SQLlySQLly vs DBeaver
DBeaver is the Swiss Army knife of database tools: a Java app on the Eclipse platform that connects to almost anything, with a free, open-source Community edition and paid editions on top. SQLly is narrower on purpose - a native Rust workbench for the SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite families that tries very hard to know your data and keep you out of trouble. Here’s the honest breakdown.
Last reviewed: September 2026
The short version
A native workbench with opinions
GPU-rendered on macOS, Windows, and Linux with no JVM underneath. Twenty relational engines connect today, and the focus is depth: completions from real column values, layered safety guardrails, and script-first admin tools.
The universal database tool
A mature, cross-platform Java/Eclipse application whose biggest strength is breadth: a very long list of databases through JDBC drivers, an open-source Community edition, and paid editions with extra features and support.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. We’ve kept DBeaver’s column to well-established basics; check DBeaver’s own site for edition-by-edition detail.
| Capability | SQLly | DBeaver |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on macOS, Windows & Linux | YesmacOS is signed and notarized; Windows and Linux are a supported beta. | Yes |
| How the app is built | NativeRust, rendered on the GPU (Metal, Direct3D, Vulkan). How it works | JavaBuilt on the Eclipse platform. |
| Free to use | Free tierTwo saved servers, one cloud account, and a reminder to pay about every five hours. Pricing | YesCommunity edition; paid editions add more. |
| Open source | NoLifetime licenses carry a source-escrow promise if SQLly is ever discontinued. | YesCommunity edition. |
| SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite | YesPlus hosted and compatible engines - 20 in all. Full list | Yes |
| Oracle, Db2, Snowflake, DuckDB & friends | PlannedModeled in SQLly’s engine profiles; live connectors still to come. | Yes |
| NoSQL databases | NoSQLly is a relational SQL client. | Paid editions |
| 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 | Yes |
| ER diagrams | YesExport to SVG, Mermaid, or DBML. Relationship Graph | Yes |
| Execution plan viewer | In progressPlain-language findings, tree, and diagram across five engines. Query plans | Yes |
| Import & export data | YesCSV, JSON, Excel, SQL, and more. Export | Yes |
| Plugins & extensions | No | YesVia the Eclipse plugin ecosystem. |
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. There’s no Java runtime to install or memory settings to tune, and 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 DBeaver is the better choice
We’d rather you pick the right tool than the pig-shaped one. DBeaver is probably the better fit if:
- You need a database SQLly doesn’t connect to yet - Oracle, Db2, Snowflake, DuckDB, and the rest of SQLly’s “modeled” list, or a NoSQL store. DBeaver’s breadth is its superpower.
- Open source is a requirement. DBeaver Community’s source is public; SQLly’s isn’t.
- You want a free tool at a larger company. SQLly’s free tier isn’t available inside organizations with more than 100 employees.
- You rely on plugins or on the Eclipse ecosystem around DBeaver.
- You want long-established maturity on Windows or Linux. SQLly’s Windows and Linux builds are fully functional but still labeled a supported beta.
Questions
Is SQLly a free alternative to DBeaver?
SQLly has a free tier for hobbyists and side projects: two saved servers with unlimited databases on each and one cloud account, with a friendly reminder to pay about every five hours. Annual and Lifetime licenses lift the limits and stop the reminders. Organizations with more than 100 employees may not use the free tier. SQLly is not open source; DBeaver Community is.
Does SQLly support as many databases as DBeaver?
Not yet. SQLly connects to 20 engines today across the SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite families. Ten more, including Oracle, Db2, Snowflake and DuckDB, are modeled but do not have live connectors yet. If you need those today, DBeaver is the better fit.
Is SQLly built on Java?
No. SQLly is written in Rust with a GPU-rendered native interface on macOS, Windows and Linux, so there is no Java runtime or embedded browser underneath it.
Other comparisons
Take the pig for a spin
Free on macOS, Windows, and Linux, no account required. Keep DBeaver installed too - the pig doesn’t get jealous.