Navicat Data Modeler Alternatives for Database Design

Navicat Data Modeler is a desktop tool from Navicat, the company behind Navicat Premium, for drawing conceptual, logical and physical models and turning them into DDL. It still works and still gets updates. The Navicat Data Modeler release notes list version 5.0.5 for Windows (October 22, 2026) and macOS (October 26, 2026), and 5.0.3 for Linux. Navicat's product page lists MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite and Snowflake as targets, with Crow's Foot, IDEF1X and UML notations and Data Vault 2.0 modeling.

The price is the usual reason to look around. The Enterprise perpetual licence is USD 1,299, and the free Lite edition, capped at five users per organization, drops reverse engineering, SQL export and database sync. That leaves Lite users able to draw boxes but not to connect them to a real database. The eight picks below are sorted by how close they come to Navicat's desktop, multi-database workflow, with cheaper and browser-based options further down. For a second opinion on one of the picks, see our DbSchema alternatives.

Prices below are as of November 8, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.

Quick comparison

DbSchema

DbSchema covers almost everything a paid Navicat Data Modeler licence does and adds a database client on top. It reverse engineers a live schema, lets you edit it as a diagram, compares the model with the database and writes the migration script. It reaches more than 100 databases through JDBC, including the eight Navicat supports, and keeps models in files you can commit to Git.

Cost is the main draw. The DbSchema purchase page lists Pro at $294 and Architect at $470.40, both one-time in US dollars plus tax, with the first year of updates included. That is less than a quarter of Navicat's USD 1,299 perpetual price, and one licence covers two computers used by the same developer.

Best for: Navicat Enterprise users who want the same reverse, forward and sync loop for far less money.

Pricing:

• Community: free
• Pro: $294 one-time; updates $75 a year from year two
• Architect: $470.40 one-time; updates $120 a year from year two
• AI Assistant add-on: $9 a month
• 15-day trial of all features; prices in USD plus tax

Watch out for:

• Community is not a Lite equivalent. It cannot save a design to a file, so the free tier is a viewer for most work.
• Each licence belongs to one developer. Only floating licences can be shared across a team, so plan seats before you buy.

Official site: DbSchema. Our listing: DbSchema.

Luna Modeler

Datensen's Luna Modeler is a small desktop app that does the core Navicat job offline: draw tables, reverse engineer an existing database, and generate SQL. Targets include PostgreSQL, Supabase, Neon, Oracle, SQL Server, Azure SQL, MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite. Comparing a model with a live database and producing ALTER scripts starts at the Professional edition.

The Datensen purchase page sells version 14 as Basic at $99, Professional at $189 and Ultimate at $349, all one-time in US dollars for one user on unlimited devices. A year of updates is included, and the app keeps working if you do not renew.

Best for: Freelancers and small teams who want Navicat-style desktop modeling at a tenth of the price.

Pricing:

• Basic: $99 one-time
• Professional: $189 one-time
• Ultimate: $349 one-time
• Upgrades: Basic to Professional $89, Professional to Ultimate $159

Watch out for:

• Relational targets only. MongoDB and Snowflake, both in Navicat's list, need Datensen's separate Moon Modeler or another tool.
• Basic cannot compare a model with a live database, which is the feature most Navicat users miss first.

Official site: Luna Modeler.

MySQL Workbench

Oracle's free MySQL Workbench is the answer for anyone who bought Navicat mainly for MySQL. Its EER diagrams forward engineer to a server, reverse engineer an existing schema, and synchronize changes in both directions. Those are the exact features Navicat locks out of Lite. It also runs queries and handles user and server administration in the same window.

The MySQL Workbench downloads page offers version 26.10.0 for Windows, macOS and Linux under the GPL. It was released alongside MySQL 26.10.

Best for: MySQL developers who need free model-to-database sync instead of paying for Navicat Enterprise.

Pricing:

• Community edition: free, GPL

Watch out for:

• It models MySQL only. Navicat's PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB and Snowflake targets have no counterpart here.
• There is no conceptual or logical layer. Every diagram is a physical MySQL model.

Official site: MySQL Workbench.

ER/Studio Data Architect

Moving up rather than down, ER/Studio from Idera is a full enterprise modeler. It keeps logical and physical models linked, tracks naming standards, and the Pro and Enterprise tiers add a shared repository and a business glossary. Its import bridges read erwin and PowerDesigner files, which helps if your company runs several modelers side by side.

The ER/Studio pricing page lists Data Architect at $2,687 per user and Data Architect Pro at $3,693 per user, each labelled a total subscription price. Enterprise is quoted by sales, and a free trial is offered.

Best for: Data architects who need governance and team repositories that Navicat Collaboration does not offer.

