saasrankedSoftware, ranked on the facts

Developer Tools

Best database client software

Connect to your databases, write and run queries, browse tables and edit data from a desktop app. 12 database clients, ranked by points out of 100.

Facts checked 8 Oct 2026 · How we score database clients

In short

  1. 1
    DBeaverDevelopers and analysts who work with many database engines
    91/100
    $113/yrcheapest paid plan
  2. 2
    DbVisualizerDevelopers who connect to many engines and want a free edition for basic work
    84/100
    $199/yrcheapest paid plan
  3. 3
    Beekeeper StudioDevelopers who want a multi-engine client with a free open-source edition
    81/100
    $108/yrcheapest paid plan
  4. 4
    DataGripDevelopers who write a lot of SQL and want an IDE-style editor
    81/100
    $121.93/yrcheapest paid plan
  5. 5
    DbGateDevelopers who want a free open-source client, with paid tools for query design and compare
    79/100
    $120/yrcheapest paid plan
  6. 6
    Navicat PremiumDevelopers who work across many database engines and want editor tools in one client
    78/100
    $749.99/yrcheapest paid plan
  7. 7
    Valentina StudioPeople who want a free client for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite and MongoDB
    75/100
    $79.99/yrcheapest paid plan
  8. 8
    pgAdminPostgreSQL developers and administrators who want a free, open-source tool
    71/100
    $0cheapest paid plan
  9. 9
    HeidiSQLDevelopers who want a free desktop client for MySQL-family and a few other engines
    66/100
    $0cheapest paid plan
  10. 10
    TablePlusDevelopers who want a multi-engine client and prefer buying once
    65/100
    $99/yrcheapest paid plan
  11. 11
    SQL Server Management StudioSQL Server and Azure SQL administrators and developers on Windows
    56/100
    $0cheapest paid plan
  12. 12
    MySQL WorkbenchMySQL developers and administrators who want a free, official tool
    55/100
    Not publishedcheapest paid plan

How the points add up

Points earned out of the points available in each part of the method.

ProductSystems
of 6		Databases
of 27		Connections and trust
of 17		Tools
of 29		Price
of 21		Total
DBeaver62717291291
DbVisualizer62711251584
Beekeeper Studio62317181781
DataGrip62711261181
DbGate61917251279
Navicat Premium62111291178
Valentina Studio61411251975
pgAdmin6317242171
HeidiSQL61217102166
TablePlus61911101965
SQL Server Management Studio033292156
MySQL Workbench631723655

Each database client in brief

1. DBeaver

DBeaver suits people who want one client for many engines and a free edition with open code. Lite includes a visual query builder, ER diagrams and AI help for $113 a year. The catch: pricing lists only subscriptions, and schema compare needs a higher edition.

Best for: Developers and analysts who work with many database engines. Prices, facts and sources

2. DbVisualizer

DbVisualizer suits developers who need one client for many engines, and the free edition covers basic work with SSH, completion and a references graph. Pro at $199 for the first year adds the query builder, explain plans, import, more export formats and the AI assistant. The catch: the compare feature covers editor text and grids rather than databases, and free export is limited to CSV and HTML.

Best for: Developers who connect to many engines and want a free edition for basic work. Prices, facts and sources

3. Beekeeper Studio

Beekeeper Studio suits developers who want one client for many engines, with a free edition they can read the code of. Indie is $108 a year and keeps working on the versions you paid for if you stop. The catch: import, the ER diagram and the AI Shell need a paid plan, and the vendor's pages show no query plan viewer, schema compare or visual query builder.

Best for: Developers who want a multi-engine client with a free open-source edition. Prices, facts and sources

4. DataGrip

DataGrip suits professionals who want SQL editing, diagrams, schema compare and query plans in one IDE. The individual plan costs €109 in the first year and falls to €87 and €65 in later years. A perpetual fallback licence applies after 12 months of uninterrupted payments. The catch: the free version covers non-commercial use only.

Best for: Developers who write a lot of SQL and want an IDE-style editor. Prices, facts and sources

5. DbGate

DbGate suits developers who want a free open-source client that also covers MongoDB and Redis, and who may pay $120 a year for the query designer and compare tools. The catch: the vendor's pages name no BigQuery or Snowflake support, no query plan viewer and no perpetual licence for Premium, and the vendor's GitHub lists seven security advisories.

Best for: Developers who want a free open-source client, with paid tools for query design and compare. Prices, facts and sources

6. Navicat Premium

Navicat Premium suits people who query many engines from one desktop client and are willing to pay for editor tools. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, with a free Lite edition. The catch is price: the cheapest paid commercial plan is $749.99 a year, and the feature matrix does not mention JDBC.

