DataGrip vs VS Code for SQL: IDE or Extensions? (2026)

Quick verdict

Short answer

Pick DataGrip if SQL is a large part of your day, you work across several engines and you want one consistent set of completion, inspections, refactoring and data tools, and you either qualify for the free non-commercial licence or can pay for a commercial one. Pick VS Code if you already write application code there, your work is mostly SQL Server or PostgreSQL (where Microsoft's own free extensions are strong), or you need a free tool for commercial work. For MySQL in VS Code, note that Oracle has discontinued MySQL Shell for VS Code, so SQLTools with its MySQL driver is the main option.

How we know: This comparison is research-based: features, versions, platforms and licence terms were checked against JetBrains' DataGrip pages and documentation, the VS Code documentation, the Visual Studio Marketplace listings and GitHub repositories of each extension, Microsoft Learn and Oracle's MySQL product page on 7 October 2026. We have not run performance tests, so nothing here is a measured result.

DataGrip is JetBrains' database IDE for Windows, macOS and Linux. It connects to more than 25 engines, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, Snowflake and BigQuery, plus MongoDB and Redis, and everything it does applies the same way to each of them: context-aware completion that knows your tables and foreign keys, on-the-fly inspections with quick fixes, rename and extract refactorings, local history and query history, version control, import and export, diagrams and EXPLAIN plans. Commercial use needs a paid subscription; since 1 October 2025 there is a free licence for non-commercial use. See our DataGrip review.

Visual Studio Code is Microsoft's free code editor, free for private or commercial use under a Microsoft product licence (the underlying Code - OSS repository is MIT licensed). It has built-in Git but no database features of its own; you add them with extensions. The main ones for SQL are Microsoft's MSSQL extension (SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric), Microsoft's PostgreSQL extension, and the community SQLTools extension with per-engine drivers. Each is a separate product with its own feature set, so "VS Code for SQL" means something different for each engine. See our VS Code MSSQL extension review.

Side by side

Aspect	DataGrip	VS Code
What it is	Dedicated database IDE	General code editor plus database extensions
Free version	Free for non-commercial use; 30-day trial for commercial evaluation	Free for private and commercial use; the main SQL extensions are free
Paid model	Commercial subscription for individuals or organisations, or a JetBrains multi-product subscription	None for the editor or the extensions listed here
Platforms	Windows 10/11, macOS 15/26, listed Linux distributions	Windows 10/11, macOS, Linux; extensions list their own platform support
Supported databases	25+ engines in one product, relational and NoSQL	Depends on extension: MSSQL (Microsoft SQL engines), PostgreSQL extension, SQLTools (7 official drivers plus community drivers)
SQL code assistance	Schema-aware completion, inspections with quick fixes, rename and extract-to-CTE refactorings, the same on every engine	IntelliSense in the Microsoft extensions; SQLTools focuses on formatting, running queries and history
Execution plans	Tree, diagram and flame graph views for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Snowflake and Redshift	Query plan visualiser in MSSQL; EXPLAIN graphs in the PostgreSQL extension
Schema tools	Diagrams of existing structure; object modification dialogs	MSSQL adds table designer, schema designer, schema compare, DACPAC/BACPAC and backup and restore
Version control	Git, SVN, Mercurial and others built in	Git built into the editor
Main trade-off	One deep, consistent SQL IDE, but paid for commercial use and a separate application from your code editor	Free and inside your editor, but depth varies sharply by engine and extension

Key differences

One IDE versus a set of extensions

DataGrip gives the same features to every engine it supports. The completion, inspections, refactorings, data editor, import and export, diagrams and plan views you learn on PostgreSQL work the same way on MySQL, SQL Server or Snowflake. If you switch engines often, that consistency is the main thing you pay for.

