SQLlySQLly vs Sequel Ace
Sequel Ace carries on Sequel Pro’s tradition: a free, open-source, genuinely native Mac app for MySQL and MariaDB. SQLly is native on the Mac too, but reaches further - more engines, more platforms, and DBA tooling. If you only ever touch MySQL on a Mac, Sequel Ace may be all you need. Here’s how to tell.
Last reviewed: September 2026
At a glance
Native on the Mac, and beyond it
Rust and Metal on Apple Silicon Macs, with supported-beta builds for Windows and Linux. MySQL and MariaDB plus SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and hosted variants. Free for hobbyists; Annual and Lifetime licenses for everyone else.
The Sequel Pro successor
Free and MIT-licensed. macOS only (13.5 or later), on Intel and Apple Silicon, from the Mac App Store or Homebrew. MySQL 5.7+ and MariaDB 10.0+, and nothing else - on purpose.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. For Sequel Ace we list what its project states.
| Capability | SQLly | Sequel Ace |
|---|---|---|
| Native Mac app | YesMetal and Core Text. How it works | YesObjective-C and Swift. |
| Apple Silicon Macs | YesSigned and notarized. | Yes |
| Intel Macs | NoThe macOS build targets Apple Silicon. | Yes |
| Windows & Linux | YesSupported beta. Download | No |
| Price & license | Free tier + licensesPricing | Free, MIT |
| Mac App Store | NoDirect download. | Yes |
| MySQL & MariaDB | YesMySQL and MariaDB, plus Aurora, RDS, Azure, Cloud SQL, PlanetScale, TiDB. Databases | YesMySQL 5.7+, MariaDB 10.0+. |
| PostgreSQL, SQL Server & SQLite | YesPostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, and more. | No |
| Import connections from other tools | YesFrom DataGrip, DBeaver, TablePlus, and Navicat files. | - |
| DBA tools | YesServer Dashboard, Activity Monitor, backup/restore, user and privilege editing. Tools | - |
| Execution plans | In progressQuery plans | - |
A dash means we couldn’t confirm it from Sequel Ace’s own materials - check its documentation for the current state.
Where SQLly is different
Sequel Ace does one job well. SQLly is for when the job grows.
More than MySQL
When a PostgreSQL or SQL Server database turns up, you don’t need a second client. Actions like “view top 1000 rows” speak each engine’s dialect.
Databases →Guardrails for production
Environment colors, read-only connections, confirmation before data changes, and a hard stop on DELETE with no WHERE.
Schema compare & data transfer
Diff two schemas with deploy and rollback scripts, and copy tables between connections - even across engines.
Schema Compare →IntelliSense that reads your data
Suggestions from real column values, joins from actual foreign keys, and a live GROUP BY check.
When Sequel Ace is the better choice
Sequel Ace is a lovely little app. Keep it if:
- You only use MySQL or MariaDB and don’t need DBA tooling.
- You want free and open source, at any company size. SQLly’s free tier is for hobbyists and caps saved servers at two.
- You’re on an Intel Mac. SQLly’s Mac build targets Apple Silicon.
- You prefer installing from the Mac App Store.
- You loved Sequel Pro and want the closest thing to it that’s still maintained.
Questions
Is Sequel Ace the same as Sequel Pro?
Sequel Ace is the community-maintained successor to Sequel Pro, which is no longer maintained. It was forked from Sequel Pro's code and keeps its native Mac interface for MySQL and MariaDB.
Does Sequel Ace support PostgreSQL or SQL Server?
No. Sequel Ace works with MySQL and MariaDB only. SQLly also connects to PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQLite, along with hosted MySQL services such as PlanetScale and Amazon RDS.
Does SQLly run on Intel Macs?
SQLly's macOS build targets Apple Silicon. Sequel Ace supports both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, so it is the better choice on an Intel machine.
Other comparisons
Another native Mac client worth a look
Free to download for Apple Silicon Macs, Windows, and Linux, no account required.