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Microsoft Access vs Microsoft SQL Server

Updated December 18, 2025

Microsoft Access vs Microsoft SQL Server: Which is best for you?

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Screenshots
and Demo
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Top Rated
  Features
Activity Dashboard
4.50
Customizable Fields
4.43
Data Storage Management
4.37
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Data Extraction
4.62
Data Storage Management
4.60
Backup and Recovery
4.57
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Integrations
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word
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Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure
MySQL
MySQL
Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Visual Studio
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Pros / Cons
  • I use access for this data handling and it is easier to do this task in access than in any other software, for instance excel. And also make depth and complicated link within information easier.
  • It was born as a single-user application to be installed on your PC and any workaround to transform it into a centralized database is a forcing that inevitably leads to problems or compromises, especially in terms of security
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  • All databases stored in sql server can be easily accessed in other systems such as powerbi and excel with your existing account credentials and just by providing database and table names
  • The tricky part is some of the advanced stuff—it can get complicated if you’re diving into things like SSIS or Analysis Services. And yeah, licensing isn’t cheap if you’re running a full production setup.
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Ease-of-Use
4/ 5
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.3/ 5
Value for Money
4.2/ 5
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.3/ 5
Customer Support
3.9/ 5
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.3/ 5
Functionality
4.4/ 5
Highest performing feature
in the comparison
4.6/ 5
Support Options
Email/Help Desk
FAQs/Forum
Knowledge Base
Phone Support
24/7 (Live Rep)
Chat
Email/Help Desk
FAQs/Forum
Knowledge Base
Phone Support
24/7 (Live Rep)
Chat
Training Options
In Person
Live Online
Webinars
Documentation
Videos
In Person
Live Online
Webinars
Documentation
Videos
FrontRunners
FrontRunners 2025
FrontRunners 2025
Advisor
  Recommendations
N/A
N/A
Ideal Customer Size
Small
Medium
Large
Small
Medium
Large
Deployment Options
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
Desktop - Mac
Desktop - Windows
Desktop - Linux
Desktop - Chromebook
On-Premise - Windows
On-Premise - Linux
Mobile - Android
Mobile - iPhone
Mobile - iPad
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
Desktop - Mac
Desktop - Windows
Desktop - Linux
Desktop - Chromebook
On-Premise - Windows
On-Premise - Linux
Mobile - Android
Mobile - iPhone
Mobile - iPad