SQLlySQLly vs Oracle SQL Developer
SQL Developer is Oracle’s own free IDE: two decades of PL/SQL editing, data modeling, and DBA tooling, and still the reference client for Oracle Database. SQLly is a native multi-engine workbench where Oracle is one of thirty engines. If Oracle is your whole world, SQL Developer has real depth SQLly doesn’t - here’s the honest breakdown.
Last reviewed: September 2026
At a glance
One native app for a mixed estate
Oracle Database alongside SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, DuckDB, ClickHouse, Redis, and more - in one GPU-rendered window on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Free for hobbyists; Annual and Lifetime licenses for everyone else.
Oracle’s own IDE
Free under Oracle’s Free Use license, at any company size. A Java desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux - plus a VS Code extension that is where Oracle now puts new features - with deep PL/SQL, modeling, and administration tooling. Oracle Database only, in practice.
Feature by feature
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. The rows focus on Oracle work, since that’s the only thing SQL Developer really does.
| Capability | SQLly | SQL Developer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier + licensesFree for hobbyists; Annual or Lifetime. Pricing | FreeNo paid tier, no account, no company-size limit. |
| Open source | NoLifetime licenses carry a source-escrow promise. | NoProprietary freeware under Oracle’s Free Use Terms and Conditions. |
| How the app is built | NativeRust, rendered on the GPU. How it works | JavaSwing desktop app on a JDK 17 runtime. |
| Runs on macOS, Windows & Linux | YesmacOS is signed and notarized (Apple Silicon); Windows and Linux are a supported beta. | YesThe macOS download targets Apple Silicon; a JDK 17+ is required where one isn’t bundled. |
| Oracle Database | YesNative driver, one of 30 engines. Oracle in SQLly | YesThe reference tool - on-prem and Oracle Cloud, Autonomous included. |
| Other engines in the same app | YesSQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, DuckDB, ClickHouse, Redis and more. All databases | PartialThird-party JDBC drivers for MySQL, SQL Server, Db2, Teradata, and Access - chiefly to migrate them to Oracle. |
| PL/SQL debugger | No | Yes |
| Data modeling | PartialRead live from the catalog, export to SVG, Mermaid, or DBML; not a design tool. Relationship Graph | YesSQL Developer Data Modeler is built in - forward and reverse engineering. |
| Visual query builder | No | YesDrag-and-drop Query Builder. |
| Execution plan viewer | In progressPlain-language findings first, then tree and diagram. Query plans | YesExplain Plan and Autotrace. |
| Schema diff | YesAcross connections and engines, risk-graded, with rollback scripts. Schema Compare | YesDatabase Diff. |
| Edit table data | YesA row editor generated from the table’s own metadata. Row editor | Yes |
| Import & export data | YesCSV, JSON, Excel, SQL, and more. Export | YesCSV, Excel, JSON, XML, INSERT, and loader formats. |
| DBA console | PartialScript-first admin tools under one Tools menu; coverage varies by engine. Tools | YesUsers, storage, sessions, Data Pump, RMAN, and more. |
| SSH tunnels | YesSSH, SOCKS, and HTTP proxy. Engine docs | YesBuilt-in SSH port forwarding. |
| TLS options | YesDisable, require, verify-CA, verify-full. TLS | YesTCPS with wallets and native network encryption. |
| Migration workbench | No | YesMoves third-party databases into Oracle. |
| Browser version | NoA desktop app. The browser preview is a demo, not a deployment. | YesDatabase Actions, formerly SQL Developer Web, ships with Autonomous Database and ORDS. |
| Plugins & extensions | No | YesA Java extension framework with third-party extensions. |
Where SQLly is different
SQLly isn’t a SQL Developer replacement for Oracle specialists; it’s a daily-driver workbench that happens to speak Oracle.
Native, not a runtime
SQLly is one Rust codebase drawing straight to the GPU with each OS’s own graphics path. There’s no JDK to install or memory settings to tune, and large results stream to disk so the grid stays flat on memory whether you fetch 50 rows or 50 million.
Spill-to-disk results βOne window for the whole estate
When a PostgreSQL or SQL Server database turns up next to Oracle, you don’t need a second client - or a third-party JDBC driver. Actions like “view top 1000 rows” speak each engine’s dialect.
Databases βAutocomplete that knows your data
Beyond schema completion, SQLly can pull a column’s real distinct values into a WHERE clause, offer a join’s ON clause from actual foreign keys, and underline a GROUP BY mistake as you type.
Guardrails you set once
Read-only connections, 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.
Comments that shape results
A one-line SQL comment can pivot a result or set up a chart, and it travels with the query so the next run looks the same. The grid has pivot, chart, diff, and JSON/XML viewers built in.
SQLly directives βPlain files, no telemetry
Connections, history, and settings are plain files you can diff or commit, with passwords kept in your OS keychain. The app has no telemetry today, full stop.
Everything is a file βWhen SQL Developer is the better choice
SQL Developer has earned its place in Oracle shops. Stick with it if:
- You want free, at any company size. SQL Developer costs nothing under Oracle’s Free Use license. SQLly’s free tier is for hobbyists and isn’t available inside organizations with more than 100 employees.
- Oracle is your whole world. The PL/SQL debugger, integrated Data Modeler, and the DBA console with Data Pump and RMAN are depths SQLly doesn’t have.
- You’re migrating databases into Oracle. The Migration Workbench for MySQL, SQL Server, Db2, and friends has no counterpart in SQLly.
- You want Oracle’s browser tooling. Database Actions comes with Autonomous Database and ORDS; SQLly is a desktop app.
- You live in VS Code. Oracle’s investment is the SQL Developer for VS Code extension; the classic desktop gets maintenance releases only.
Plenty of people keep SQL Developer for the PL/SQL and DBA chores and use SQLly for everything else.
Questions
Is Oracle SQL Developer free?
Yes. SQL Developer is a free download under Oracle’s Free Use Terms and Conditions license, with no paid tier and no company-size limit. It is proprietary, not open source. SQLly has a free tier for hobbyists and paid Annual and Lifetime licenses for everyone else.
Can SQL Developer connect to PostgreSQL or SQL Server?
Only in a limited way. SQL Developer accepts third-party JDBC drivers for databases like MySQL, SQL Server, Db2 and Teradata, chiefly so its Migration Workbench can move them to Oracle. It is not a general multi-database workbench. SQLly connects natively to 30 engines, Oracle included.
Is classic SQL Developer being discontinued?
Oracle’s stated direction is the SQL Developer for VS Code extension: new features go there, while the classic desktop gets maintenance releases only and will be deprecated once the extension reaches feature parity. Both are still free downloads today.
Other comparisons
Point it at your Oracle database
Free to download for macOS, Windows, and Linux, no account required. Keep SQL Developer for the PL/SQL work - the pig doesn’t mind.