// sql server on macos

SQL Server on a Mac: the native client SSMS never gave you

Q: Can you run SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) on a Mac?

No. SSMS is Windows-only. On macOS you need a third-party client such as SQLly, a native Rust app that connects to SQL Server directly.

Q: What is the best SQL Server client for Mac?

SQLly is a native macOS SQL client with schema-aware IntelliSense, 50M-row result streaming and safety guardrails, free for hobbyists. Open-source alternatives include DBeaver Community, and Microsoft's free MSSQL extension for VS Code covers occasional queries.

Q: Does SQLly work on Apple silicon?

Yes. SQLly is a native Rust application for macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux.

Your databases run SQL Server. Your laptop runs macOS. SQLly speaks both, natively.

SQL Server Management Studio doesn't run on a Mac. Your SQL Server databases don't care.

SQLly is a native macOS SQL client that connects to SQL Server out of the box - fast, with real autocomplete, and free to start.

The Mac SQL Server problem

If your company runs on SQL Server but you work on a Mac, your options have always been awkward: run Windows in a VM for SSMS, settle for a Java tool that feels like a Java tool, or - until recently - use Azure Data Studio, which Microsoft retired in February 2026.

SQLly was built for exactly this situation: a native app, written in Rust, that talks to SQL Server directly from macOS (and Windows and Linux, so your whole team can use one tool).

What working with SQL Server on a Mac feels like in SQLly

Autocomplete that knows your schema

SQLly's IntelliSense reads your tables, columns and foreign keys. It completes column values and writes JOIN ... ON clauses for you from the real relationships in your database.

A grid that doesn't give up

Stream result sets up to 50 million rows. SQLly spills to disk and pages the grid from file, so a careless SELECT * doesn't freeze your afternoon.

Guardrails for production

Warnings before UPDATE or DELETE without a WHERE, read-only connections, rollback wraps and production locks - because the Mac you carry everywhere connects to the database that pays for it.

More than T-SQL

Most Mac-toting developers touch more than SQL Server. The same app connects to PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, DuckDB, ClickHouse, Oracle, libSQL/Turso and Redis - 30 engines, one set of keyboard habits. See the details on the SQL Server database page.

Try it before you download it

The live preview runs the real SQLly workbench in your browser via WebAssembly - no account, no install. If you like how it feels, the download is one click away.

Pricing

SQLly is free forever for hobbyists - no trial clock. Paid licenses are one-time purchases: $100 for all 1.x updates, or $200 for a lifetime license. In a market drifting toward per-year subscriptions, you buy it once and it stays yours.

Honest alternatives

If you want free and open source above all else, DBeaver Community runs on macOS and connects to SQL Server. If you live in VS Code, Microsoft's free MSSQL extension covers occasional queries. If you're coming from Azure Data Studio specifically, our ADS migration guide compares the options in detail.

Get started

Download SQLly for macOS (Apple silicon and Intel).
Add your SQL Server: host, credentials, database - the same details you'd use anywhere.
Open a query tab. IntelliSense reads your schema as you type.