SQLlySQLly vs pgAdmin
pgAdmin is the PostgreSQL community’s own administration tool: free, open source, and focused on one database. SQLly is a native workbench that treats PostgreSQL as a first-class engine alongside SQL Server, MySQL, and SQLite. If Postgres is your whole world, pgAdmin has real advantages - here’s the honest breakdown.
Last reviewed: September 2026
At a glance
One native app for a mixed estate
PostgreSQL plus Neon, Supabase, RDS, Aurora, Azure, Cloud SQL, CockroachDB, and YugabyteDB over the Postgres wire - and SQL Server, MySQL, and SQLite in the same window. GPU-rendered on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
The PostgreSQL specialist
Free under the PostgreSQL licence. Runs as a desktop app (an Electron runtime around a Python web app) or in server mode for browsers and containers, on Windows, macOS, and Linux. PostgreSQL only, with deep Postgres-specific tooling.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. The rows focus on PostgreSQL work, since that’s the only thing pgAdmin does.
| Capability | SQLly | pgAdmin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier + licensesFree for hobbyists; Annual or Lifetime. Pricing | Free |
| Open source | NoLifetime licenses carry a source-escrow promise. | YesPostgreSQL licence. |
| How the app is built | NativeRust, rendered on the GPU. How it works | Web appPython/Flask with a React front end; Electron for desktop mode. |
| Browser / server mode for a team | NoA desktop app. The browser preview is a demo, not a deployment. | Yes |
| Other engines in the same app | YesSQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, DuckDB, ClickHouse, Oracle, Redis and more. All databases | NoPostgreSQL only. |
| Graphical EXPLAIN | In progressPlain-language findings first, then tree and diagram. Query plans | Yes |
| ER diagrams | PartialRead live from the catalog, export to SVG, Mermaid, or DBML; not a design tool. Relationship Graph | YesERD tool that can design tables and generate SQL. |
| Schema diff | YesAcross connections and engines, risk-graded, with rollback scripts. Schema Compare | Yes |
| Backup & restore | YesDrives pg_dump and pg_restore and shows the exact command. Backup / Restore |
Yes |
| PL/pgSQL debugger | No | Yes |
| pgAgent job scheduling | No | Yes |
| Built-in psql terminal | No | YesPSQL Tool. |
| TLS modes & client certificates | YesDisable, require, verify-CA, verify-full. TLS | Yes |
Where SQLly is different
SQLly isn’t a pgAdmin clone; it’s a daily-driver workbench that happens to be good at Postgres.
Hosted Postgres, labeled honestly
Neon, Supabase, RDS, Aurora, Azure, Cloud SQL, CockroachDB, and YugabyteDB are first-class choices that know which ones require TLS - and paste a postgres:// URL to fill the connection editor.
A structure editor that knows Postgres
Change an existing table’s columns, indexes, and foreign keys against a live change diff; changing a column’s type fills in the USING cast for you.
Guardrails for production
Read-only connections, confirmation before data changes, and auto-wrapped transactions, set once per environment and inherited.
Guardrails →Monitoring built in
An Activity Monitor with blocking chains (pg_terminate_backend is scripted for review, never run on click), top queries from pg_stat_statements, and a live Server Dashboard.
IntelliSense that reads your data
Suggestions from a column’s real values, joins from actual foreign keys, and a live GROUP BY check.
When pgAdmin is the better choice
pgAdmin has served the Postgres community for a long time. Stick with it if:
- You want free and open source, at any company size. SQLly’s free tier is for hobbyists and isn’t available inside organizations with more than 100 employees.
- You debug PL/pgSQL functions or schedule jobs with pgAgent. SQLly does neither.
- You want to host one admin tool for a team in a browser or a container. pgAdmin’s server mode does that; SQLly is a desktop app.
- You design schemas visually and generate SQL from the diagram. SQLly’s ER diagram reads the live catalog rather than modeling.
- You want a finished graphical EXPLAIN today. SQLly’s plan views are still in progress.
Plenty of people keep pgAdmin for the Postgres-only chores and use SQLly for everything else.
Questions
Is pgAdmin free?
Yes. pgAdmin is free and open source under the PostgreSQL licence, at any company size. SQLly has a free tier for hobbyists and paid Annual and Lifetime licenses for everyone else.
Is pgAdmin a native desktop app?
pgAdmin is a Python web application. Its desktop mode wraps that web app in an Electron runtime, and its server mode serves it to a browser. SQLly is a native Rust app that renders its interface on the GPU.
Can SQLly replace pgAdmin for PostgreSQL administration?
For much everyday work, yes: querying, schema compare, ER diagrams, activity monitoring, pg_stat_statements insights, pg_dump and pg_restore, and user and privilege editing. SQLly has no PL/pgSQL debugger, no pgAgent job management and no browser-based server mode, so keep pgAdmin if you need those.
Other comparisons
Point it at your Postgres
Free to download for macOS, Windows, and Linux, no account required. Paste a postgres:// URL and go.