SQLlySQLly vs Navicat
Navicat is a long-running commercial suite: one Premium app across a wide spread of relational and NoSQL databases, with modeling, sync, BI, and team tools around it. SQLly is a narrower, native workbench that goes deep on the SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite families, with Oracle, DuckDB, ClickHouse, libSQL/Turso, and Redis alongside. Here’s where each one earns its price.
Last reviewed: September 2026
At a glance
Focused, native, guardrails first
A Rust, GPU-rendered workbench for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Script-first DBA tools, schema and data compare, and per-environment safety settings. Free for hobbyists; Annual and Lifetime licenses for everyone else.
A broad commercial suite
Navicat Premium covers MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite, Redis, and Snowflake on Windows, macOS, and Linux, sold as subscription or perpetual licenses, with single-database editions and a free Premium Lite.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. The Navicat column refers to Navicat Premium unless it says otherwise.
| Capability | SQLly | Navicat Premium |
|---|---|---|
| macOS, Windows & Linux | YesmacOS signed and notarized; Windows and Linux a supported beta. | Yes |
| Licensing | Free tier + licensesAnnual (updates subscription) or one-time Lifetime. Pricing | CommercialSubscription or perpetual. |
| Free edition | Free tierTwo saved servers, one cloud account; not for organizations over 100 employees. | Premium LiteCore features; up to five users per organization. |
| SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite | YesPlus hosted and compatible engines. Full list | Yes |
| Oracle Database | YesNeeds Oracle’s free Instant Client installed. Oracle in SQLly | Yes |
| Snowflake | PlannedModeled; live connector still to come. | Yes |
| Redis | YesCommand editor, key browser, and monitoring; Valkey and other Redis-compatible servers too. Redis in SQLly | Yes |
| MongoDB | No | Yes |
| Visual data modeling | NoAn ER diagram read from the live catalog, not a modeler. Relationship Graph | Yes |
| Structure & data sync | YesSchema and data compare with review-only scripts. Schema Compare | Yes |
| Visual query builder | YesFK-aware joins and live SQL preview. Query Builder | Yes |
| Charts & dashboards | YesCharts from results and a saved-chart dashboard. Charts | YesBI features; not in Premium Lite. |
| Backup & restore | YesNative SQL Server backups; pg_dump/mysqldump for PostgreSQL and MySQL. Backup / Restore |
YesNot in Premium Lite. |
| Scheduled automation | NoSQL Agent jobs are managed on SQL Server itself. SQL Agent | Yes |
| Team cloud sharing | FilesConnections and settings are plain files, exportable without passwords. Everything is a file | YesNavicat Cloud. |
Switching from Navicat
In Navicat, export your connections to an .ncx file. In SQLly, right-click the connection list and choose
Import From Other Tools…, pick the file, and review the Will import and Skipped rows before confirming.
Groups, SSH tunnel hosts, and TLS settings come across where the export includes them, and saved passwords in the file are ignored on purpose -
SQLly asks for each one the first time you connect and keeps it in your operating system’s keychain.
DBA tools, script-first
SQL Agent, Activity Monitor, a live Server Dashboard, Query Store and pg_stat_statements insights, and user and privilege editors - every change shown as SQL before it runs.
Guardrails per environment
Colors, read-only mode, confirmations, and auto-wrapped transactions, set once on an environment and inherited by every connection under it.
Guardrails →IntelliSense that reads your data
Real column values, FK-driven join suggestions, and a live GROUP BY check.
When Navicat is the better choice
Navicat is a mature, capable suite. Choose it if:
- You manage document stores and SQL together - MongoDB next to SQL Server and Postgres in one app.
- You need an engine outside SQLly’s list. Check SQLly’s databases page first; Navicat Premium’s list is broader.
- You model databases visually and forward-engineer them. SQLly’s ER diagram reads the catalog; it doesn’t model.
- You schedule recurring jobs - backups, sync, reports - from the client itself.
- Your team shares connections and queries through a managed cloud, or you want the free Premium Lite at a larger company.
Questions
Can SQLly import my Navicat connections?
Yes. Export your connections from Navicat as an .ncx file, then choose Import From Other Tools in SQLly. It previews every server it found, skips anything it can't connect to with a reason, and never reads the saved passwords - you enter them on first connect.
Is there a free version of Navicat?
Yes. Navicat Premium Lite is a free edition with core features, usable commercially but limited to five users per organization. SQLly's free tier is for hobbyists, allows two saved servers and is not available inside organizations with more than 100 employees.
Does SQLly support MongoDB, Redis or Oracle like Navicat Premium?
Oracle, yes: SQLly connects to Oracle Database natively once Oracle's free Instant Client is installed. Redis, yes: SQLly connects to Redis and Redis-compatible servers with a command editor and key browser. MongoDB, no. If you need MongoDB alongside your SQL databases, Navicat Premium is the broader choice.
Other comparisons
Import your Navicat servers and look around
Free to download for macOS, Windows, and Linux, no account required.