Most free database software

Most free database software is not as good as Microsoft Access. Fortunately, there are some rare and excellent alternatives. This article covers five of the best. Microsoft Access is a database tool that has been popularized since 1992 by being included in most Microsoft Office software packages.
Like many database programs, Microsoft Access is a complex tool with a steep learning curve. However, there are alternatives to Microsoft Access, and here are some of the best ones.

Why use a Microsoft Access alternative?

Is Microsoft Access your best free open source database tool of choice? This is understandable. Access is a core Microsoft Office feature available for Office 365 and standalone licenses. Despite the increase in free Microsoft Office alternatives, Microsoft Access remains consistently among the top 10 database engines. It can even be used for other purposes, such as building forms in Access.

Opinions also differ on Microsoft Access. Pro-Access users point to its ease of use, the vast array of online resources available to users of all abilities, and its powerful query, filtering, and tabulation tools. Anti-Access users have questioned its lack of scalability, the frustrating 2GB limit, continued use of individual files of the database, and the possibility of database corruption in multi-user databases.

For others, the price of Microsoft Access is also a sticking point. Other free database options perform as well or better than Microsoft Access.

The best free database software

Here are some Microsoft Access alternatives worth your free trial:

For those considering a free alternative to Microsoft Access, LibreOffice Base is a great place to start. The open source office suite remains a contender for the Microsoft Office crown, and the latest version, LibreOffice 6.1.3, is one of the best yet. The Base remains a great all-round product, perfect for home and business needs.

LibreOffice Base has a range of convenient features, including cross-database support for multi-user databases such as MySQL, Adabas D, Microsoft Access and PostgreSQL. LibreOffice Base is probably the closest to a direct clone of Microsoft Access. Both are front-end database management tools. You can use Base to make a nice database application or website, or you can choose Firebird or HSQLDB as your embedded database framework.