Best for: Developers who work across many database engines and want editor tools in one client. Prices, facts and sources

7. Valentina Studio

Valentina Studio suits people who want a free client with a diagram editor, SQL editor and CSV, JSON and Excel export across MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite and MongoDB. The catch: each paid licence includes 12 months of updates, Oracle, Redis, BigQuery and Snowflake are not named, and the product pages do not list a query plan viewer.

Best for: People who want a free client for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite and MongoDB. Prices, facts and sources

8. pgAdmin

pgAdmin suits anyone who works with PostgreSQL and wants a free, open-source tool with ERD, Schema Diff, graphical query plans and SSH tunnels. The catch: it is a single-engine tool, with no JDBC or ODBC route to other databases in the docs, and its results export is CSV only.

Best for: PostgreSQL developers and administrators who want a free, open-source tool. Prices, facts and sources

9. HeidiSQL

HeidiSQL suits developers who want a no-cost client for MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server or SQLite. It is open source, runs on three systems and was updated in August 2026. The catch: it lists no Oracle, MongoDB or Redis support, and its published pages do not mention a query plan viewer, ER diagrams, schema compare or an AI assistant.

Best for: Developers who want a free desktop client for MySQL-family and a few other engines. Prices, facts and sources

10. TablePlus

TablePlus suits developers who work across several SQL engines and want a one-time $99 licence instead of a subscription. It has SSH, autocomplete and CSV or JSON export. The catch: the docs show no query plan view, ER diagram or schema compare, and MongoDB support is labelled beta.

Best for: Developers who want a multi-engine client and prefer buying once. Prices, facts and sources

11. SQL Server Management Studio

SSMS suits anyone who works only with SQL Server or Azure SQL and wants a free tool with plans, diagrams and schema compare. It scores low on the engine lines by design, because it connects only to Microsoft engines. The catch: Windows only, closed source, and the Copilot assistant is a separate install.

Best for: SQL Server and Azure SQL administrators and developers on Windows. Prices, facts and sources

12. MySQL Workbench

MySQL Workbench suits people who work only with MySQL and want a free tool from the server's maker. It covers modelling, synchronisation, visual query plans and SSH connections. The catch: it is not a general client, since other databases are migration sources only, and Oracle publishes no price for the Commercial edition.

Best for: MySQL developers and administrators who want a free, official tool. Prices, facts and sources

Every fact, side by side

Each row is one rule of the method and the points it is worth. "–" means the vendor does not publish it, which earns nothing.

Rule (points)DBeaverDbVisualizerBeekeeper StudioDataGripDbGateNavicat PremiumValentina StudiopgAdminHeidiSQLTablePlusSQL Server Management StudioMySQL Workbench
Other systems (6)2 of 22 of 22 of 22 of 22 of 22 of 22 of 22 of 22 of 22 of 20 of 22 of 2
Main SQL engines (15)5 of 55 of 55 of 55 of 55 of 55 of 54 of 51 of 54 of 55 of 51 of 51 of 5
NoSQL and cloud engines (8)4 of 44 of 44 of 44 of 42 of 43 of 41 of 40 of 40 of 42 of 40 of 40 of 4
JDBC or ODBC drivers (4)YesYes–Yes––––––––
SSH tunnel (8)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes–Yes
Open-source apps (6)YesNoYes–YesNo–YesYes–NoYes
Recent release (3)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
SQL code completion (4)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Visual query builder (3)YesYes––YesYesYes–––Yes–
ER diagrams (4)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes––YesYes
Schema or data compare (4)Yes––YesYesYesYesYes––YesYes
Import from CSV or Excel (4)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Export formats (3)3 of 33 of 33 of 33 of 33 of 33 of 33 of 31 of 32 of 32 of 33 of 33 of 3
Query plan viewer (4)YesYes–Yes–Yes–Yes––YesYes
AI assistant (3)YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes––Yes–
Free edition (6)YesYesYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Perpetual licence (5)NoYesYesYes–YesYesYesYesYesYes–
Cheapest paid plan (10)$113/yr$199/yr$108/yr$121.93/yr$120/yr$749.99/yr$79.99/yr$0$0$99/yr$0–

Head to head

We read each vendor's own pages, record every fact with its source and date, and score it by the rules on how we score database clients. A tie goes to the lower price. Desktop database GUIs that run on Windows, for developers and analysts. Browser-only and command-line clients are left out. Single-engine official tools are listed and score low on the Databases group by design. Feature lines count every edition; the price line counts the cheapest paid commercial plan for one person. Vendor claims about speed or quality are shown on product pages but never scored. Prices are in US dollars before tax.