phpMyAdmin

What phpMyAdmin does

phpMyAdmin is a free, open-source web-based administration tool for MySQL and MariaDB databases, written in PHP and released under the GNU General Public License version 2. Founded in 2001 (the firmographic record also lists 1998), it provides a browser-based graphical interface for browsing, creating, and managing databases, tables, columns, indexes, relations, users, privileges, and stored procedures, and for executing SQL statements directly. The application supports multi-server administration, a visual database designer, query-by-example, global database search, data import/export in 15+ formats (CSV, SQL, XML, JSON, PDF, LaTeX, MediaWiki, and others), custom MIME transformations, and TOTP/U2F-based two-factor authentication, and is translated into 96 languages covering both LTR and RTL scripts.

The product is distributed through the official website, all major Linux distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Gentoo, Fedora, EPEL for RHEL/CentOS), an official Docker image on Docker Hub, and Composer/Packagist, and is bundled by default with cPanel, DirectAdmin, and AMP stacks such as XAMPP, WAMP, and LAMP. The latest stable release is version 5.2.3, shipped October 8, 2025. The project is hosted under the Software Freedom Conservancy, a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides fiscal sponsorship, legal support, and IP stewardship. Development is carried out by a small core volunteer team of approximately four contributors (Isaac Bennetch as project administrator and release coordinator, Deven Bansod, Maurício Meneghini Fauth, and William Desportes) plus a broader community.

The business model is explicitly non-commercial: phpMyAdmin generates no revenue from licensing, subscriptions, or paid features. Funding is limited to voluntary donations and a corporate sponsorship program offering logo placement in exchange for contributions; visible Gold-tier sponsors are small businesses largely in social-media and SEO-adjacent verticals. End users are web developers, database administrators, shared-hosting customers, students, and small businesses — a horizontal, long-tail user base reached through organic community-driven channels (GitHub, documentation wiki, mailing lists, conferences such as FOSDEM and DebConf, Linux distribution channels, and OEM bundling into hosting stacks) rather than a sales-led motion.

Name

phpMyAdmin

Legal name

phpMyAdmin

Website

https://phpmyadmin.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

phpMyAdmin is a free, open-source PHP-based web application for administering MySQL and MariaDB databases through the browser. It is maintained by a small volunteer team under the Software Freedom Conservancy and serves millions of web developers, shared-hosting users, and students globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Database Administration Tools

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) Platforms (HDAEAAAN)

Keywords

• Open source database tool
• MySQL administration
• Web database manager
• MariaDB management
• PHP database tool

Headquarters

HQ city

Brownsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Open Source Software: phpMyAdmin is released under GNU General Public License version 2 as free software. The project is maintained by volunteers and does not generate commercial revenue. It relies on donations and sponsorships to fund development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

phpMyAdmin is a free, open-source PHP-based web application that provides an intuitive browser interface for administering MySQL and MariaDB databases. It enables users to browse, create, modify, and delete databases, tables, columns, relations, indexes, and users; execute SQL queries directly; import/export data in 15+ formats; and manage multiple database servers from a single interface. Distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2 with no commercial licensing fees.

