SQLlySQLly vs DbGate
DbGate is an open-core database manager from Sprinx Systems in Prague: an Electron app that also runs as a self-hosted web app, covering SQL and NoSQL engines in one interface - with MongoDB and Redis included even in its free, GPL-licensed Community edition. SQLly is a native Rust workbench that stays on SQL engines and Redis, and spends its effort on depth instead. 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 embedded browser underneath. Thirty engines connect today - relational, analytical, and Redis - and the focus is depth: completions from real column values, layered safety guardrails, and script-first admin tools.
Open core, desktop and web
An Electron app (Svelte on Node.js) for Windows, macOS - Apple Silicon and Intel - and Linux, or self-hosted in Docker for a team. A GPL-3.0 Community edition covers SQL and NoSQL broadly; Premium tiers add the query designer, charts, schema and data compare, AI chat, and team administration.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. DbGate’s column reflects its own site, documentation, and repository; check its pricing page for edition-by-edition detail.
| Capability | SQLly | DbGate |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on macOS, Windows & Linux | YesmacOS is signed and notarized; Windows and Linux are a supported beta. | YesmacOS builds for Apple Silicon and Intel. |
| Runs in a browser / self-hosted web app | NoA desktop app. The browser preview is a demo, not a deployment. | YesDocker image or NPM package; Team Premium adds an administration interface and external identity providers. |
| How the app is built | NativeRust, rendered on the GPU (Metal, Direct3D, Vulkan). How it works | ElectronSvelte front end on a Node.js backend. |
| Free to use | Free tierTwo saved servers, one cloud account, and a reminder to pay about every five hours. Pricing | YesCommunity edition, unlimited connections; DbGate Cloud sync capped at 5 connections and 5 SQL files. |
| Open source | NoLifetime licenses carry a source-escrow promise if SQLly is ever discontinued. | PartialCommunity edition is GPL-3.0; Premium and Team Premium are proprietary. |
| SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite | YesPlus hosted and compatible engines - 30 in all. Full list | Yes |
| Oracle, DuckDB, ClickHouse, libSQL/Turso | YesNative drivers. Per-engine coverage | PartialOracle, DuckDB and ClickHouse are free; libSQL/Turso needs Premium. |
| Redis | YesCommand editor, key browser, dashboard, activity monitor, slow log; Valkey, KeyDB, DragonflyDB, ElastiCache and MemoryDB too. | YesKey tree view and scripts, free even in Community. |
| MongoDB & other NoSQL | No | YesMongoDB and Cassandra are free; CosmosDB and Firestore need Premium. |
| SSH tunnels | YesSSH, SOCKS, and HTTP proxy. Engine docs | YesSSH tunnel and SSL options in the connection dialog. |
| Edit table data | YesA row editor generated from the table’s own metadata. Row editor | YesWith a SQL change-script preview; editing query results and views needs Premium. |
| Visual query designer | NoSQLly is script-first. | PremiumQuery designer builds SQL without writing code. |
| ER diagrams | YesExport to SVG, Mermaid, or DBML. Relationship Graph | Yes |
| Schema & data compare | YesAcross connections and engines, risk-graded, with rollback scripts. Schema Compare | PremiumCompare and deploy models, data compare and deployer. |
| Execution plan viewer | In progressPlain-language findings, tree, and diagram across nine engines. Query plans | NoA long-open feature request on its GitHub tracker. |
| Backup & restore | YesScript-first, with the exact command shown before it runs. Backup / Restore | YesBuilt-in dump and restore for PostgreSQL, SQL Server and MySQL/MariaDB; some options are Premium. |
| Import & export data | YesCSV, JSON, Excel, SQL, and more. Export | YesCSV, Excel, JSON, NDJSON, XML, DBF; advanced and batch jobs are Premium. |
| Charts & result pivoting | YesPivot, chart, and diff views, driven by comment directives that travel with the query. SQLly directives | PremiumCharts and grid grouping are Premium features. |
| AI assistance | Rolling outOn-device, off by default, opt-in per feature. On-device AI | PremiumDatabase chat and explain-error against cloud models. |
| Server activity monitoring | YesActivity Monitor with blocking chains, live Server Dashboard, top-queries insights. Tools | - |
| Plugins & extensions | No | YesNPM-based plugin architecture. |
| Sync connections across devices | FilesConnections and settings are plain files you can sync yourself. Everything is a file | YesDbGate Cloud shared folders; Community access is capped and read-only. |
A dash means we couldn’t confirm it from DbGate’s own materials - check its documentation for the current state.
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 bundled Chromium to carry around, 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 DbGate is the better choice
DbGate is a genuinely likeable tool, and its Community edition is generous. Pick it if:
- You work with MongoDB. DbGate’s MongoDB support - table and JSON views, a JavaScript editor, real filtering - is free even in the Community edition. SQLly has no document databases.
- You want free and open source, at any company size. DbGate Community is GPL-3.0 with unlimited connections; SQLly’s free tier caps saved servers at two and isn’t available inside organizations with more than 100 employees.
- You want one shared deployment for a team. DbGate runs as a self-hosted web app in Docker, and Team Premium adds an administration interface, external identity providers, and Google sign-in. SQLly is a desktop app.
- You like visual query building. DbGate’s query designer (Premium) assembles SQL without typing it; SQLly is script-first and doesn’t have one.
- You want a plugin architecture. DbGate is extensible with NPM-based plugins; SQLly has no plugin system, on purpose.
- You’re on an Intel Mac. DbGate ships both Apple Silicon and Intel builds; SQLly’s Mac build targets Apple Silicon.
Questions
Is DbGate free?
The Community edition is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license, with unlimited connections; its DbGate Cloud sync is capped at five connections and five SQL files. Premium is $12 per month or $120 per year for one user and adds the query designer, charts, schema and data compare, backup options and AI tools. Team Premium is $15 per user per month or $150 per user per year with a two-user minimum. SQLly has a free tier for hobbyists and paid Annual and Lifetime licenses for everyone else.
Does DbGate support databases SQLly doesn’t?
Yes. DbGate covers roughly 18 engines and reaches NoSQL stores SQLly doesn’t connect to: MongoDB (free even in Community), Cassandra, CosmosDB and Firestore, alongside Oracle, ClickHouse and DuckDB. SQLly connects to 30 engines counting hosted variants and Redis-compatible services, but has no MongoDB or other document stores.
Can DbGate run in a browser?
Yes. Besides the Electron desktop app, DbGate runs as a self-hosted web application from a Docker image or an NPM package, and DbGate Lite is a free in-browser tool for SQLite, DuckDB and data files. SQLly is a desktop app; its browser preview is a demo, not a deployment.
Other comparisons
Take the pig for a spin
Free on macOS, Windows, and Linux, no account required. Keep DbGate for the MongoDB collections - the pig doesn’t get jealous.