Beekeeper Studio vs TablePlus: Licences, Pricing (2026)

Quick verdict

Short answer

Pick Beekeeper Studio if you want an open source client you can use without paying, you fit its Community Edition's intended audience (individuals, students, non-profits, or businesses under 10 employees or USD 1M revenue), and your databases are among its free engines such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Redshift, BigQuery or Redis. Pick TablePlus if you prefer paying once per device, want an iOS app, or want Code Review and Safe mode around edits. Note that Beekeeper's import and export, backup and restore, direct editing of query results and engines such as Oracle, MongoDB and DuckDB are in its paid plans, so compare like with like.

How we know: This comparison is research-based: editions, licences, intended use of the free edition, free version limits, platforms, supported databases and prices were checked against each vendor's website, pricing page, documentation and GitHub repository on 7 October 2026; the Beekeeper Studio edition table was read row by row. We have not run either product or measured speed or memory use.

Beekeeper Studio is a cross-platform SQL editor and database manager for Windows, macOS and Linux. Most of its code is open source under GPLv3, and paid features live in the same repository under a commercial source-available licence; there is one download, with paid features unlocked by a trial or licence. Paid plans are Indie, Professional and Business. Version 6.1.5 (2 October 2026) is the current stable release. See our Beekeeper Studio review.

TablePlus, from TablePlus Inc., is a commercial GUI client for macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS. Its website lists MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Microsoft SQL Server, Amazon Redshift, MariaDB, CockroachDB, Vertica, Redis, MongoDB, Oracle, Cassandra, BigQuery, ClickHouse and Turso; the documentation notes that Oracle is macOS only, Snowflake is macOS and Windows only, and MongoDB is in beta. See our TablePlus review.

Side by side

Aspect	Beekeeper Studio	TablePlus
Free edition	Community Edition (GPLv3), unlimited connections, queries and tabs; vendor says it is intended for individuals, students, non-profits and businesses under 10 employees and/or USD 1M revenue	Free version limited to 2 open tabs, 2 open windows and 2 advanced filters
Paid model	Indie, Professional, Business: per user, billed monthly or yearly, with a lifetime licence for versions released while subscribed	One-time per-device licence with 1 year of updates; keep the last covered build afterwards
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS
Databases in the free tier	PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Redshift, TiDB, BigQuery, Redis, GreengageDB	Free version is limited by tabs, windows and filters, not by engine
Databases needing payment	CockroachDB, Oracle, Cassandra, Firebird, LibSQL and Turso, ClickHouse, DuckDB, SQL Anywhere, MongoDB, Trino and Presto, SurrealDB, DynamoDB (beta) and Snowflake are in paid plans only	Full engine list with a licence; Oracle macOS only, Snowflake macOS and Windows, MongoDB beta
Import, export, backup	Import/Export and Backup/Restore listed for Indie and above, not Community	Import CSV and SQL dumps; export CSV, JSON or SQL; backup and restore to dump files
Editing	Editable spreadsheet for table data in Community; direct editing of query results in paid plans	Inline editing of rows, structure and query results, with Code Review before commit and Safe mode
AI and team features	AI Shell and cloud workspaces in Professional and Business	Team plan with a License Manager; JavaScript plugin system
Main trade-off	Open source and free for small users, but data movement features and many engines are paid	Pay once per device and get an iOS app, but the free version is only a trial in practice

Key differences

Licensing model

Beekeeper Studio's Community Edition is GPLv3, and its pricing page says it is "intended for students, individuals, non-profits and small businesses with fewer than 10 employees and/or annual revenue below $1m"; larger organisations are asked to buy a paid licence. Paid plans are priced per user per month, billed monthly or yearly, but each includes a lifetime licence for the versions released during your subscription: immediately on yearly plans, and after 12 consecutive months on monthly plans. We describe these terms; we do not give legal advice on them.

TablePlus is proprietary. You buy a perpetual licence per device that includes a year of updates; afterwards you can renew, or keep using the last build released before expiry. Its free version has no audience condition but is limited to 2 tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters at a time.

What the free tiers actually give you

The two free tiers restrict different things. Beekeeper Community keeps the interface unrestricted (unlimited connections, queries and tabs) and includes the editable table grid, schema editing for tables, relations, triggers and indexes, the SQL editor with autocomplete, transaction control and SSH tunnels. Its edition table, checked on 7 October 2026, places JSON Sidebar, direct editing of query results, and Import/Export and Backup/Restore in the paid plans, from Indie upwards.

TablePlus restricts the workspace instead: 2 tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters. In our view, Beekeeper Community is the more usable long-term free tool for querying and editing tables, while TablePlus's free version mainly serves to evaluate the product.

Database coverage by tier

Beekeeper Studio supports a long list of engines, but its edition table reserves many for paid plans: CockroachDB, Oracle, Cassandra, Firebird, LibSQL and Turso, ClickHouse, DuckDB, SQL Anywhere, MongoDB, Trino and Presto, SurrealDB and DynamoDB (beta), with Snowflake in the Business plan only. The Community column covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Redshift, TiDB, BigQuery, Redis and GreengageDB.

