No. 4 of 30 ·Database Proxy Software

PgBouncer

Windows · Linux · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely2 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

PgBouncer is ranked #4 of 30 in database proxy software on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

PgBouncer plans and pricing

All plans

PgBouncer Free Source release available · self-hosted software pgbouncer.org · 3 Oct 2026

Compared on database proxy software

Free plan: Yes
Deployment model: self-hosted
Connection pooling: Yes
Query routing: No
Load balancing: Yes
Automatic failover: No
Supported databases: PostgreSQL

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The record

Purpose: PgBouncer is a PostgreSQL connection pooler that reuses server connections to reduce the performance impact of opening new connections.
Pooling modes: It supports session, transaction, and statement pooling, with statement pooling disallowing multi-statement transactions.
Memory: The features page lists default memory requirements of 2 kB per connection.
Backend hosts: PgBouncer can route to destination databases on different hosts and is not tied to one backend server.
Prepared statements: It can track protocol-level prepared statements in transaction and statement pooling when max_prepared_statements is non-zero.
Authentication: Documented authentication options include client certificates, SCRAM-SHA-256, LDAP, PAM, and HBA-based configuration.
TLS: The installation documentation lists OpenSSL 1.0.1 or later as a build dependency for TLS support.
Operating systems: The installation page documents running PgBouncer on Windows and specifies MinGW as its only supported Windows build environment.
Build dependencies: Building requires Libevent 2.0 or later, pkg-config, and a C11-capable compiler; OpenSSL is needed for TLS support.
Integrations: Optional build integrations include PAM, LDAP, and systemd support.
Failover: PgBouncer does not provide internal failover-host configuration or detection; its FAQ describes DNS reconfiguration and external tools as options.
Release and security: The homepage says version 1.26.0, released September 23, 2026, fixes three denial-of-service CVEs.
Distribution: The downloads page offers source releases and points to native OS packages and dedicated RPM and Debian package repositories.
Founded: 2007
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Database Proxy Software in 2026#4 of 30

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Sources

pgbouncer.org/usage.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
pgbouncer.org/features.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
pgbouncer.org/faq.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
pgbouncer.org/config.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
pgbouncer.org/install.html· checked 3 Oct 2026
pgbouncer.org· checked 3 Oct 2026
pgbouncer.org/downloads/· checked 3 Oct 2026