On a Linux desktop, DBeaver Community has the widest packaging of the free tools: deb, rpm and tar.gz for x86 and ARM, plus Snap, Flatpak and a PPA. TablePlus offers apt, yum and dnf repositories and an AppImage for x86_64 and aarch64; Navicat Premium ships AppImage and Flatpak only. For a shared or headless server, run a web tool instead: pgAdmin 4 in server mode for PostgreSQL, CloudBeaver (Apache 2.0) for many engines, phpMyAdmin for MySQL and MariaDB, or Adminer, a single PHP file. Whatever GUI you choose, keep the command-line clients (psql, MySQL Shell, sqlcmd, mongosh) installed for scripts and SSH sessions.
On Linux the first question is often not "which tool" but "how is it packaged". A native deb or rpm from a vendor repository updates with the rest of the system; Flatpak and Snap run sandboxed and work across distributions; an AppImage is a single file that needs no installation; a tarball suits machines without root access. ARM64 support matters on Raspberry Pi boards, Arm servers and Arm laptops. And on a server with no desktop, a web-based tool or a command-line client is the realistic choice.
This guide answers those questions. It is the Linux companion to best database tools for Windows and best database tools for Mac. SSMS and dbForge Studio are not covered as Linux options: Microsoft states SSMS is Windows only, and Devart documents Linux use of dbForge only through the commercial CrossOver layer.
Quick picks
deb, rpm and tar.gz for x86 and ARM, plus Snap, Flatpak and a PPA, under Apache 2.0.
Official apt and rpm repositories with separate desktop and web packages, plus a container image for server mode.
Browser-based DBeaver, Apache 2.0, deployed with the official Docker image.
One PHP file covering MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server and Oracle.
How we chose
Considered: DBeaver Community, CloudBeaver, DataGrip, DbVisualizer, TablePlus, Navicat Premium, Beekeeper Studio, HeidiSQL, DbGate, VS Code with the MSSQL extension, pgAdmin 4, MySQL Workbench, phpMyAdmin, Adminer, SSMS, dbForge Studio and Azure Data Studio.
Inclusion criteria: currently maintained; a Linux build, package or server deployment published by the vendor; and package formats confirmable on an official page. SSMS, dbForge Studio (no native Linux build) and Azure Data Studio (retired on 28 February 2026) are excluded.
What was checked, not tested: download pages, repository and installation instructions, supported-platform lists and release notes, on 7 October 2026. The order is not a ranking: desktop clients first, then server and web tools. Command-line clients are covered in the closing section.
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Linux packaging | ARM64 | Databases | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBeaver Community | Freemium | deb, rpm, tar.gz, Snap, Flatpak, PPA | Yes (deb, rpm, tar.gz) | Many relational; NoSQL in PRO | Java-based; some features paid |
| DataGrip | Paid (free non-commercial) | tar.gz, Toolbox App, Snap | Yes (tar.gz) | Many relational and NoSQL | Commercial use paid; 8 GB RAM listed |
| DbVisualizer | Freemium | .sh installer, deb, rpm, tar.gz | Not stated | Many JDBC databases | Several features Pro-only |
| TablePlus | Freemium | apt, yum, dnf repos, AppImage | Yes (aarch64) | Many relational, Redis | Oracle is macOS only; free version limited |
| Navicat Premium 18 | Paid (free Lite) | AppImage, Flatpak | Yes (AppImage) | Many relational and NoSQL | No deb or rpm; paid |
| Beekeeper Studio | Freemium | AppImage, deb, rpm, Snap, Flatpak | Yes | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server, others | Community limited to small organisations |
| HeidiSQL | Free (GPL) | deb, rpm, Flatpak, AUR | Yes (Qt6 build) | MariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, others | Linux build newer than Windows version |
| DbGate | Freemium | AppImage, deb, rpm, Snap, Flatpak, Docker | Yes | MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, SQLite, others | Some features in Premium |
| VS Code + MSSQL | Free | deb, rpm, tar.gz, Snap | Yes | SQL Server, Azure SQL | Editor plus extension |
| MySQL Workbench | Free (Community) | Debian and generic Linux downloads, APT repo (Ubuntu) | x86_64 only listed | MySQL | Formally supported on GNOME only |
| pgAdmin 4 | Free | apt, rpm (desktop and web), container, Python | apt repo x86_64 only | PostgreSQL | PostgreSQL only |
| CloudBeaver Community | Free (Apache 2.0) | Docker image | See Docker Hub | Many relational | Server to run and secure |
| phpMyAdmin | Free (GPL) | Archive, Docker, Composer, distro packages | Depends on PHP host | MySQL, MariaDB | No release since October 2025 |
| Adminer | Free (Apache or GPL 2) | Single PHP file | Depends on PHP host | MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, Oracle | Minimal interface; you secure it |
DBeaver Community
DBeaver Community 26.2.2 (4 October 2026, Apache 2.0) has the broadest Linux packaging of the free desktop tools here. The download page lists deb, rpm and tar.gz builds for both x86 and ARM, a Debian repository with GPG verification, a Launchpad PPA, Snap (sudo snap install dbeaver-ce --classic) and Flatpak from Flathub (io.dbeaver.DBeaverCommunity). A Java runtime is bundled.
