TablePlus vs MySQL Workbench: Features and Pricing (2026)

Quick verdict

Short answer

Pick MySQL Workbench if you work only with MySQL 8.4 LTS or newer and want Oracle's free tool for server administration, user and grant management, Performance Reports, Visual Explain and SQL Notebooks. Pick TablePlus if you also use PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, Redis or other engines, run MariaDB, or connect to older MySQL servers, and want a compact paid client with Code Review and Safe mode around edits. Many MySQL developers could use Workbench for analysis and a general client for daily data work.

How we know: This comparison is research-based: licences, platforms, supported databases, documented features and prices were checked against tableplus.com, the TablePlus documentation, and Oracle's mysql.com and dev.mysql.com pages and Workbench 26 announcement on 7 October 2026. We have not run either product or measured speed or memory use.

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.

MySQL Workbench is Oracle's visual tool for MySQL. Version 26.7, released in July 2026, is a new generation built on MySQL Shell with an Electron desktop front end. Oracle states that it replaces earlier Workbench releases, which have reached end of life and are no longer maintained, and that MySQL Shell for VS Code has been discontinued. The download is the free Community (OSS) edition under the GPL for Windows, macOS and Linux. See our MySQL Workbench review.

Side by side

Aspect	TablePlus	MySQL Workbench
Price and licence	Proprietary; one-time per-device licence with 1 year of updates; restricted free version	Free Community (OSS) edition under the GPL
Free version	Limited to 2 open tabs, 2 open windows and 2 advanced filters	The whole download is free
Platforms	macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux (Debian packages and a generic build)
Supported databases	MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, Redshift, Redis and more; Oracle macOS only, MongoDB beta	MySQL only; Oracle supports 8.4 LTS and newer, and says 8.0 and older may work but are not supported
SQL editor	Autocomplete, split panes, multiple carets, query history and favourites, formatter, streaming results	SQL Script Editor and SQL Notebooks with auto-completion and formatting; JavaScript and TypeScript through MySQL Shell
Explain plans and performance	Not documented as a feature	Visual Explain, Visual Explain Analyze and Performance Reports for slow queries
Administration	User management (MySQL only); backup and restore to dump files	Server status, configuration, users and grants, client connections; MySQL Enterprise Backup integration
Editing safeguards	Code Review shows pending changes as SQL before commit; Safe mode	Not a documented focus
ER diagrams	Not in the documentation index	EER modelling was a Workbench 8.0 feature; not listed on the current Workbench 26 product page
Main trade-off	Multi-database and compact, but paid per device and light on MySQL analysis tools	Free with deep MySQL analysis, but MySQL only and a new rebuild without every 8.0 feature

Key differences

One engine in depth versus many engines

MySQL Workbench is a MySQL tool. Oracle documents support for MySQL 8.4 LTS and newer, 9.7 LTS, 26.7 and the innovation releases between them; MySQL 8.0 and older end-of-life versions may work but are not officially supported. Oracle does not document MariaDB.

TablePlus connects to MySQL and MariaDB alongside PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, Redshift, CockroachDB, Redis, Cassandra and others. If you maintain applications on more than one engine, run MariaDB, or still have MySQL 8.0 servers, TablePlus covers more of them in one window, subject to its documented platform limits (Oracle macOS only, Snowflake not on Linux, MongoDB in beta).

Query analysis and administration

Workbench 26 documents MySQL-specific tooling that TablePlus does not: Performance Reports to investigate slow queries, Visual Explain and Visual Explain Analyze, server status and configuration, user and grant management, and inspection of client connections. It also integrates with MySQL Enterprise Backup and the HeatWave Migration Assistant, which assume Oracle's commercial products or services.

TablePlus's administration is lighter: user management for MySQL (privileges and resource limits) and backup and restore to dump files. Explain plans are not documented as a TablePlus feature. If you need to understand why a MySQL query is slow, Workbench is the better documented tool.

Daily data editing

TablePlus is built around browsing and editing data: inline editing of rows, structure and query results, advanced filters, and changes that are held until you commit them, with Code Review showing them as SQL first and Safe mode protecting production connections. It also imports CSV and SQL dump files and exports to CSV, JSON or SQL.

Workbench 26 centres on the SQL Script Editor and SQL Notebooks, and adds JavaScript and TypeScript through MySQL Shell. In our view it suits developers and DBAs who think in queries and scripts more than those who mainly edit table data by hand.

