--- description: Learn how Microsoft SQL Server can help your business. GetApp provides users in South Africa with the most detailed information on software tools, prices and features. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/getapp/og_logo-94fd2a03a6c7a0e54fc0c9e21a1c0ce9.png title: Microsoft SQL Server Reviews, Prices & Ratings | GetApp South Africa 2026 --- Breadcrumb: [Home](/) > [Database Software](/directory/459/database/software) > [Microsoft SQL Server](/software/125135/sql-server) # Microsoft SQL Server Canonical: https://www.getapp.za.com/software/125135/sql-server Page: 1 / 80\ Next: [Next page](https://www.getapp.za.com/software/125135/sql-server?page=2) > SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDMS) designed to help businesses of all sizes analyze structured or unstructured data across various data environments including Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, MySQL, and more. > > Verdict: Rated **4.6/5** by 1974 users. Top-rated for **Likelihood to recommend**. ----- ## Quick Stats & Ratings | Metric | Rating | Detail | | **Overall** | **4.6/5** | 1974 Reviews | | Ease of Use | 4.3/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Customer Support | 4.3/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Value for Money | 4.3/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Features | 4.6/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Recommendation percentage | 90% | (9/10 Likelihood to recommend) | ## About the vendor - **Company**: Microsoft - **Location**: Redmond, US - **Founded**: 1975 ## Commercial Context - **Starting Price**: US$13 748,00 - **Pricing model**: Flat Rate (Free version available) (Free Trial) - **Pricing Details**: SQL Server offers a 180-day free trial for new users, after which the software is available across various pricing tiers Enterprise - $13748 Standard (per core) - $3586 Standard (server) - $899 Standard (CAL) - $209 Developer – Available to users for free Express – Available to users for free Additional cost for subscriptions and add-ons include - SQL Server Enterprise - $5434/year SQL Server Standard - $1418/year Big data node cores - $400/year - **Target Audience**: Self Employed, 2–10, 11–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1 000, 1 001–5 000, 5 001–10 000, 10 000+ - **Deployment & Platforms**: Cloud, SaaS, Web-based, Windows (Desktop), Linux (Desktop), Windows (On-Premise), Linux (On-Premise) - **Supported Languages**: English, French - **Available Countries**: France, Italy, United States ## Features - API - Access Controls/Permissions - Ad hoc Query - Ad hoc Reporting - Authentication - Backup and Recovery - Benchmarking - Collaboration Tools - Dashboard - Data Connectors - Data Dictionary Management - Data Extraction - Data Import/Export - Data Mapping - Data Migration - Data Replication - Data Storage Management - Data Synchronization - Data Transformation - Data Visualization ## Integrations (5 total) - Microsoft Azure - Microsoft Excel - Microsoft Power BI - Microsoft Visual Studio - MySQL ## Support Options - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat ## Category - [Database Software](https://www.getapp.za.com/directory/459/database/software) ## Related Categories - [Database Software](https://www.getapp.za.com/directory/459/database/software) - [Business Intelligence Tools](https://www.getapp.za.com/directory/318/business-intelligence/software) ## Alternatives 1. [MySQL](https://www.getapp.za.com/software/1985007/mysql) — 4.6/5 (2094 reviews) 2. [Google Cloud](https://www.getapp.za.com/software/122483/google-cloud-platform) — 4.7/5 (2262 reviews) 3. [MongoDB](https://www.getapp.za.com/software/121771/mongodb) — 4.7/5 (468 reviews) 4. [Airtable](https://www.getapp.za.com/software/106031/airtable) — 4.6/5 (2222 reviews) 5. [Microsoft Access](https://www.getapp.za.com/software/2049688/microsoft-access) — 4.4/5 (205 reviews) ## Reviews ### "SQL is getting better as it grows older" — 4.0/5 > **Imi** | *21 November 2019* | Political Organization | Recommendation rating: 9.0/10 > > **Pros**: MS SQL Server is certainly a competently relational database engine, with reporting service and now R. Easy to install for small onpremise application. Easy to administer, easy to backup, easy because it is a Microsoft application. It is so easy that most of the application today I work on seem to be pulling data from SQL into Excel and or Power BI. You can start from free version and expand as time goes by. The management studio take the pain our of scripting, and the online support community most likely have your questions answered with T-SQL scripts for copy and pasting. If you deciding on an option for an Relational Database