SQLlySQLly vs Chat2DB
Chat2DB is the AI-first database client: text-to-SQL against your pick of LLMs, a source-available Community edition, and paid Pro, Local, Team and Enterprise tiers, running as an Electron desktop app, in the browser, or in Docker. SQLly is a native Rust workbench that bets on depth over AI - completions from real column values, layered guardrails, and script-first DBA tools. Here’s the honest breakdown.
Last reviewed: September 2026
The short version
A native workbench with opinions
GPU-rendered Rust on macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux. Thirty engines connect today - relational, analytical, and Redis - and the focus is depth: data-aware IntelliSense, safety guardrails, and admin tools that open as reviewable SQL.
The AI-first SQL client
Java/Spring Boot and React in an Electron shell, also available as a web app and a Docker image. Claims 40+ databases including MongoDB, with AI text-to-SQL, explanations, and dashboards at the center. Free Community edition; Pro from $9.90/user/month.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. Chat2DB’s column reflects its own site, documentation, and repository; editions differ, so check its pricing page for tier-by-tier detail.
| Capability | SQLly | Chat2DB |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on macOS, Windows & Linux | YesmacOS is signed and notarized; Windows and Linux are a supported beta. | YesPlus a hosted web app and a Docker image. |
| Intel Macs | NoThe macOS build targets Apple Silicon. | YesElectron builds for Intel and Apple Silicon. |
| How the app is built | NativeRust, rendered on the GPU (Metal, Direct3D, Vulkan). How it works | Electron + JavaAn Electron shell over a Java/Spring Boot backend and a React front end, with JDBC drivers. |
| Free to use | Free tierTwo saved servers, one cloud account, and a reminder to pay about every five hours. Pricing | Free + paid tiersCommunity edition free; Pro from $9.90/user/month with a 30-day trial; Local is a perpetual license. |
| Open source | NoLifetime licenses carry a source-escrow promise if SQLly is ever discontinued. | Source-availableApache 2.0 with added conditions since 5.3.0; earlier releases are plain Apache 2.0. |
| SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite | YesPlus hosted and compatible engines - 30 in all. Full list | Yes |
| DuckDB, ClickHouse, Oracle, libSQL/Turso | YesNative drivers, with each tool saying where an engine has no counterpart. Per-engine coverage | PartialOracle and ClickHouse, yes; DuckDB and libSQL/Turso aren’t in its database list. |
| Db2, Snowflake, Databricks & friends | PlannedModeled in SQLly’s engine profiles; live connectors still to come. | YesDB2, Snowflake, Hive, TiDB, BigQuery and more, extensible over JDBC. |
| MongoDB & other NoSQL | No | YesMongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch and more - though the free plan covers relational databases only. |
| Redis | YesCommand editor, key browser, dashboard, activity monitor, slow log; Valkey, KeyDB, DragonflyDB, ElastiCache and MemoryDB too. | YesPaid tiers; Community covers relational databases. |
| AI SQL generation & chat | In progressOn-device query summaries with your own local model; cloud providers strictly opt-in. Features | YesText-to-SQL, explain, optimize, one-click error fix, AI dashboards; 10+ LLMs. Community needs your own API key. |
| SSH tunnels | YesSSH, SOCKS, and HTTP proxy. Engine docs | Yes |
| Edit table data | YesA row editor generated from the table’s own metadata. Row editor | PartialBrowsing is free; editing query results is a paid-tier feature. |
| ER diagrams | YesExport to SVG, Mermaid, or DBML. Relationship Graph | YesER view included; UML modeling still in development. |
| Execution plan viewer | In progressPlain-language findings, tree, and diagram across nine engines. Query plans | PartialOracle EXPLAIN PLAN output; no general graphical plan viewer. |
| Import & export data | YesCSV, JSON, Excel, SQL, and more. Export | PartialCSV, Excel, JSON, and SQL - in the paid tiers, not Community. |
| Schema compare | YesAcross connections and engines, risk-graded, with rollback scripts. Schema Compare | PartialStructure synchronization in paid tiers; no data compare. |
| DBA tools | YesServer Dashboard, Activity Monitor, backup/restore, user and privilege editing. Tools | NoNo session monitoring, backup/restore, or user management. |
| Browser / server mode for a team | NoA desktop app. The browser preview is a demo, not a deployment. | YesHosted web app, self-hosted Docker, and team tiers with permissions and SQL review. |
| Plugins & extensions | No | YesJDBC driver plugins, an open-source CLI, and MCP support. |
Where SQLly is different
Not “better at everything” - different in the places we care about most.
Native, not a runtime
SQLly is one Rust codebase drawing straight to the GPU with each OS’s own graphics path - no JVM to install, no Chromium shell, no memory settings to tune. 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 that refuse file-reading and shell-escape tricks, 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, SQL Agent, and more live 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 Chat2DB is the better choice
We’d rather you pick the right tool than the pig-shaped one. Chat2DB is probably the better fit if:
- AI is the point. Text-to-SQL, query explanation, and AI dashboards are Chat2DB’s core product and they work today. SQLly’s AI features are still in progress, on purpose and on-device.
- You need MongoDB or other NoSQL. Chat2DB connects to MongoDB, Elasticsearch, and friends; SQLly has no document-store support at all.
- You need Snowflake, Db2, Hive, or BigQuery today. Those are live connections in Chat2DB but only modeled profiles in SQLly so far.
- You want a browser or Docker deployment for a team. Chat2DB’s web app, self-hosted image, and team tiers with permissions and SQL review have no SQLly equivalent - SQLly is a desktop app.
- You’re on an Intel Mac. Chat2DB ships an Intel build; SQLly’s macOS build targets Apple Silicon.
- Public source matters to you. Chat2DB Community’s code is on GitHub under a source-available license; SQLly’s isn’t public at all.
Questions
Is Chat2DB free?
The Community edition is free and runs locally without an account, though it leaves out paid features like data import/export and editing query results. Pro is a subscription starting at $9.90 per user per month with a 30-day trial, Local is a perpetual license that can activate offline, and Team and Enterprise tiers sit above those. SQLly likewise has a free tier for hobbyists - two saved servers and one cloud account with a friendly reminder to pay about every five hours - plus Annual and Lifetime licenses.
Is Chat2DB open source?
Sort of. Chat2DB Community’s source is public, but since version 5.3.0 it is licensed under Apache 2.0 with additional conditions: free for personal and internal use, but offering it to outside parties as a product or managed service requires written authorization. Releases before 5.3.0 remain plain Apache 2.0. SQLly is not open source at all; its Lifetime licenses carry a source-escrow promise if the product is ever discontinued.
Is Chat2DB a native app?
No. Chat2DB’s desktop app is an Electron shell around a Java/Spring Boot backend and a React front end, and it also runs as a web app or a Docker deployment. That buys it both Intel and Apple Silicon Mac builds. SQLly is written in Rust and renders natively on the GPU; its macOS build targets Apple Silicon only.
Other comparisons
Take the pig for a spin
Free on macOS, Windows, and Linux, no account required. Keep Chat2DB installed too - the pig doesn’t get jealous.