and WooCommerce expect, while VPS plans with root access support installing PostgreSQL directly.
Pick the Database Your Application Actually Needs
MySQL-compatible hosting from $2.09/mo, or a VPS with root access for PostgreSQL from $9.99/mo.
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