MongoDB’s Competitive Stance in the Evolving Database Landscape
In a bold move amidst the ever-changing database ecosystem, MongoDB has taken a critical stance against its rival, PostgreSQL, asserting that the latter struggles with scalability in the context of AI workloads. CEO Chirantan Desai leveraged the recent positive earnings results for the quarter ending October 31 to voice these concerns, particularly as PostgreSQL has surged in popularity among developers in recent years.
During a discussion with investment analysts, Desai emphasized MongoDB’s capabilities as a foundational platform for AI applications, although he acknowledged it was premature to declare it the definitive choice. He highlighted a recent case where a customer transitioned from PostgreSQL to MongoDB, citing scalability issues as the driving factor behind their decision.
Following the announcement, MongoDB’s share price experienced a notable 23% increase on Tuesday morning, buoyed by revenue figures that surpassed investor expectations. The company reported 8.3 million in revenue for Q3 FY 2026, marking a 19% increase compared to the same quarter last year, while operational losses narrowed from .9 million to .4 million.
Desai’s remarks may stem from PostgreSQL’s growing influence, a relational database system that has been around since the 1980s and has recently gained traction in the developer community. By 2023, PostgreSQL emerged as the most favored database among professional developers, as indicated by the Stack Overflow survey. This shift followed PostgreSQL’s ascent in the DB-Engines ranking since 2016, which evaluates databases based on various metrics, including online discussions and job postings.
In response to Desai’s claims, Barclays Bank analyst Raimo Lenschow posed a question regarding developer engagement in light of the “PostgreSQL narrative” prevalent in Silicon Valley. Desai countered by referencing a “super-high growth AI company” that faced scalability challenges with PostgreSQL, ultimately opting for MongoDB.
PostgreSQL’s rise can be attributed to the robust database services offered by major cloud providers, which have faced scrutiny over reliability. Nevertheless, several PostgreSQL-compatible services with distributed architectures, such as CockroachDB, pgEdge, and YugabyteDB, have emerged to address these reliability concerns.
Moreover, PlanetScale, known for its distributed MySQL service built on the YouTube-developed Vitess, has recently introduced a PostgreSQL service. Microsoft has also entered the fray with its new distributed PostgreSQL database service, HorizonDB, designed to compete with other hyperscaler systems and third-party RDBMS solutions like CockroachDB and YugabyteDB. Microsoft claims that HorizonDB, which offers full compatibility with open-source PostgreSQL, features a new storage layer that enhances performance, scalability, and availability compared to its existing PostgreSQL offerings. This service stands alongside distributed PostgreSQL solutions from Google (AlloyDB) and AWS (Aurora DSQL).
In a further twist, Microsoft has developed a document database platform intended to rival MongoDB, built on a relational PostgreSQL backend and utilizing FerretDB as a front-end interface with a document database protocol.
Faced with such formidable competition, MongoDB is compelled to defend its platform not solely on the basis of scalability but also regarding its reliability for enterprise workloads—an area where it has long asserted its readiness. While Desai’s critiques of PostgreSQL may resonate, he must tread carefully in highlighting the strengths of his own platform amidst a rapidly evolving landscape.
