UniDAC vs ODAC, SDAC, MyDAC and PgDAC: Which Should You Buy?

At a glance

What it costs to cover your databases

UniDAC's price doesn't change with the number of databases you use. The single-database libraries are cheaper for one server and more expensive from the second one on. Here is the Professional edition, the one most buyers need because it adds Direct mode for Oracle and SQL Server plus macOS, Linux and mobile targets:

The Standard editions follow the same pattern: one single-database Standard license is $229.95, two are $459.90, and UniDAC Standard is $349.95. But read the edition section below before you pick Standard, because it builds for Windows only.

Universal Data Access Components (UniDAC)

UniDAC gives you one set of components (TUniConnection, TUniQuery, TUniTable, TUniStoredProc and the rest) and a separate provider for each server. To move an application from SQL Server to PostgreSQL, you change the connection's Provider and the server details, and most of your data-access code stays as it is. For SQL that has to differ per server, UniDAC's Unified SQL macros swap in server-specific fragments at run time.

The UniDAC connection editor's Options tab. The "Options for provider" list is set to SQLite and shows that provider's own settings, such as Direct=True, EncryptionAlgorithm, EncryptionKey, ForceCreateDatabase and ForeignKeys.

UniDAC isn't a lowest-common-denominator layer. Each provider exposes its server's specifics through provider options and components such as TUniAlerter (Oracle alerts, PostgreSQL notifications), TUniLoader for bulk loading and TUniDump for scripting a database. Version 12.1 added SQL Server 2025 and Always Encrypted support to the SQL Server provider, plus RAD Studio 13 Florence Release 2 and Lazarus 4.8.

UniDAC in the Lazarus IDE on Ubuntu: UniDAC and UniDAC Providers tabs on the component palette, a form with UniConnection1, UniQuery1, UniDataSource1 and SQLiteUniProvider1, the unit's code on the right and "Compile Project ... Success" in the Messages pane.

What developers say about UniDAC

"I have used Devart's UniDAC for many years to develop enterprise-grade Windows Delphi apps targeting many different database servers and have come to trust their products consistent performance, quality and ease of use. A highly recommended vendor for your IT / software shop."

Steve Faleiro, Delphi Developer from Goa, India (Devart testimonials page)

"I switched form UniDAC to FireDAC last year. If I still used the Professional edition of Delphi, I'd still have UniDAC; if I needed Direct Oracle Access, I'd still use UniDAC."

corneliusdavid, Delphi-PRAXiS forum

"I have a few cases in which FireDAC has a solution (for example, Firebird Backup) that is not supported by UniDAC. In one of my projects, UniDAC is working, but FireDAC does backup, restore, upgrade, and small maintenance jobs on the Firebird Database."

msd, Delphi-PRAXiS forum

Download UniDAC Free Trial Buy UniDAC Professional

Oracle Data Access Components (ODAC)

ODAC 15.1 connects Delphi, C++Builder and Lazarus applications to Oracle, through the Oracle Client or, in Professional, directly over TCP/IP with no client installed. Its Professional edition has Oracle-specific components that UniDAC's component list doesn't include: TOraPackage for calling PL/SQL packages, TOraQueue and its admin components for Oracle Advanced Queuing, TOraChangeNotification for reacting to server-side changes, TOraTrace for PL/SQL tracing and an Oracle Package Wizard. Version 15.1 added RAD Studio 13 Florence Release 2 and Lazarus 4.8 support and fixed a TOraAlerter hang on lost connections.

"We have developed a client server application using Oracle 11.g in a biggest Hospital in Greece about 400 users (Delphi5 and ODAC 6.9) this is working fantastic..."

Evangelos Bekyros, Executive Manager of Pefki Software Company (Devart testimonials page, written about a much older ODAC version)

Download ODAC Free Trial Buy ODAC Professional

SQL Server Data Access Components (SDAC)

SDAC 13.1 connects to SQL Server through Microsoft's client software or, in Professional, directly with no SQL Server client. Version 13.1 added SQL Server 2025 and Always Encrypted support. Its Professional edition includes SQL Server-specific components UniDAC doesn't list: TMSServiceBroker for Service Broker messaging, TMSChangeNotification for query notifications and TMSCompactConnection for SQL Server Compact Edition, along with TMSLoader, TMSDump and TMSMetadata.

"We think using Devart SDAC is for us the best choice, because no additional drivers need to be installed, it performs well even on the older machines and the quality is excellent."

Olivier Olmer, Oxolutions BV (Devart testimonials page)

Download SDAC Free Trial Buy SDAC Professional

MySQL Data Access Components (MyDAC)

MyDAC 14.1 connects to MySQL and MariaDB directly in every edition, so even the $229.95 Standard edition needs no libmysql.dll. Version 14.1 added MySQL 9.7, generated columns and LDAP SASL (GSSAPI) authentication. Professional adds components UniDAC doesn't list: TMyEmbConnection for the embedded MySQL server, TMyServerControl for managing the server and TMyBackup for backups, plus TMyLoader and TMyDump.

"Let me tell you that I think the MyDAC component set is first class. It is the best way to access mySQL databases from Delphi."

Matthew Vesperman, Admin at Angelic Technology (Devart testimonials page)

Download MyDAC Free Trial Buy MyDAC Professional

PostgreSQL Data Access Components (PgDAC)

PgDAC 10.1 connects to PostgreSQL directly in every edition, with no libpq.dll to deploy. Version 10.1 added a ReadOnly connection option, an SNI SSL option, a ClientCharset option, Matview metadata in TPgMetaData and a fix for prepared statements piling up on the server. Professional adds TPgLoader for bulk loading, TPgAlerter for notifications, TPgDump, TPgMetaData and the encryptor. UniDAC's PostgreSQL provider covers most of the same ground, so PgDAC's case is mainly price.