TablePlus does not tier engines by plan, but some are tied to a platform: the documentation lists Oracle as macOS only, Snowflake as macOS and Windows only, and MongoDB as beta. TablePlus also lists Vertica, which Beekeeper does not.

Platforms and devices

Both run on Windows, macOS and Linux. TablePlus adds an iOS app, included with paid licences. Beekeeper Studio states feature parity across its three desktop platforms. On device limits, TablePlus counts devices (Basic covers 1, Standard 2), while Beekeeper's Indie plan allows one device per user and Professional and Business allow unlimited devices.

Pricing and licensing

Beekeeper Studio. The Community Edition is free within its stated intended audience. Listed on the vendor's pricing page in October 2026 (USD, per user per month): Indie $9 billed yearly or $18 billed monthly; Professional $14 billed yearly or $28 billed monthly; Business $18 billed yearly or $35 billed monthly. The Indie licence is capped at 2 users and 1 device per user; Professional at 20 users. A 14-day trial needs no credit card, and the page offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

TablePlus. Listed on the vendor's pricing page in October 2026 (USD, one-time, no auto-renewal): Basic $99 for 1 device; Standard $129 for 2 devices (shown as a discount from $198); Team $79 per seat with a minimum of 3 seats. Each includes one year of updates and support. The page lists renewal at $59 per device and extra devices at $79 per device.

Pricing checked on the vendors' official pages on 7 October 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.

Where each one leads

Beekeeper Studio strengths

Open source Community Edition under GPLv3 with unlimited connections, queries and tabs
Free tier covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Redshift, BigQuery and Redis
Paid plans leave you with lifetime use of the versions released while subscribed
AI Shell and cloud workspaces in the Professional and Business plans

TablePlus strengths

One-time per-device licence; keep the last covered build without paying again
Code Review and Safe mode add a deliberate step before edits reach the database
iOS app included with paid licences
No engine is reserved for a higher plan

Limitations

Beekeeper Studio limitations

Community Edition is intended for individuals and organisations under 10 employees or USD 1M revenue
Import/Export, Backup/Restore and direct editing of query results require a paid plan
CockroachDB, Oracle, MongoDB, DuckDB, ClickHouse and Snowflake require a paid plan
Paid plans are recurring per-user charges if you want continued updates

TablePlus limitations

Free version limited to 2 tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters
Proprietary, with no open source edition
Oracle documented as macOS only and MongoDB in beta
Per-device licensing raises the cost across several machines

When to choose each

Choose Beekeeper Studio if

You are an individual, student, non-profit or small business and want a capable free client
You prefer open source software
Your databases are PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, BigQuery or Redis
You want AI features or shared cloud workspaces and accept a per-user plan

Choose TablePlus if

You want to pay once per device rather than per user per month
You want an iOS companion app
You want Code Review and Safe mode protecting edits on production
You need Oracle on macOS or Vertica

When neither is right

You need a free client for a larger organisation, with data transfer and ER diagrams: see Beekeeper Studio vs DBeaver and DBeaver vs TablePlus.
You work mainly with MariaDB or MySQL and want a free tool: see TablePlus vs HeidiSQL.
You need synchronisation, scheduled backups or modelling: see TablePlus vs Navicat.
You want more options: see the best TablePlus alternatives and the best database tools for Mac.

Final recommendation

Bottom line

Beekeeper Studio is the better fit for individuals and small teams who want an open source client and work with the engines in its free tier; if you need import and export, backup or engines such as Oracle or MongoDB, budget for a paid plan. TablePlus is the better fit if you prefer a one-time licence per device, want an iOS app, or value Code Review and Safe mode. Larger organisations should check Beekeeper's Community terms before standardising on it; both products offer a free way to try them first.

Frequently asked questions

Is Beekeeper Studio free?

The Community Edition is free and open source under GPLv3, and the vendor says it is intended for students, individuals, non-profits and businesses with fewer than 10 employees and/or under USD 1M annual revenue. Larger organisations are asked to buy a paid plan.

Can Beekeeper Studio Community import and export data?

Not according to the edition table on the pricing page, checked on 7 October 2026: Import/Export and Backup/Restore, and direct editing of SQL query results, are listed for the Indie, Professional and Business plans only. Note that the project README lists import/export and backup/restore among the app's features without saying which edition includes them, so check the pricing page for the current position.

Is TablePlus a subscription?

No. TablePlus sells perpetual licences per device with one year of updates. After that you can renew for updates or keep the last build released before expiry.

Which supports MongoDB?

Both, with conditions. In Beekeeper Studio, MongoDB is in the paid plans, not Community. TablePlus lists MongoDB as a beta feature.

Does either run on iPhone or iPad?

TablePlus has an iOS app, and paid licences include iOS access. Beekeeper Studio is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Sources

Checked October 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.