system - you should look at this as your most productive option. It allows you to focus on the problem by making the technology easy. > > **Cons**: The new the version, the more memory intensive this management studio will become. Microsoft need to create some more easy to use tool for change control and change tracking. Backward compatibility - if you used a higher version during development, then it become a pain to use a lower version during production environment. > > SQL Server centralized my data and allows my staff to "believe" that they are working in Excel, It is super fast for loading data from the server, and allow large data set that will normally take hours, or even crash the Excel spreadsheet to load without any issue. When I am ready for a web app.. SQL server is easy as piece to develop a simple CRUD application and push live. It seem to connect to every thing - from MS Word Mail merge, MS Excel, MS Access and of course for development environment such as Visual Studios. One Database ( Centralized) and many presentation modes for the end users. I love it\! ----- ### "Sometimes difficult to fault find but generally a stable and reliable product" — 4.0/5 > **Verified Reviewer** | *24 February 2025* | Education Management | Recommendation rating: 9.0/10 > > **Pros**: SQL is the core for a lot of businesses, being widely support by third parties it is a very useful system to run. > > **Cons**: It's not easy to fault find at times with limited tools due to the complexity of some databases. > > We couldn't live without it, it is the heart of all of our systems. ----- ### "SQL Server as a primary tool for developers" — 3.0/5 > **Wilmer Josué** | *18 June 2021* | Libraries | Recommendation rating: 7.0/10 > > **Pros**: What I liked about the tool is the practical use it has, it can be used by novices in an easy way, as long as someone teaches them the basics, it is very useful on a daily basis due to the management of databases and their respective migration to other platforms. The management of the information becomes useful, it is versatile to changes before, during and after the development of the project. > > **Cons**: What I liked least is the interface and the work area because when moving a part of that interface it is not very intuitive to place it to the default place, I have had problems with that and also that for processes of adding data I find the work space very small. > > I have been using SQL server since the first periods of college in my programming classes, as a storage of information I have been taught its practical use both personally and for program development in companies. I find it a very useful and versatile tool, it is used with ease as long as the developer has studied enough information about sql server because a novice and a pro can delete by mistake a whole database, you have to be careful because there are no request messages to deny the deletion. To use the tool I recommend to practice a lot and to comment the coding. ----- ### "Reliable, Strong, Secure" — 4.0/5 > **Kayla** | *13 March 2025* | Automotive | Recommendation rating: 7.0/10 > > **Pros**: Its user-friendly management tools, strong security features, and powerful analytics capabilities make it a reliable choice for handling complex data workloads. > > **Cons**: One downside of Microsoft SQL Server is its high licensing costs, which can be prohibitive for smaller businesses. Additionally, resource-intensive performance tuning and occasional compatibility issues with non-Microsoft ecosystems can create challenges for some users. > > Positive, thanks to its reliability, scalability, and strong security features. It offers powerful data management and analytics capabilities, though licensing costs and performance tuning requirements can be challenging for some use cases. ----- ### "Easy to integrate and monitor in a complex application" — 4.0/5 > **Aditya** | *21 April 2025* | Computer Software | Recommendation rating: 8.0/10 > > **Pros**: Simple and Easy to setup, monitor and integrate in any application. > > **Cons**: It is a bit expensive and found it a bit confusing when it comes to understanding cores and CALs. > > I am using SQL server from past 10 years and never faced any issue. ----- Page: 1 / 80\ Next: [Next page](https://www.getapp.za.com/software/125135/sql-server?page=2) ## Links - [View on GetApp](https://www.getapp.za.com/software/125135/sql-server) ## This page is available in the following languages | Locale | URL | | de | | | de-AT | | | en | | | en-AE | | | en-AU | | | en-CA | | | en-GB | | | en-IE | | | en-NZ | | | en-SG | | | en-ZA | | | es | | | es-CL | | | es-CO | | | es-MX | | | fr | | | fr-BE | | | fr-CA | | ----- ## Structured Data