Microsoft SQL Server
The facts below are what the maker publishes about Microsoft SQL Server, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
Plans and prices
From Microsoft SQL Server's own pricing page, checked 22 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Standard per core | — | Standard edition · 2-core pack · Volume licensing and hosting |
| Standard per core | Priced on request | Standard edition · 2-core pack · Volume licensing and hosting |
| Standard server | — | Standard edition · Server license · Volume licensing and hosting |
| Standard server | Priced on request | Standard edition · Server license · Volume licensing and hosting |
| Standard CAL | Priced on request | Client access license · Volume licensing and hosting |
| Standard CAL | — | Client access license · Volume licensing and hosting |
| Enterprise pay-as-you-go | $274 a month | Cloud billing for on-premises and cloud · Monthly rate; Azure Arc enabled |
| Express | Free | Free download; desktop, web, and small server applications |
| Developer – Standard & Enterprise | Free | Free download; development and testing, not production |
| Standard pay-as-you-go | $73 a month | Cloud billing for on-premises and cloud · Monthly rate; Azure Arc enabled |
| Standard - CAL | $230, paid once | Volume licensing, hosting · Open no-level price; CAL |
| Standard - server | $989, paid once | CALs required for users or devices accessing a server under the Server + CAL model; volume licensing, hosting · Open no-level price; Server license |
| Standard subscription | $1,418 a year | Volume licensing · 2 core pack |
| Standard - per core | $3,945, paid once | Volume licensing, hosting · Open no-level price; 2 core pack |
| Enterprise subscription | $5,434 a year | Volume licensing · 2 core pack |
| Enterprise | $15,123, paid once | Volume licensing, hosting · Open no-level price; 2 core pack |
| Enterprise pay-as-you-go hourly | — | Azure Arc-enabled pay-as-you-go billing · Enterprise edition |
| Enterprise pay-as-you-go hourly | Priced on request | Azure Arc-enabled pay-as-you-go billing · Enterprise edition |
| Standard pay-as-you-go hourly | — | Azure Arc-enabled pay-as-you-go billing · Standard edition |
| Standard pay-as-you-go hourly | Priced on request | Azure Arc-enabled pay-as-you-go billing · Standard edition |
The facts
Each one read from Microsoft SQL Server's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI features
- SQL Server 2025 includes vector search, vector embedding generation, text chunking, and DiskANN vector indexing.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Database engine
- SQL Server Database Engine stores, processes, and secures data and includes replication, full-text search, relational, XML and JSON management, and Python and R machine learning services.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Data integration
- Integration Services provides graphical tools and programmable objects for moving, copying, and transforming data.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Data virtualization
- PolyBase can query storage sources such as Azure Storage and S3, as well as ODBC data sources.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Developer edition limits
- Developer editions include Enterprise or Standard edition functionality but are licensed for development and testing, not production use.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Express edition limits
- Express is a free entry-level edition for learning and desktop or small server applications; a single Database Engine instance is limited to the lesser of one socket or four cores.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- SQL Server 2025 integrates with LangChain, Semantic Kernel, Entity Framework Core, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft Fabric.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- Microsoft's SQL Server security guidance covers platform and network security, permissions, encryption, and secure connections.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Who it serves
- Microsoft describes Enterprise as intended for organizations with complex workloads and Standard as a balance of performance, security, and affordability for businesses.checked 11 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Linux support limit
- SQL Server 2025 does not support SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Windows and Linux
- Microsoft provides SQL Server downloads for Windows and Linux, as well as a SQL Server container image for Docker.checked 11 Oct 2026
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