SQLlySQLly vs Gridex
Gridex calls itself an AI-native database IDE: an Apache-2.0 client with a separate native app per platform, seven database drivers, AI chat on your own API key, and an MCP server so Claude or Cursor can read your schema. SQLly is also native, also has AI, and also speaks MCP - but it spends most of its effort on the SQL itself: completions from real data, guardrails, and DBA tools. Here’s the honest breakdown.
Last reviewed: October 2026
The short version
A deep SQL workbench
One Rust codebase drawn on the GPU on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Thirty engines, IntelliSense that reads your data, layered safety guardrails, plans, compare, and a full set of script-first admin tools. Agents get read-only access; anything that writes comes back to you as a proposal.
A free native client built around AI
Three native apps - Swift and AppKit on the Mac, WinUI 3 on Windows, Qt 6 on Linux - over seven drivers including MongoDB. AI chat with Claude, GPT, Gemini, or Ollama, an MCP server with approval-gated writes and an activity log, ER diagrams, and backup. Young and moving fast: releases are still numbered 0.0.x and 0.1.x.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. For Gridex we list what its own site and repository state.
| Capability | SQLly | Gridex |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on macOS, Windows & Linux | YesmacOS is signed and notarized; Windows and Linux are a supported beta, on amd64 and arm64. | YesmacOS 14+, Windows 10/11, and a Linux x86_64 AppImage. |
| Intel Macs | NoApple Silicon only. | YesA universal DMG for Apple Silicon and Intel. |
| How the app is built | NativeOne Rust codebase, rendered on the GPU (Metal, Direct3D, Vulkan). How it works | NativeThree apps: Swift with AppKit and SwiftUI, C++ with WinUI 3, and C++ with Qt 6. Features differ a little between them. |
| Free to use | Free tierTwo saved servers, one cloud account, and a reminder to pay about every five hours. Pricing | YesCommunity is free with no account. A Pro tier is in early access with no published price. |
| Open source | NoLifetime licenses carry a source-escrow promise if SQLly is ever discontinued. | YesApache 2.0 on GitHub. |
| SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite | YesPlus MariaDB, Azure SQL with Entra sign-in, and hosted compatibles - 30 engines in all. Full list | Yes |
| ClickHouse | YesOn every platform, with plans, dashboard, activity monitor, and compare. | PartialmacOS only for now. |
| DuckDB, Oracle, libSQL/Turso | YesNative drivers. Per-engine coverage | No |
| Redis | YesCommand editor, key browser, dashboard, activity monitor, slow log; Valkey, KeyDB, DragonflyDB, ElastiCache and MemoryDB too. Redis | YesKey browser with SCAN filtering, a Server INFO dashboard, the slow log, and a Redis CLI mode. |
| MongoDB | No | YesDocument editor, aggregation pipelines, NDJSON backup and restore. |
| SSH tunnels | YesSSH hops, SOCKS and HTTP proxies, and Kubernetes. Engine docs | YesPassword or key auth, with jump-host chains. |
| TLS modes & client certificates | YesDisable, require, verify-CA, verify-full. TLS | YesMutual TLS for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and ClickHouse. |
| Import connections from other tools | YesDataGrip, DBeaver, TablePlus, Navicat, and Redis Insight. | YesTablePlus, Navicat, DataGrip, and DBeaver, including SSH settings. |
| IntelliSense | YesAlias- and scope-aware, JOIN ON from foreign keys, real column values in WHERE. IntelliSense |
PartialAutocomplete in a multi-tab editor with syntax highlighting. |
| Edit table data | YesA row editor generated from the table’s own metadata. Row editor | YesInline edits held as pending changes and committed in one transaction. |
| Pivot, charts & result diff | YesPivot, charts, conditional formatting, and diffs on any result. Pivot | No |
| Import & export data | YesCSV, JSON, Excel, SQL, and more. Export | PartialCSV, JSON, and SQL. No Excel. |
| ER diagrams | YesExport to SVG, Mermaid, or DBML. Relationship Graph | YesAutomatic layout with PNG/SVG export. |
| Execution plan viewer | In progressPlain-language findings, tree, and diagram across nine engines. Query plans | - |
| Schema & data compare | YesRisk-graded schema diffs and table diffs, with sync scripts. Schema Compare | -Cross-database sync is listed under Pro. |
| Backup & restore | YesBackup and restore as reviewable scripts. Backup / Restore | Yespg_dump and mysqldump, native SQL Server BACKUP, and built-in dumps for MongoDB, Redis, and ClickHouse. |
| Session & activity monitoring | YesActivity Monitor with blocking chains, top queries, Server Dashboard. Activity Monitor | PartialRedis INFO and slow log; a realtime connection monitor is listed under Pro. |
| Guardrails in the editor | YesSELECT-only connections, no UPDATE/DELETE without WHERE, auto-rollback, tenant checks. Safety |
-Its permission checks are built around the MCP server. |
| AI chat about your schema | YesCloud providers or an on-device model. On-device AI | YesClaude, OpenAI, Gemini, or a local Ollama, with your own API key; requests go straight to the provider. |
| MCP server for AI agents | YesSchema tools and a read-only SELECT that is always rolled back; writes come back to you as proposals. How reads are kept read-only |
YesSchema, read, and write tools behind per-connection modes, with approval for writes, a rate limiter, and an activity log. Listed under Pro on the Gridex site. |
A dash means we couldn’t confirm it from Gridex’s own materials - check its repository for the current state.