Product overview

phpMyAdmin is a single, unified free software tool written in PHP for administering MySQL and MariaDB databases over the web. It provides a comprehensive graphical user interface for database management operations including browsing, creating, and managing databases, tables, fields, indexes, relations, users, and privileges. The tool also allows direct execution of SQL commands. It is distributed as a standalone application available for download in multiple archive formats (ZIP, tar.gz, tar.xz) with support for 96 languages. The project is maintained by a volunteer team and is a member of the Software Freedom Conservancy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• phpMyAdmin Free open-source web-based administration tool written in PHP for managing MySQL and MariaDB databases through a browser. It provides an intuitive interface for browsing, creating, modifying, and deleting databases, tables, views, columns, indexes, users, and privileges; executing and bookmarking SQL statements; importing and exporting data in 15+ formats; performing multi-server administration; visualizing database schema; performing global searches; applying custom BLOB transformations; and securing access with two-factor authentication. Distributed under GNU GPLv2 with no licensing fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Translated into 96 languages supporting both LTR and RTL
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Software Freedom ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerphpMyAdmin is a member project of the Software Freedom Conservancy, a non-profit organization that promotes, defends, protects, and preserves Free and Open Source Software. The Conservancy provides fiscal sponsorship, legal support, and administrative services to the project.
• Docker, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationphpMyAdmin has an official Docker image hosted on Docker Hub, enabling containerized deployment of the application with database servers.
• Debian ProjectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorphpMyAdmin is packaged and distributed through Debian Linux, providing easy installation for Debian and Ubuntu users.
• OpenSUSE ProjectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorphpMyAdmin is packaged via OpenSUSE Build Service for OpenSUSE and SUSE Linux Enterprise users.
• Fedora ProjectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorphpMyAdmin is available in Fedora Linux repositories.
• Gentoo FoundationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorphpMyAdmin is available as a package in Gentoo Linux via the portage tree.
• Packagist/ComposercoreTechnology or IntegrationphpMyAdmin releases are automatically mirrored to Packagist, the default Composer repository, enabling easy installation via composer create-project.
• EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorphpMyAdmin is available through EPEL for Red Hat Enterprise Linux and CentOS users.
• GitHubcoreTechnology or IntegrationphpMyAdmin source code is hosted on GitHub (github.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin). The project transitioned from SourceForge to GitHub starting in 2012 and completed by 2015.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adminer: Adminer (formerly phpMinAdmin) is the closest direct competitor: a free, single-file PHP-based web interface for MySQL/MariaDB/PostgreSQL/SQLite/Oracle/MS SQL administration. Same delivery model (browser-based admin UI), same target users, with broader database support.
• DBeaver: DBeaver is a free, open-source multi-platform database administration GUI supporting MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and dozens of other databases. Directly competes for the same developer/DBA audience with a richer desktop experience and broader database coverage.
• Navicat: Navicat is a commercial premium database administration GUI supporting MySQL, MariaDB, and many other databases. Directly competes for professional developer/DBA spend with a richer feature set and cross-platform desktop clients, positioned as the paid alternative to phpMyAdmin.
• HeidiSQL: HeidiSQL is a free, open-source Windows-native database administration GUI primarily targeting MySQL/MariaDB and PostgreSQL. Serves the same SMB developer audience but on the desktop rather than the browser.
• Sequel Ace: Sequel Ace is a free, open-source native macOS MySQL/MariaDB administration GUI (successor to Sequel Pro). Directly comparable for the macOS developer segment that phpMyAdmin serves via shared hosting and cross-platform deployments.
• TablePlus: TablePlus is a commercial native database administration GUI for macOS, Windows, and Linux supporting MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and others. Competes for the same professional developer base with a polished UX and freemium model.
• SQLyog: SQLyog is a commercial Windows-based MySQL administration GUI from Webyog. Historically positioned as the premium paid alternative to phpMyAdmin for SMB and enterprise developers, with comparable feature scope around visual schema management and query building.

Broad incumbents

• MySQL Workbench: MySQL Workbench is Oracle's official visual database design and administration tool for MySQL. It is the incumbent vendor-provided alternative with deeper modeling/EER diagram capabilities but requires desktop installation rather than browser-based access.
• Cloud9 / AWS RDS Console: Managed cloud database consoles (AWS RDS, Azure Database, Google Cloud SQL) ship built-in web-based admin UIs as part of their hosted MySQL/MariaDB offerings. They are the most strategically threatening substitutes, removing the need for a standalone tool like phpMyAdmin on managed instances.

Regional players

• pgAdmin: pgAdmin is the official open-source web-based administration tool for PostgreSQL. It is the closest analog in the PostgreSQL ecosystem, directly parallel to phpMyAdmin's role for MySQL/MariaDB — same delivery model (browser-based UI), different database.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/phpmya
• GitHubgithub.com/phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
• Facebookfacebook.com/157021164334486
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phpmyadmin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about phpMyAdmin