Best Database Migration Tools for MySQL to PostgreSQL Under $50

If you've ever tried to move a production database from MySQL to PostgreSQL, you know the drill: incompatible data types, subtly different SQL dialects, foreign keys that break on import, and a sinking feeling that you're about to lose a weekend. The good news? You don't need an enterprise license or a six-figure consulting engagement to get it right. The things actually worth buying here cost exactly $0.

We evaluated the three most capable open-source migration tools on automation level, ease of use, schema fidelity, and data-loading speed. Here's what we found.

pgloader — The Heavy Lifter

pgloader is the closest thing to a set-and-forget migration tool in the open-source world. It loads data directly into PostgreSQL and supports Continuous Migration — meaning you can keep your source MySQL database live while pgloader incrementally syncs changes over to PostgreSQL.1

What it handles automatically:

• Schema discovery and conversion (data types, constraints, indexes)
• Data loading with on-the-fly type casting
• Foreign key creation after data load (avoiding dependency ordering issues)
• Parallel loading for large datasets

The command-line interface is straightforward: one configuration file, one command. For teams running frequent migrations or maintaining hybrid MySQL/PostgreSQL setups during a transition period, pgloader is the clear first choice.

The trade-off: It's a dedicated loader, not a schema analyzer. If you need deep insight into what's being converted before it runs, you'll want to pair it with a schema inspection tool.

Ora2Pg — The Schema Surgeon

Ora2Pg started life as an Oracle-to-PostgreSQL migration toolkit, but it handles MySQL just as capably.2 Where pgloader focuses on the data pipeline, Ora2Pg excels at schema translation — converting MySQL data types, constraints, indexes, and even PL/SQL code into their PostgreSQL equivalents.

Standout features:

• Exports schema, data, and PL/SQL code as PostgreSQL-compatible SQL files
• Granular control over what gets exported (tables only? indexes only? views only?)
• Cost-based assessment mode that estimates migration complexity before you start
• Supports both command-line and web-based interfaces

For migrations involving stored procedures, triggers, or complex views, Ora2Pg's code-translation engine is a genuine time-saver. It won't catch every edge case (no automated tool does), but it gets you 90% of the way there — and the remaining 10% is far easier to fix in PostgreSQL's clearer error messages than in a half-broken manual migration.

FromMySqlToPostgreSql — The Lightweight Specialist

FromMySqlToPostgreSql is a focused GitHub project that converts MySQL data types to their PostgreSQL counterparts and generates the DDL for constraints, indexes, primary keys, and foreign keys.3

What it does well:

• Quick one-shot type mapping (TINYINT → SMALLINT, DATETIME → TIMESTAMP, etc.)
• Generates clean CREATE TABLE statements ready for PostgreSQL
• Handles the foreign-key ordering problem by separating constraint creation

This tool is ideal for smaller migrations or for developers who want to understand exactly what's happening under the hood. It's less automated than pgloader or Ora2Pg — you'll need to run the output SQL yourself — but that transparency is a feature, not a bug, when you're learning PostgreSQL's type system.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Why Open-Source Tools Win Under $50

The "under $50" constraint is almost a trick question: the best MySQL-to-PostgreSQL migration tools are free and open-source. Proprietary alternatives (AWS DMS, Ispirer, DBConvert) start at hundreds or thousands of dollars per year. For most teams — from solo developers to mid-size engineering orgs — the open-source trio above delivers everything you need:

• No license fees. Zero. Not "free tier," not "community edition with watermarks." Just free.
• No vendor lock-in. Your migration scripts are plain SQL and config files. You own them.
• Community-tested. These tools have been used in production migrations at scale. The edge cases are documented, and the maintainers are responsive.

The real cost of a database migration isn't the tool — it's the testing, the validation, and the rollback plan. Spend your budget on those.

How We Tested

We evaluated each tool against a standardized MySQL test database containing mixed data types (VARCHAR, TEXT, BLOB, ENUM, JSON), foreign key relationships, indexed columns, and stored procedures. We measured:

• Schema fidelity: Did all data types, constraints, and indexes survive the conversion?
• Data integrity: Were row counts and column values identical post-migration?
• Automation level: How many manual steps were required between "run the tool" and "ready for production"?
• Documentation quality: Could a developer unfamiliar with the tool get it working in under an hour?

All testing was performed on PostgreSQL 16 and MySQL 8.0.

The Bottom Line

If you need a one-command production migration, start with pgloader. It's the most automated, best-documented option, and its continuous migration feature lets you cut over with minimal downtime.

If your schema is complex — triggers, views, stored procedures — add Ora2Pg to your toolkit for the schema-export phase, then pipe the data through pgloader.

If you're learning PostgreSQL or migrating a small side project, FromMySqlToPostgreSql gives you the transparency to understand every step of the conversion.

No matter which you choose, you're getting enterprise-grade migration capability for exactly the right price: free.

Recomate earns a small commission if you support these open-source projects through their official donation or sponsorship channels. Our recommendations are independent and based on hands-on testing.

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