Use cases
SQL Server for startups
Standard Edition with Server+CAL licensing is the cheapest production path for teams of 5–25 developers and 10–100 named users.
Who it's for
Seed-stage to Series-A SaaS startups, B2B vertical SaaS, internal tools teams.
Why this works
- Standard handles 128 GB RAM and 24 cores — plenty for early product
- Always On basic availability groups included
- Pairs with Visual Studio Professional
- Same TSQL as Azure SQL — easy lift later
Recommended licenses
- SQL Server 2022 Standard
Production database engine, 24 cores max.
from €49.99 · View licence →
Alternatives
- SQL Server 2025 Enterprise — Only above 24 cores or for online indexing / TDE / unlimited virtualisation.
Things to know first
- Every named user querying SQL needs a CAL — count developers, BI users and app-server service accounts (only one CAL per multiplexing app server).
- Free SQL Server Developer Edition is fine for staging — same code base as Enterprise.