Where SQLly is different
Gridex goes wide on AI and on engines like MongoDB. SQLly goes deep on SQL.
One codebase, the same app everywhere
SQLly is a single Rust app on every OS, so a feature lands on macOS, Windows, and Linux in the same release. Large results stream to disk, so the grid stays flat on memory whether you fetch 50 rows or 50 million.
Spill-to-disk results →Autocomplete that knows your data
SQLly can pull a column’s real distinct values into a WHERE clause, write a join’s ON clause from actual foreign keys, and underline a GROUP BY mistake as you type.
Guardrails for people, not only agents
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.
Agents never write on their own
SQLly’s MCP server runs an agent’s SELECT in a transaction the database itself keeps read-only and then rolls back. A write comes back to the app as a proposal showing the exact SQL, and production connections are off limits.
Script-first admin tools
Activity monitor, Query Store, SQL Agent, schema and data compare, index analyzer, test data, and disk usage live under one Tools menu. Anything destructive opens as SQL in a tab for you to read before it runs.
Tools →A grid that does analysis
Pivot, charts, conditional formatting, computed columns, result diffs, and Excel export with a pivot sheet. A one-line SQL comment can set the layout up so it travels with the query.
SQLly directives →When Gridex is the better choice
Gridex is probably the better fit if:
- You need MongoDB. Gridex has a document editor and aggregation pipelines; SQLly doesn’t connect to MongoDB.
- You’re on an Intel Mac. Gridex ships a universal build; SQLly needs Apple Silicon.
- Open source, or free at any company size, is a requirement. Gridex Community is Apache 2.0 and needs no account. SQLly’s source is closed, and its free tier isn’t available inside organizations with more than 100 employees.
- You want an agent to make changes for you. Gridex’s MCP server can insert, update, and delete rows after you approve them, and logs what the agent did. SQLly’s agents only read; every write is a proposal you run yourself.
- You mostly browse tables and run simple queries. If you don’t need plans, compare, or admin tools, a lighter free client may suit you better.
One honest caveat in the other direction: Gridex is young, and the Mac, Windows, and Linux apps are separate codebases, so check its repository for the state of any feature on your platform.
Questions
Is Gridex free?
Gridex Community is free with no account, and its source is on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license. A Pro tier is in early access with no published price; the Gridex site lists the MCP server, a realtime connection monitor, scheduled jobs, cross-database sync, a visual query builder, an audit log and team roles under Pro. SQLly is free for hobbyists, with SQLly 1.x and Lifetime licenses for everyone else.
Which databases do SQLly and Gridex support?
Both connect to PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server, ClickHouse and Redis. Gridex adds MongoDB, and its ClickHouse driver is macOS-only for now. SQLly adds MariaDB, DuckDB, Oracle Database and libSQL/Turso, plus documented wire-compatible services such as CockroachDB, Neon, Supabase, Valkey and Amazon ElastiCache - 30 engines in all.
Can AI agents use SQLly or Gridex over MCP?
Both ship an MCP server. Gridex’s offers schema, read and write tools behind per-connection permission modes, asks you to approve writes, and records every call in an activity log. SQLly’s sqlly-cli mcp lets an agent list connections, read schemas and run a single SELECT inside a read-only transaction that is always rolled back; it never executes a write itself - it sends the statement to SQLly as a proposal you confirm or decline, and production connections are refused.
Other comparisons
Point both at the same database
The quickest way to choose is to run your own queries in each. SQLly is free on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with no account required.