Comparing SQL Server 2025 editions: choose the right version for your organization
Microsoft SQL Server 2025 is available in multiple editions, each specifically designed to meet the diverse needs of your organization. Whether it concerns small applications, test and development environments, or large-scale, business-critical systems, there is always an edition that fits the scale, performance, and workloads of your organization. Thanks to this flexible structure, you can easily select the right version, optimize costs, and at the same time benefit from the latest features in the areas of security, AI integration, and hybrid cloud functionality. In this blog, we compare all SQL Server 2025 editions, list the key differences for you, and help you determine which edition best aligns with the needs of your organization. Enterprise Edition Standard Edition Enterprise Developer Edition Standard Developer Edition Evaluation Edition Express Edition 💡 Note: the traditional Web edition is no longer available in SQL Server 2025; it did exist in earlier versions such as SQL Server 2022. Below you will find a recent table with the key differences between the SQL Server 2025 editions according to Microsoft Learn data: Enterprise Edition Standard Edition Express Edition Developer Editions (Enterprise & Standard) Evaluation Edition The Microsoft Learn documentation also makes it clear that some features are available in all editions, while others are only available in the more expensive editions: 💡 Note: These differences are important when planning implementations where performance, high availability, or advanced query processing are critical. Enterprise Edition Standard Edition Express Edition Developer Editions (Standard or Enterprise) Evaluation Edition Are you interested in SQL Server 2025 Standard or Enterprise? Then take a look at our pre-owned licenses, which allow you to save significantly on your SQL Server investment compared to Microsoft’s pricing. Our licenses offer the same functionality and compliance, but at a much more attractive price. Contact us for more information or request a free, no-obligation quote to discover how much you can save. Should I upgrade to SQL Server 2025? Which edition of SQL Server 2025 best fits my organization? Can I use Developer or Evaluation editions in production? Which licensing models are available for SQL Server 2025? Does SQL Server 2025 support modern AI and hybrid cloud scenarios?Available Microsoft SQL Server 2025 editions
The Enterprise edition is the most comprehensive commercial version of SQL Server 2025. This edition is designed for organizations with business-critical workloads that require maximum performance, scalability, and security. Enterprise supports advanced features such as full high availability, disaster recovery, AI integration, and extensive analytics options, making it ideal for large production environments and complex data platforms.
The Standard edition is aimed at organizations seeking a good balance between performance, security, and cost. This edition offers modern AI capabilities, support for hybrid environments, and all essential database features required for small to medium workloads. Standard is suitable for organizations that want reliable performance without the additional complex features of Enterprise.
The Enterprise Developer edition includes all functionality of the Enterprise edition but is intended exclusively for development and testing. This edition may not be used in production. It allows developers and testers to build and optimize applications using exactly the same features as the commercial Enterprise version.
The Standard Developer edition offers the same functionality as the Standard edition but is also intended only for development and test environments. Like the Enterprise Developer version, this edition cannot be used in production. It is ideal for organizations that want to develop or test applications without additional licensing costs for production.
The Evaluation edition temporarily provides full Enterprise functionality and is available for evaluation purposes for up to 180 days. This edition is intended to enable organizations to test SQL Server 2025 or run pilots before purchasing a permanent license.
The Express edition is a free entry-level version of SQL Server 2025 with limited scale and capacity. It is ideal for small desktop applications, web applications, or learning environments. Express offers all basic SQL Server functionality, but with limitations on database size and performance.Comparison of SQL Server 2025 editions
What do these differences mean in practice?
• Designed for business-critical workloads with maximum performance, redundancy, and availability.
• Full support for advanced features such as clustered Always On capabilities, extensive HA/DR options, and scalable compute capacity.
• Ideal for large data platforms and mission-critical applications.
• Offers a strong balance between functionality and cost for mid-sized environments.
• Supports modern workloads including AI features and hybrid cloud scenarios.
• Less advanced HA/DR options than Enterprise, but sufficient for most business applications.
• Free and limited in scale (4 cores / 50 GB per database).
• Suitable for small web apps, desktop users, or proof-of-concepts.
• Includes basic features and can be used at no additional cost.
• Identical in functionality to Enterprise or Standard respectively.
• Not intended for production and exclusively for development, testing, and staging.
• Useful for fully testing applications prior to production deployment.
• Enterprise functionality, but temporary (max. 180 days).
• Only suitable for evaluating SQL Server 2025 or running pilot projects.Technical features that differ per edition
Which SQL Server 2025 edition should you choose?
Are you choosing for a large organization with business-critical workloads? Then the Enterprise Edition is the right choice. This edition offers maximum performance, full scalability, and advanced features for high availability, security, and complex data environments.
For mid-sized organizations or companies with hybrid applications, the Standard Edition is the most suitable choice. You receive all the necessary functionality for reliable performance, modern AI support, and hybrid integration, without the complexity and costs of Enterprise.
Do you have small applications, desktop solutions, or do you want to run a proof of concept? Then the free Express Edition is ideal. It provides basic SQL Server functionality with limited scale and performance, perfect for light workloads.
Do you want to use SQL Server for development and testing? Then choose a Developer Edition. You get exactly the same features as in the commercial editions, allowing you to fully build and test applications, but these editions are not suitable for production.
Do you want to try SQL Server 2025 first or run a pilot? The Evaluation Edition gives you full Enterprise functionality for up to 180 days, allowing you to test the platform’s capabilities before choosing a permanent license.FAQ
An upgrade to SQL Server 2025 is recommended if you want to benefit from the latest functionality, improved performance, modern AI integration, and longer support lifecycles. For smaller projects or test environments, a Developer or Express edition may be sufficient.
• Enterprise Edition is suitable for large organizations with business-critical workloads that require maximum performance, scalability, and advanced high availability.
• Standard Edition is ideal for mid-sized organizations and hybrid applications, offering a good balance between performance, functionality, and cost.
• Express Edition is free and suitable for small applications, desktop users, or proof-of-concept projects.
• Developer Editions are intended for development and testing and may not be used in production.
• Evaluation Edition is temporary and ideal for evaluating SQL Server 2025 or running pilot projects.
No. The Developer editions are intended exclusively for development, testing, and staging. The Evaluation edition provides full Enterprise functionality, but is temporarily available for a maximum of 180 days and may not be used for production.
• Enterprise and Standard: Core-based licensing. Standard can also use Server + CAL.
• Express: Free entry-level edition with limited scale and capacity.
• Developer: Free, for test and development environments only.
• Evaluation: Temporary Enterprise functionality for evaluation, free for up to 180 days.
Yes. Both Enterprise and Standard offer AI integration and support for hybrid environments with Microsoft Fabric and Azure. Express provides basic functionality, while Developer and Evaluation editions follow the AI and cloud capabilities of their respective commercial editions.