VS Code has no SQL engine support of its own. Microsoft's MSSQL extension is a substantial SQL Server tool, Microsoft's PostgreSQL extension covers PostgreSQL and Azure Database for PostgreSQL, and SQLTools is a lighter, driver-based client for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, CockroachDB and TiDB, with community drivers for others such as Snowflake, BigQuery and Oracle. Each extension has its own interface, settings and feature depth, so your experience on SQL Server and on MySQL inside VS Code can be quite different.

Code intelligence

DataGrip's documentation is built around SQL as code. It resolves table and column references as you type, flags unresolved objects and probable bugs with suggested fixes, renames database objects and code elements with a preview of usages, and can extract a subquery into a CTE. Local history keeps earlier versions of your files and consoles, and the query history keeps a log of what you ran.

The Microsoft extensions provide IntelliSense, and the MSSQL extension adds a T-SQL formatter and GitHub Copilot integration; the PostgreSQL extension has a Copilot @pgsql agent. SQLTools lists SQL formatting, query execution, query history and INSERT generation. We did not find SQL refactoring or inspection features comparable to DataGrip's documented in any of these extensions. In our view, this is the clearest gap for developers who maintain large SQL codebases.

Where VS Code goes further

For SQL Server specifically, Microsoft's MSSQL extension lists tools that DataGrip does not describe: a table designer, a drag-and-drop schema designer, schema compare between databases or DACPACs, DACPAC and BACPAC deploy, extract, import and export, backup and restore, a flat file import wizard, a query profiler using Extended Events, local SQL Server containers and SQL notebooks. Microsoft also recommends VS Code with the MSSQL extension as the replacement for Azure Data Studio, which was retired on 28 February 2026.

Microsoft's PostgreSQL extension adds server dashboards, creation of Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Docker instances, schema visualisation and Oracle-to-PostgreSQL schema conversion. These are free.

MySQL in VS Code

Oracle's MySQL Workbench product page states that MySQL Shell for VS Code has been discontinued, with its capabilities carried forward into the rebuilt MySQL Workbench 26. The extension still appears on the Marketplace, but Oracle no longer positions it as a maintained product, so we do not recommend it for new work. That leaves SQLTools with its official MySQL or MariaDB driver as the main free MySQL option inside VS Code. If MySQL is your main engine, DataGrip or Workbench will give you more; see DataGrip vs MySQL Workbench.

Licence model

VS Code and the extensions covered here cost nothing for any use. The MSSQL extension and SQLTools are MIT licensed on GitHub; Microsoft's PostgreSQL extension is free but not open source; VS Code itself is distributed under a Microsoft product licence.

DataGrip is free only for non-commercial use: learning, hobby projects, content creation and open source work without commercial benefit. That licence lasts a year, renews if you keep using DataGrip, needs online activation and requires sending anonymous usage statistics. Commercial use needs a paid subscription, after a 30-day trial. If you already pay for IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, JetBrains documents that its Database Tools and SQL plugin has the same functionality as DataGrip.

Pricing and licensing

VS Code. Free. Microsoft's FAQ states VS Code is free for private or commercial use. The MSSQL extension, the PostgreSQL extension and SQLTools are free on the Visual Studio Marketplace. GitHub Copilot features in the Microsoft extensions use GitHub Copilot, which has its own plans and terms.

DataGrip. Free for non-commercial use under JetBrains' non-commercial terms, with a 30-day trial for commercial evaluation. Commercial use requires a paid subscription, sold separately for individuals and organisations, and DataGrip is included in JetBrains' multi-product subscriptions. We could not read the exact current figures reliably from the JetBrains pricing page, so we do not quote them; see the DataGrip pricing page.

