HeidiSQL Alternatives for Windows, Mac and Linux

HeidiSQL is still a free, open source SQL client, and it is more cross-platform than it used to be. The download page lists version 12.22 from October 25, 2026, with a Windows installer and portable zip, Linux DEB, RPM and Flatpak packages, and a macOS app for Apple Silicon. The Linux and macOS builds are native, made with Lazarus, so Wine is no longer needed. A v13 preview for Windows was updated on November 3, 2026.

So most people who look for an alternative are not escaping a dead tool. They want an Intel Mac build, a database HeidiSQL does not reach such as Oracle or MongoDB, an ER diagram, or a client the whole team can share. HeidiSQL covers MariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Interbase, Firebird, ProxySQL and Redshift. The seven picks below start with free tools that cover the same ground and end with paid ones. For Java-based clients that use any JDBC driver, see our SQuirreL SQL Client alternatives page.

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

Quick comparison

DBeaver

DBeaver Community is the most common free answer for HeidiSQL users who need more databases. It connects through JDBC, so beyond MySQL and MariaDB it reaches Oracle, DB2, ClickHouse and many others, and it adds ER diagrams generated from your schema, data transfer between databases and a SQL editor with autocomplete. It runs the same on Windows, Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, and Linux.

The paid editions add NoSQL databases, flat-file sources, more AI providers and official support. The edition page lists Lite at $113 a year or $12 a month, Enterprise at $255 a year or $26 a month, Ultimate at $510 a year with no monthly plan, and Team Edition from $1,630 a year.

Best for: Anyone who wants HeidiSQL's price with far wider database coverage and diagrams.

Pricing:

• Community: free, Apache 2.0
• Lite: $113 a year or $12 a month
• Enterprise: $255 a year or $26 a month
• Ultimate: $510 a year, no monthly option
• Team Edition: from $1,630 a year
• Prices in US dollars

Watch out for:

• It is a Java app built on Eclipse, so it starts slower and uses more memory than HeidiSQL's small native binary.
• Community has no official support. Online support and priority fixes are listed as paid features.

Official site: DBeaver.

MySQL Workbench

MySQL Workbench is Oracle's own GUI for MySQL, and it does three jobs HeidiSQL does not: visual data modeling with forward and reverse engineering, server administration screens, and a migration wizard from other databases. For a team that runs only MySQL, it is the free tool closest to the server's own features.

The download page offers version 26.10.0 for Windows, macOS, Debian and generic Linux, and calls it backwards compatible with all supported MySQL Server versions. It shipped with Oracle's October 2026 MySQL releases, which added an error log page and MFA configuration screens to Workbench.

Best for: MySQL shops that want modeling, administration and query work in one free tool.

Pricing:

• Community edition: free, GPL
• Commercial editions come with MySQL Enterprise subscriptions, price on request

Watch out for:

• It is built for MySQL. MariaDB, which HeidiSQL treats as a first-class target, is not an officially supported server, and newer MariaDB features may not show up.
• The Windows installer is 260.8 MB and needs .NET Framework 4.5 plus the Visual C++ 2019 runtime.

Official site: MySQL Workbench.

DbGate

DbGate is the free, open source pick that feels closest to HeidiSQL's spirit. It handles MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server and SQLite, and adds MongoDB and Redis, which HeidiSQL has no driver for. It runs as a desktop app on all three systems or as a web app you host for a team.

The pricing page lists Premium at $12 a month or $120 a year for one user, and Team Premium at $15 per user a month or $150 per user a year for two or more users. Students and teachers get an Academic licence free for a year, and DbGate Lite runs in the browser at no cost.

Best for: Users who want a free client covering SQL plus MongoDB or Redis, on desktop or in a browser.

Pricing:

• Community: free, open source, 1 user
• Premium: $12 a month or $120 a year
• Team Premium: $15 per user a month or $150 per user a year, 2+ users
• Academic: free for one year
• Prices in US dollars

Watch out for:

• Community is limited to 5 connections and 5 SQL files in DbGate Cloud, with read-only access to shared folders. Local connections are unlimited.