Workbench 26 is a rebuild

Oracle rebuilt Workbench on MySQL Shell and states that Workbench 8.0 is end of life. Visual EER modelling and the Migration Wizard, both documented for 8.0, are not listed on the current product page. Neither tool therefore offers documented ER modelling today; if diagrams matter, look at a multi-engine tool with ER diagrams such as DBeaver.

Cost and licensing

Workbench's Community edition is free under the GPL. TablePlus is paid software with a free version restricted to 2 tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters. Its licences are perpetual per device and include a year of updates; afterwards you can renew or keep using the last build released before expiry.

Pricing and licensing

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.

MySQL Workbench. Version 26.7 is distributed free as the Community (OSS) edition under the GPL. Features that integrate with MySQL Enterprise Backup or HeatWave assume you have the relevant Oracle commercial subscription or cloud service.

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

Where each one leads

TablePlus strengths

One client for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, Redis and more
Code Review and Safe mode add a deliberate step before edits reach the database
Runs on macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS
Perpetual per-device licence; keep the last covered build without paying again

MySQL Workbench strengths

Free under the GPL and maintained by Oracle's MySQL team
Performance Reports, Visual Explain and Visual Explain Analyze for MySQL queries
Administration of server configuration, users, grants and client connections
SQL Notebooks plus JavaScript and TypeScript scripting through MySQL Shell

Limitations

TablePlus limitations

Free version limited to 2 tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters
No explain plan or performance analysis feature documented
User management documented for MySQL only
Oracle documented as macOS only and MongoDB in beta

MySQL Workbench limitations

MySQL only; MariaDB is not documented
MySQL 8.0 and older are not officially supported by Workbench 26
Visual EER modelling and the Migration Wizard are not listed for Workbench 26
Workbench 8.0 is end of life, so teams on the old tool must move to a rebuilt product

When to choose each

Choose TablePlus if

You work with several engines, or with MariaDB, as well as MySQL
Your daily work is browsing, filtering and editing table data
You want a review step before edits are committed to production
You still connect to MySQL 8.0 servers

Choose MySQL Workbench if

You work only with MySQL 8.4 LTS or newer
You need Visual Explain or Performance Reports to tune queries
You administer users, grants and server configuration from a GUI
You want a free tool from the MySQL vendor

When neither is right

You need a free multi-engine client with ER diagrams: see DBeaver vs MySQL Workbench and DBeaver vs TablePlus.
You want a free client focused on MariaDB and MySQL: see HeidiSQL vs MySQL Workbench and TablePlus vs HeidiSQL.
You need schema and data synchronisation or scheduled backups: see Navicat vs MySQL Workbench.
You write SQL as code and want refactoring: see DataGrip vs MySQL Workbench, or browse the best MySQL Workbench alternatives.

Final recommendation

Bottom line

These tools do different jobs. MySQL Workbench 26 is the stronger choice for MySQL-only teams on 8.4 LTS or newer who need query analysis and administration, and it costs nothing. TablePlus is the stronger choice for developers who work across several engines or with MariaDB and mainly browse, edit and query data, provided they are willing to buy a per-device licence. Because Workbench is free, many MySQL users can keep it for analysis whichever daily client they choose.

Frequently asked questions

Is MySQL Workbench free?

Yes. Version 26.7 is distributed as the Community (OSS) edition under the GPL for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Can TablePlus replace MySQL Workbench?

For browsing, editing and querying MySQL data, yes. For performance analysis it cannot: TablePlus does not document explain plans or performance reports, and its administration is limited to MySQL user management and backup and restore.

Does MySQL Workbench work with MariaDB?

Oracle does not document MariaDB support; Workbench 26 is documented for MySQL 8.4 LTS and newer. TablePlus lists MariaDB as a supported database.

Does MySQL Workbench 26 still have EER diagrams?

Visual EER modelling is not listed on the current Workbench 26 product page. It was a Workbench 8.0 feature, and Workbench 8.0 is now end of life. Check the Workbench 26 release notes for updates.

Is TablePlus free?

It has a free version limited to 2 open tabs, 2 open windows and 2 advanced filters. Full use requires a one-time per-device licence, which includes a year of updates.

Sources

Checked October 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.