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

Where each one leads

DataGrip strengths

Same completion, inspections and refactoring on every supported engine
Rename and extract-to-CTE refactorings with usage preview
25+ engines in one product, including MongoDB and Redis
EXPLAIN plans with tree, diagram and flame graph views for several engines
Free with all features for non-commercial use

VS Code strengths

Free for commercial use, editor and extensions alike
SQL lives in the same editor as your application code, with built-in Git
Microsoft's MSSQL extension adds schema compare, table and schema designers, DACPAC/BACPAC and backup and restore
Microsoft's PostgreSQL extension adds dashboards, schema visualisation and Copilot chat
MSSQL extension and SQLTools are open source under MIT

Limitations

DataGrip limitations

Commercial use always needs a paid subscription
Non-commercial licence requires online activation and accepted telemetry
A separate application from your code editor, with system requirements that list 8 GB of RAM
Diagrams show existing structure; DataGrip does not document diagram-based schema design
Its debugger supports Oracle only

VS Code limitations

Feature depth depends on the extension; there is no single consistent SQL experience across engines
No documented SQL refactoring or inspections comparable to DataGrip's
MySQL Shell for VS Code is discontinued, leaving SQLTools as the main MySQL option
Microsoft's PostgreSQL extension is not open source
AI features depend on GitHub Copilot, a separate product with its own plans

When to choose each

Choose DataGrip if

You write and maintain a lot of SQL and want inspections and refactoring
You switch between several engines and want one consistent tool
You work with MySQL or MariaDB and want IDE-level support
You are learning or doing non-commercial work and want a full IDE free
You already use JetBrains IDEs, or IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate with its database plugin

Choose VS Code if

You already work in VS Code and want SQL next to your application code
Your work is mainly SQL Server or Azure SQL and you want Microsoft's free tooling
You use PostgreSQL, especially on Azure, and want Microsoft's PostgreSQL extension
You need a free tool for commercial work
You are moving off Azure Data Studio, which Microsoft retired in February 2026

When neither is right

You want a free, open source desktop client for many engines for commercial use: DBeaver, see DBeaver vs DataGrip.
You administer SQL Server (Agent jobs, Query Store, availability groups): use SSMS on Windows, see DataGrip vs SSMS.
You want a lightweight native client rather than an IDE or an editor: see DataGrip vs TablePlus, or a commercial suite with sync and scheduling: DataGrip vs Navicat.
You want a wider shortlist: see the best DataGrip alternatives, the best MySQL GUI tools and the best PostgreSQL GUI tools.

Final recommendation

Bottom line

DataGrip is the better SQL tool in the narrow sense: one IDE whose code intelligence, refactoring and data tools work the same on every engine. VS Code is the better value and often the more practical choice when SQL sits alongside application code, especially on SQL Server, where Microsoft's free MSSQL extension now covers schema compare, designers and backup and restore. In our view, the deciding questions are how much SQL you write, how many engines you use, and whether a commercial DataGrip licence is justified; if you mainly use MySQL, VS Code is the weakest option since Oracle discontinued MySQL Shell for VS Code.

Frequently asked questions

Can VS Code replace DataGrip?

For running queries and browsing objects, yes, particularly on SQL Server and PostgreSQL with Microsoft's extensions. For SQL refactoring, inspections and a consistent experience across many engines, DataGrip documents more than any of the VS Code extensions covered here.

Is VS Code free for SQL work at a company?

Yes. Microsoft states VS Code is free for private or commercial use, and the MSSQL, PostgreSQL and SQLTools extensions are free. DataGrip, by contrast, needs a paid subscription for commercial use.

Is MySQL Shell for VS Code still supported?

No. Oracle's MySQL Workbench product page states that MySQL Shell for VS Code has been discontinued and that its capabilities carry forward into MySQL Workbench 26. For MySQL inside VS Code, SQLTools with its MySQL driver is the main maintained option.

What is the best VS Code extension for SQL Server?

Microsoft's MSSQL extension (publisher Microsoft, MIT licensed). Microsoft recommends it as the replacement for Azure Data Studio. See our MSSQL extension review.

Can I get DataGrip features inside an editor?

Inside a JetBrains IDE, yes: JetBrains documents that the Database Tools and SQL plugin in IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate has the same functionality as DataGrip. There is no DataGrip extension for VS Code.

Sources

Checked October 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.