SQLlySQLly vs HeidiSQL
HeidiSQL has been the free, fast, no-nonsense client for MariaDB and MySQL on Windows since 2002, and it now reaches SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and more. SQLly covers much of the same ground as a native app with guardrails and deeper DBA tooling. If “free and light” is the whole brief, HeidiSQL is hard to beat - here’s the rest.
Last reviewed: September 2026
At a glance
A workbench with guardrails
Rust and GPU-rendered on macOS, Windows, and Linux. SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite with hosted variants, plus DBA tools, schema compare, and per-environment safety settings. Free for hobbyists, licensed for everyone else.
The free, lightweight veteran
Free and open source. Built with Delphi on Windows, with newer Linux and macOS builds from a Lazarus port. MariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Interbase, Firebird, ProxySQL, and Redshift.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. For HeidiSQL we list what its own site states.
| Capability | SQLly | HeidiSQL |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | YesSupported beta, x64 and ARM64. | YesInstaller or portable ZIP. |
| macOS | YesSigned and notarized, Apple Silicon. | YesARM64 app bundle, from the newer Lazarus port. |
| Linux | YesSupported beta, x64 and ARM64. | YesDebian, RPM, Flatpak and more. |
| Price & license | Free tier + licensesPricing | Free, open source |
| MariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite | YesMariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, plus hosted variants. Full list | Yes |
| Interbase & Firebird | No | Yes |
| SSH tunnels & TLS | YesSSH, SOCKS, HTTP proxy; TLS modes with client certificates. | Yes |
| Create & alter tables visually | YesA structure editor with a live change diff for SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite; full create-new designers on SQL Server. Designers | Yes |
| Monitor & kill sessions | YesKill is scripted for review, never run on click. Activity Monitor | Yes |
| Copy data between servers | YesData Transfer | Yes |
| Import & export data | YesCSV, JSON, Excel. Import / Export | Yes |
Where SQLly is different
HeidiSQL stays deliberately compact. SQLly adds layers around the query editor.
Production guardrails
Environment colors, read-only mode, confirmation before data changes, and auto-wrapped transactions - set on an environment once and inherited by every connection under it.
Environment cues →SQL Server administration
SQL Agent jobs, backup and restore, Query Store insights, Extended Events sessions, and security editors for logins, users, and roles.
SQL Agent →Schema compare & plans
Compare schemas across connections with risk-graded deploy and rollback scripts, and read query plans as plain-language findings (plan views are still in progress).
Schema Compare →Results you can work with
Pivot, chart, and diff result sets in place, with a row editor that respects foreign keys and CHECK constraints.
Pivot →IntelliSense that reads your data
Suggestions from real column values, joins from actual foreign keys, and a live GROUP BY check.
When HeidiSQL is the better choice
HeidiSQL has earned its reputation. Stay with it if:
- You want free and open source, full stop - at any company size. SQLly’s free tier is for hobbyists and caps saved servers at two.
- You work with Interbase or Firebird. SQLly doesn’t connect to them.
- You want a small, portable Windows tool you can run from a ZIP without installing.
- You’ve used it for years and it does everything you need. Muscle memory is worth a lot.
- You want long-established maturity on Windows. SQLly’s Windows build is still labeled a supported beta.
Questions
Does HeidiSQL run on Mac and Linux?
Yes, now. HeidiSQL was Windows-only for most of its history; its port to Lazarus and FreePascal, started in 2025, produces Linux packages and an ARM64 macOS app bundle alongside the long-standing Windows builds.
Is HeidiSQL free?
Yes. HeidiSQL is free and open source. SQLly has a free tier for hobbyists with two saved servers, and paid Annual and Lifetime licenses; the free tier is not available inside organizations with more than 100 employees.
Which databases does each support?
HeidiSQL supports MariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Interbase, Firebird, ProxySQL and Redshift. SQLly covers the SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite families plus hosted variants such as Azure SQL, Neon, Supabase, PlanetScale and Amazon RDS, and also Oracle, DuckDB, ClickHouse, libSQL/Turso and Redis; it does not support Interbase or Firebird.
Other comparisons
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