"Just wanted to say I thing the PgDAC components are the best on the market for Delphi and the fact you don't need libpq.dll is simply amazing and is a huge advantage when using PostgreSQL in a corporate environment as you dont have to worry about deploying libpq.dll..."

Tony Caduto, AM Software Design, Lightning Admin for PostgreSQL developer (Devart testimonials page)

Download PgDAC Free Trial Buy PgDAC Professional

Price and licensing

UniDAC is cheaper as soon as you need a second database; a single-database library is cheaper for one. At Professional level, one single-database license is $349.95 and two are $699.90, against $599.95 for UniDAC. At Standard level it's $229.95, $459.90 and $349.95. The gap reverses on renewal for one database ($179.95 against $299.95 a year), so a team that is sure it will stay on one server saves every year with ODAC, SDAC, MyDAC or PgDAC.

All five products use the same licensing model: one developer per license (Team and Site licenses are available), a year of updates and premium support included, and a perpetual license for the version you have when the subscription ends. Your end users don't need a license. All five carry a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Editions: where buyers get caught out

UniDAC Standard and every single-database Standard edition build for Windows only. If you target macOS, Linux, iOS or Android, you need Professional in all five products.

Direct mode differs by product. Direct mode connects without the database vendor's client library, so you ship one executable. MyDAC and PgDAC include it in Standard. ODAC and SDAC only in Professional. UniDAC Standard has it for MySQL and PostgreSQL only; for Oracle, SQL Server, SQLite, ASE and DBF you need UniDAC Professional. So a Windows app that talks to Oracle without an Oracle Client needs at least ODAC Professional ($349.95) or UniDAC Professional ($599.95).

Lazarus and Free Pascal need the Professional with Source Code edition in all five products: about $600 for a single-database library and about $900 for UniDAC. The trial versions work in Lazarus, so you can test before paying for source.

Database-specific features

ODAC and SDAC go further into their servers than UniDAC does; MyDAC and PgDAC much less so. UniDAC's providers expose a lot of server-specific behavior through options and shared components, but its component list has no equivalent of ODAC's TOraPackage, TOraQueue, TOraChangeNotification and TOraTrace, SDAC's TMSServiceBroker, TMSChangeNotification and TMSCompactConnection, or MyDAC's TMyEmbConnection, TMyServerControl and TMyBackup. If your application relies on Oracle Advanced Queuing or SQL Server Service Broker, buy the single-database library, even if you also buy UniDAC for your other servers.

Using both together

You can mix them. Devart says all its data access component products are compatible with each other and can be installed in the same IDE as long as they share the same common engine version, which is the case for versions with the same release date (all five current versions shipped on September 29, 2026). If you already own two or more single-database libraries, the free UniDAC Express edition adds UniDAC's server-independent interface on top of the Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, InterBase/Firebird, PostgreSQL and SQLite providers that come with ODAC, SDAC, MyDAC, IBDAC, PgDAC and LiteDAC.

IDEs, platforms and installation

All five support the same IDEs and platforms: Delphi 6 and C++Builder 6 up to RAD Studio 13 Florence (Release 2), every Delphi edition including the free Community Edition, VCL and FireMonkey, and targets from Windows (32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64EC) to macOS (including Apple Silicon), Linux, iOS and Android in Professional. The one practical difference is size: the UniDAC installer for RAD Studio 13 is 200.18 MB, against 40.59 MB (MyDAC) to 58.69 MB (SDAC) for the single-database libraries. Every trial download now needs a free Devart account.

Which should you choose?

FAQs

Is UniDAC better than ODAC, SDAC, MyDAC or PgDAC?

UniDAC is better when you work with more than one database server, because one license and one set of components cover them all. ODAC and SDAC are better for applications tied to one Oracle or SQL Server database that use server-specific features such as Oracle Advanced Queuing or SQL Server Service Broker, which UniDAC doesn't provide as components.

Is UniDAC cheaper than buying two Devart DACs?

Yes. UniDAC Professional is $599.95, while two single-database Professional licenses (for example ODAC and SDAC) cost $699.90. At Standard level, UniDAC is $349.95 against $459.90 for two single-database Standard licenses.

Does UniDAC Standard include Direct mode?

Only for MySQL and PostgreSQL. UniDAC Standard ($349.95) connects to Oracle, SQL Server and the other servers through their client libraries; Direct mode for Oracle, SQL Server, SQLite, ASE and DBF needs UniDAC Professional ($599.95).

Can I build Linux, macOS or mobile apps with the Standard edition?

No. The Standard editions of UniDAC, ODAC, SDAC, MyDAC and PgDAC support Windows development only. macOS, Linux, iOS and Android targets need the Professional edition.

Do Devart's DAC components work with Lazarus?

Yes, but only in the Professional with Source Code edition (about $600 for ODAC, SDAC, MyDAC or PgDAC and about $900 for UniDAC) and in the trial. UniDAC 12.1 and the other current versions support Lazarus 4.8 with Free Pascal 3.2.2.

Can I install UniDAC and ODAC in the same IDE?

Yes, as long as both use the same common engine version, which is true for versions released on the same date. UniDAC 12.1 and ODAC 15.1 both shipped on September 29, 2026.

Do these components work with Delphi Community Edition?

Yes. UniDAC, ODAC, SDAC, MyDAC and PgDAC all support every Delphi and C++Builder edition, including the free Community Edition, from Delphi 6 up to RAD Studio 13 Florence.

What happens when the first year of updates ends?

You keep using the version you have under a perpetual license. Renewing UniDAC Professional costs $299.95 a year and a single-database Professional license $179.95, and gets you new versions, premium support and nightly builds.