Pricing:

• Data Architect: $2,687 per user, subscription
• Data Architect Pro: $3,693 per user, subscription
• Enterprise: contact sales
• Multi-year terms: ask sales

Watch out for:

• The modeler is a Windows desktop app, so Navicat users on macOS or Linux would need a virtual machine.
• The subscription term behind the $2,687 figure is not published, so compare quotes with care.

Official site: ER/Studio Data Architect. Our listing: ER/Studio Data Architect.

erwin Data Modeler

erwin Data Modeler, now owned by Quest Software, is the long-standing standard in large IT departments. Version 15.2, released in January 2026, added conceptual modeling and AI checks on DDL scripts, and targets run from Oracle and SQL Server to Snowflake, Databricks, MongoDB and Neo4j. The Workgroup edition stores models in a central mart with versioning and permissions.

Quest sells it through sales and resellers in Standard, Workgroup and a read-only Navigator edition, and does not publish a price. A macOS build has existed since version 15.1 in October 2025, so it now runs on both of the main desktop systems Navicat supports.

Best for: Enterprises standardizing on one modeler with a shared, versioned model repository.

Pricing:

• No public price; quotes from Quest or resellers
• Editions: Standard, Workgroup, Navigator (read-only)

Watch out for:

• Cost and licensing are the top complaint in a PeerSpot pricing thread, where an August 2026 reviewer called the process painful.
• There is no Linux build, unlike Navicat's Flatpak and AppImage packages.

Official site: erwin Data Modeler. Our listing: erwin Data Modeler.

Redgate Data Modeler

If you know it as Vertabelo, this is the same browser modeler under Redgate's name since October 2025. Nothing gets installed, which solves the problem of Navicat model files living on one person's laptop. You share a model by link, comment on it, and generate SQL for 10 database types, SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL among them.

The Redgate Data Modeler editions page lists Standard at $189 per user a year, with 20 models, 100 tables per model and sharing with five users. Pro is $303 per user a year, removes the caps, adds logical models and an API, and has a 14-day trial.

Best for: Teams who want every developer to open the current model in a browser.

Pricing:

• Standard: $189 per user a year
• Pro: $303 per user a year, 14-day trial
• SQL Toolbelt Essentials bundle: $1,410 per user a year

Watch out for:

• It needs a connection. There is no offline mode like Navicat's desktop app.
• Four Pro seats cost $1,212 a year, close to a Navicat perpetual licence every year.

Official site: Redgate Data Modeler.

SqlDBM

Navicat added Snowflake support, but analytics teams usually need more than one warehouse. SqlDBM is built for that case. It models Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Amazon Redshift, Azure Synapse and Microsoft Fabric with their own options, plus PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, AlloyDB and MySQL, in the browser. Git integrations and dbt YAML export tie models to the analytics code.

The SqlDBM pricing page describes one plan with every feature, priced per user by quote. AI Copilot usage is billed on top, and SSO, regional storage and premium support are optional extras.

Best for: Analytics engineers modeling cloud warehouses alongside dbt.

Pricing:

• Contact sales; priced per user
• AI Copilot and AI credits billed separately

Watch out for:

• No public price, so a small team cannot weigh it against Navicat's USD 1,299 until sales replies.
• G2 reviewers say deployment and CI/CD steps often need custom scripts.

Official site: SqlDBM.

dbdiagram.io

For quick design work, dbdiagram.io drops the drag-and-drop canvas. You type tables and references in DBML, an open source schema language from Holistics, and the diagram redraws as you type. SQL import and export are on every plan, so you can paste in a dump from Navicat or any database and start editing.

The dbdiagram.io pricing page gives a free plan with up to 10 diagrams and one editor. Personal Pro starts at $8 a month and Team at $75 a month for three editors, with $5 a month per extra editor and up to 42% off for annual billing.

Best for: Developers who want a free, text-first diagram for docs and pull requests.

Pricing:

• Free: up to 10 diagrams, one editor, 14-day schema changelog
• Personal Pro: from $8 a month
• Team: from $75 a month, 3 editors; $5 a month per extra editor
• Custom: contact sales

Watch out for:

• No conceptual or logical layer. DBML describes physical tables only.
• It never connects to a live database, so there is no compare-and-sync step.

Official site: dbdiagram.io.

How to choose

When to stay with Navicat Data Modeler

Keep Navicat Data Modeler if you already own a perpetual licence or use Navicat Premium daily. Few desktop tools combine conceptual, logical and physical models, Data Vault 2.0, MongoDB and Snowflake targets, and native builds for Windows, macOS and Linux. The October 2026 release shows it is still maintained, and the Navicat Data Modeler product page lists naming standards and a glossary as new in version 5.

Frequently asked questions