SQLlySQLly vs Adminer
Adminer is a marvel of restraint: a full-featured database tool as one PHP file you upload to a server and open in a browser, free and open source for any use. SQLly is the opposite shape on purpose - a native Rust workbench you install once on your own machine, built for depth: data-aware completions, layered guardrails, and script-first admin tools. Here’s the honest breakdown.
Last reviewed: September 2026
At a glance
A native workbench with opinions
GPU-rendered Rust on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with nothing to deploy. Thirty engines connect today - relational, analytical, and Redis - with IntelliSense from real column values, safety guardrails, and DBA tools that write reviewable SQL.
One file on the server
Free under Apache 2.0 or GPL 2. A single PHP file (around half a megabyte) dropped onto any web server with PHP, used from any browser. MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, CockroachDB, SQLite, MS SQL, and Oracle, with more via driver plugins.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. For Adminer we list what its own site and changelog state.
| Capability | SQLly | Adminer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier + licensesFree for hobbyists; Annual or Lifetime. Pricing | FreeFor commercial and non-commercial use; donation-supported. |
| Open source | NoLifetime licenses carry a source-escrow promise. | YesApache License 2.0 or GPL 2. |
| How the app is built | NativeRust, rendered on the GPU. How it works | PHP web appOne file deployed to a web server; used from a browser. |
| Desktop app for macOS, Windows & Linux | YesmacOS is signed and notarized; Windows and Linux are a supported beta. | PartialA community Electron wrapper is listed among user-contributed packages. |
| Runs in a browser, reachable by a team | NoA desktop app. The browser preview is a demo, not a deployment. | YesThat’s the whole design. |
| MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL | YesPlus hosted and compatible engines - 30 in all. Full list | YesPlus CockroachDB. |
| Oracle | YesOracle Database, natively. | Yes |
| DuckDB & libSQL/Turso | YesDuckDB and Turso, natively. | No |
| ClickHouse, MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch | PartialClickHouse and Redis natively; no MongoDB or Elasticsearch. | Via pluginsDriver plugins also cover Firebird, SimpleDB, and more. |
| SSH tunnels | YesSSH, SOCKS, and HTTP proxy. Engine docs | NoIt typically runs on the server next to the database instead. |
| TLS connections | YesDisable, require, verify-CA, verify-full. TLS | PartialSSL for PostgreSQL; MySQL via the login-ssl plugin. |
| SQL editor | YesCompletions from real column values and foreign keys, live GROUP BY check. IntelliSense |
PartialA syntax-highlighted text field; run SQL typed in or from a file. |
| Edit table data | YesA row editor generated from the table’s own metadata. Row editor | YesAll data types, blobs through file transfer. |
| Schema editing | YesStructure editor with a live change diff. Designers | YesTables, columns, indexes, foreign keys, views, routines, triggers, events, partitions. |
| ER diagram | YesExport to SVG, Mermaid, or DBML. Relationship Graph | YesPrints the schema connected by foreign keys. |
| Schema & data compare | YesAcross connections and engines, with deploy and rollback scripts. Schema Compare | No |
| Execution plan viewer | In progressPlain-language findings, tree, and diagram. Query plans | - |
| Import & export data | YesCSV, JSON, Excel, SQL, and more. Export | YesExport structure and data to SQL or CSV; import SQL or CSV. |
| Activity monitoring | YesActivity Monitor with blocking chains and scripted kills. Activity Monitor | PartialProcess list with kill. |
| Users & privileges | YesTools | YesDisplay users and rights, and change them. |
| Plugins & extensions | No | YesPlugin system, driver plugins for extra engines, and CSS skins. |
A dash means we couldn’t confirm it from Adminer’s own materials - check its documentation for the current state.
Where SQLly is different
Adminer is brilliant at being everywhere. SQLly is about depth once you’re there.
Nothing to deploy
SQLly is one desktop app: no web server, no PHP runtime, no publicly reachable admin page to lock down. Large results stream to disk so the grid stays flat on memory whether you fetch 50 rows or 50 million.
Spill-to-disk results βAutocomplete that knows your data
Beyond schema completion, SQLly can pull a column’s real distinct values into a WHERE clause, offer a join’s ON clause from actual foreign keys, and underline a GROUP BY mistake as you type.
Guardrails you set once
Read-only connections, a hard stop on UPDATE/DELETE with no WHERE, auto-wrapped transactions, and prod painted an angry red - inherited down your client, project, and environment tree.
Script-first admin tools
Activity monitor, backup and restore, schema and data compare, index analyzer, and SQL Agent under one Tools menu. Anything destructive opens as SQL in a tab for you to read before it runs.
Tools βComments that shape results
A one-line SQL comment can pivot a result or set up a chart, and it travels with the query so the next run looks the same. The grid has pivot, chart, diff, and JSON/XML viewers built in.
SQLly directives βPlain files, no telemetry
Connections, history, and settings are plain files you can diff or commit, with passwords kept in your OS keychain. The app has no telemetry today, full stop.
Everything is a file βWhen Adminer is the better choice
Adminer earned its place in a lot of toolboxes. Keep it handy if:
- You need a tool on the server itself. One file upload and you’re in - perfect for a quick fix on a hosted box where installing a desktop client isn’t possible.
- You want free and open source, at any company size. Adminer is Apache 2.0 / GPL 2 for commercial and non-commercial use; SQLly’s free tier is for hobbyists and isn’t available inside organizations with more than 100 employees.
- You want a shared, browser-based tool for a team - or embedded in a hosting panel, CMS, or your own app. Adminer is built for that; SQLly is a desktop app.
- You need MongoDB, Elasticsearch, or Firebird through Adminer’s driver plugins. SQLly has no MongoDB or Elasticsearch.
- You want a simple data-editing screen for end users. Adminer Editor is made for exactly that.
- You like your tools tiny and hackable. A single auditable file with plugins and CSS skins is a feature, not a limitation.
Plenty of people leave Adminer on a server for emergencies and use SQLly at their desk for everything else.
Questions
Is Adminer free?
Yes. Adminer is free for commercial and non-commercial use under the Apache License 2.0 or GPL 2, at any company size, and is supported by donations. SQLly has a free tier for hobbyists and paid Annual and Lifetime licenses for everyone else.
Does Adminer run on macOS, Windows or Linux?
Adminer is a web application, not a desktop app: you deploy its single PHP file to a web server running PHP and use it from any browser. SQLly is a native desktop app for macOS on Apple Silicon, with supported-beta builds for Windows and Linux.
Is it safe to leave Adminer on a server?
Adminer makes security its first development priority: it refuses to connect to databases without a password and rate-limits login attempts. Its own site still advises not exposing it publicly - restrict access by IP, password-protect it in your web server, and update promptly, because Adminer has had security bugs in the past. Deleting the file when you’re done is officially fine.
Other comparisons
No upload required
Free on macOS, Windows, and Linux, no account required. Keep Adminer on the server for emergencies - the pig doesn’t get jealous.