Official site: DbGate.

Beekeeper Studio

Beekeeper Studio is the tidy, modern-looking option. Tabs, saved queries, a table editor and query autocomplete are laid out with less clutter than HeidiSQL's dense panels, and the app looks and works the same on Windows, macOS and Linux. The free Community edition covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Redshift, BigQuery and Redis among others.

Paid plans add more databases and team features. The pricing page lists Indie at $9, Professional at $14 and Business at $18 per user a month, all billed yearly in US dollars.

Best for: Developers who want a clean cross-platform editor and are fine paying for extras.

Pricing:

• Community: free
• Indie: $9 per user a month, billed yearly
• Professional: $14 per user a month, billed yearly
• Business: $18 per user a month, billed yearly

Watch out for:

• Community cannot import or export data, back up and restore, or edit query results directly. HeidiSQL does all three for free.
• Oracle, MongoDB, Snowflake and ClickHouse need a paid plan.

Official site: Beekeeper Studio.

pgAdmin

If your HeidiSQL sessions are mostly PostgreSQL, pgAdmin is the tool the Postgres community maintains for exactly that. It exposes things a general client hides: roles and privileges, tablespaces, vacuum and analyze jobs, a graphical explain plan, and a debugger for PL/pgSQL functions. It runs as a desktop app or as a web server for a team.

Version 9.19 reached PyPI on October 29, 2026, under the PostgreSQL Licence.

Best for: PostgreSQL admins who need server management and not only a query window.

Pricing:

• Free, PostgreSQL Licence

Watch out for:

• It speaks PostgreSQL only. Anyone who also uses MySQL or MariaDB still needs a second client.
• The interface is a web app inside a desktop shell, which feels slower than HeidiSQL for quick edits.

Official site: pgAdmin.

TablePlus

TablePlus began as a native Mac app and is the usual choice for HeidiSQL users who moved to macOS, especially on Intel Macs, which HeidiSQL's arm64-only build does not cover. It opens fast, edits rows inline, and stages changes until you commit them. Windows and Linux versions exist too, and the same licence covers the iOS app.

The pricing page sells perpetual licences in US dollars: Basic at $99 for one device, Standard at $129 for two devices, and Team at $79 per seat with a three-seat minimum. Each includes a year of updates, and renewal costs $59 per device.

Best for: Mac users who want a quick native client and prefer paying once.

Pricing:

• Basic: $99 one-time, 1 device
• Standard: $129 one-time, 2 devices
• Team: $79 per seat one-time, minimum 3 seats
• Updates after year one: $59 per device

Watch out for:

• The free trial allows only 2 tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters, and filters are missing from the Windows trial.
• Licences are per device, so a desktop and a laptop need Standard or two Basic licences.

Official site: TablePlus.

DataGrip

DataGrip treats SQL like code. It resolves table and column names across your schema, flags errors before you run a query, renames objects safely, and keeps a local history of every query. For developers who already use IntelliJ or PyCharm, the keyboard shortcuts and Git tools carry over.

JetBrains made it free for non-commercial use in October 2025. For work, the JetBrains store lists $259.00 per user a year for organisations, and individuals pay $109.00 the first year, $87.00 the second and $65.00 from the third.

Best for: Developers who write a lot of SQL and want IDE-level completion and refactoring.

Pricing:

• Non-commercial: free
• Organisations: $259.00 per user a year
• Individuals: $109.00 the first year, $87.00 the second, $65.00 from the third

Watch out for:

• The free licence requires anonymous usage statistics and online activation with a JetBrains Account, per the announcement.
• Indexing large schemas takes time and memory, which is the opposite of HeidiSQL's instant start.

Official site: DataGrip.

How to choose

When to stay with HeidiSQL

Stay with HeidiSQL if you work mainly with MariaDB or MySQL on Windows and want a small, fast tool that costs nothing. It still edits rows in a grid and exports data to SQL files or another server for free, which several clients here reserve for paid tiers. Linux users and Apple Silicon Mac users can now run a native build from the HeidiSQL site too.

Frequently asked questions