// macos

A fast, native SQL client for Mac

Q: What is the best SQL client for Mac?

SQLly is a native Rust SQL client for macOS covering 30 engines with schema-aware IntelliSense, 50M-row result streaming and safety guardrails, free for hobbyists. PostgreSQL-only users may prefer Postico; those needing open source should consider DBeaver Community.

Q: Is there a free SQL client for Mac?

Yes. SQLly is free forever for hobbyists with two saved servers and unlimited databases, no trial clock. Paid licenses are one-time purchases: $100 for 1.x or $200 lifetime.

Q: Does SQLly run on Apple silicon?

Yes. SQLly is a native Rust application with signed, notarized builds for Apple silicon and Intel Macs, plus Windows and Linux.

One native app for every database you touch on macOS — SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, DuckDB, ClickHouse, Oracle, Redis and more.

A native Mac app for all 30 of your databases — not an Electron wrapper around one.

SQLly is built in Rust and rendered on the GPU. It opens instantly, completes from your real schema, streams results that freeze other clients, and costs you once.

Why Mac users keep hunting for a better SQL client

The usual options on macOS come with trade-offs: Java-based tools that feel heavy and freeze on large results, editor extensions that are really code editors with a database panel bolted on, or polished clients that stop at a handful of engines. SQLly was built to end the hunt: one native app, every database you touch, none of the weight.

What makes SQLly different on a Mac

Native, not Electron

Written in Rust, rendered on Metal. No JVM, no bundled browser engine — the app is fast on Apple silicon and Intel, with 12 light and dark themes that look right on macOS.

30 engines in one app

SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL and MariaDB, SQLite, DuckDB, ClickHouse, Oracle, libSQL/Turso, Redis and more — the same keyboard habits across all of them.

Autocomplete from your schema

IntelliSense reads tables, columns and foreign keys live, completes column values, and writes your JOIN clauses for you. A miss becomes a test case, so it does not miss twice.

Results that don't freeze the app

Streams up to 50 million rows with spill-to-disk and a grid that pages from file — open the whole table, not just the first page.

Guardrails for production

Warns before UPDATE or DELETE without a WHERE clause, read-only connections, rollback wraps and production locks.

Answers inside your .sql files

Comment directives pivot, chart and format results in place — share the query and the answer in one file.

Try it without installing anything

The live preview is the real workbench compiled to WebAssembly, running sample databases in your browser. No account, no download. If it feels right, the Mac download is one click — SQLly is also on the Mac App Store if you prefer Apple's billing and sandboxing.

Pricing that respects the Mac way

SQLly is free forever for hobbyists: two saved servers with unlimited databases on each, no trial clock. The paid licenses are one-time purchases — $100 for all 1.x updates, $200 for a lifetime license that also includes a 5-user Embedded license. In a market drifting to subscriptions, you buy it once and it stays yours.

Honest alternatives

If you live exclusively in PostgreSQL and want a Mac-only tool, Postico is lovely and also a one-time purchase. If you want free and open source above all, DBeaver Community covers more niche engines today. If you're comparing the polished generalists, see SQLly vs TablePlus. And if SQL Server is your main database, start with SQL Server on a Mac — it goes deeper on that engine.

Get started

Download SQLly for macOS (Apple silicon and Intel).
Add a connection — host, credentials, database.
Open a query tab and let IntelliSense read your schema as you type.