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PostgreSQL

The world's most advanced open-source database

provisional — pending verificationPostgreSQL Licenseself-hostable

Arete score

4.8 / 5

Autonomy5

Return5

Efficiency4

Transparency5

ἀρετή “AH-reh-tay” — excellence: a thing being good at what it’s for. Mean of the four principle scores. How we score →

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~ Provisional — seeded estimate by a human researcher; full rubric pass pending.

Why it's listed

PostgreSQL is listed in databases because it competes on utility: the world's most advanced open-source database. It's stewarded by a non-profit or foundation, which structurally protects it from acquisition-driven enshittification. Licensed PostgreSQL License; pricing: free. Technically it's lean — it runs comfortably on modest hardware, which is exactly the proof-of-work efficiency we rank for. This entry is provisional — the scores are seeded estimates pending our full manual rubric pass, and the verification date will appear here once complete.

Facts

License: PostgreSQL License
Pricing: Free
Funding model: Community/consortium
Self-hostable: Yes — deploy difficulty: easy
Replaces: Oracle, SQL Server
Verification: Provisional — scores are seeded estimates pending manual verification

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Spotted a problem — trackers added, dark patterns, abandonment? Report a violation. Scores change when evidence does.