NoSQL databases, cloud explorers and some features such as SQL Server execution plans need a paid edition. See DBeaver Community vs DBeaver PRO.
- Java-based; the vendor documents memory settings for large result sets.
- Several features are paid-only, including NoSQL support.
DataGrip
JetBrains' installation guide for DataGrip 2026.2 lists Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 LTS, Fedora 43 and 44, Debian 13 and Amazon Linux 2023, with glibc 2.28 or later and GNOME or KDE Plasma. It is distributed as a tarball (with a separate ARM64 tarball), through the JetBrains Toolbox App, or as a Snap; JetBrains notes that the Snap package may have issues, including performance degradation, and recommends the Toolbox App.
DataGrip is free for non-commercial use (an annual, renewable licence that requires online activation and anonymised usage statistics); commercial use needs a subscription after a 30-day trial.
- No deb or rpm package; installation is by tarball, Toolbox App or Snap.
- JetBrains lists 8 GB of total RAM, with 3 GB available for the IDE.
- Commercial use is paid.
DbVisualizer
DbVisualizer 26.2.3 offers Linux users a shell installer, a deb package and an rpm package, each bundling the Eclipse Temurin Java runtime, plus a tar.gz archive without Java for users who supply their own (it requires Java 25). Free and Pro share one installer.
- The download page does not state a Linux ARM64 build.
- Table data editing, import and export, the query builder and explain plan are Pro-only.
TablePlus
TablePlus's Linux install page gives apt repositories for Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04, yum and dnf repositories for Red Hat-family and Fedora systems, and an AppImage, with x86_64 and aarch64 builds for each method. A repository install means updates arrive with normal system updates.
Database support is not identical on every platform: the documentation marks Oracle as macOS only and Snowflake as macOS and Windows, so neither is listed for Linux. The free version is limited to 2 tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters. See TablePlus alternatives.
- Oracle and Snowflake are not listed for the Linux version.
- The free version is too restricted for regular use; paid licences are per device.
Beekeeper Studio
Beekeeper Studio's download page covers AppImage, deb and rpm (both with auto-update), Snap, Flatpak and ARM64 builds. The vendor states that the GPLv3 Community edition has the same features on Linux, Windows and macOS.
- The Community edition is aimed at individuals, non-profits and businesses with fewer than 10 employees or under USD 1M revenue.
- Import and export, backup and restore, and engines such as Oracle, MongoDB and DuckDB need a paid plan.
- The download page asks for an email address before sending download links.
HeidiSQL
HeidiSQL 12.21 (3 August 2026, GPL) has Linux builds made with Lazarus and FreePascal: deb and rpm packages with a Qt6 build, Flatpak, an AUR package for Arch Linux, x64 builds in GTK2, Qt5 and Qt6 variants, and an arm64 Qt6 build that the project mentions for Raspberry Pi OS. The download page notes that Ubuntu 24.04 needs the libqt6pas library before the deb package will work.
- The Linux version is newer than the long-established Windows version.
- Some distributions need an extra library installed first.
DbGate
DbGate's GPL-3.0 open-source repository describes it as a database manager for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, SQLite and others that runs on Windows, Linux, Mac or as a web application. For Linux the download page lists AppImage, deb, rpm, Snap and Flatpak with ARM64 support, plus Docker images for amd64 and arm64 for web deployment. A Premium edition adds further features and cloud access, with a 30-day trial.
- Some features are reserved for the paid Premium edition.
- Running it as a web application means you are responsible for securing that server.
VS Code with the MSSQL extension
Visual Studio Code is offered for Linux as deb, rpm and tar.gz packages for x64, Arm32 and Arm64, and as a Snap. Microsoft lists the MSSQL extension for Linux on x64 and Arm64, including Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL and Fedora. Its generally available features include a query plan visualiser, table and schema designers, schema compare, backup and restore and a query profiler.
- It is an editor with extensions, not a full administration tool; Microsoft directs SQL Server Agent and full administration to SSMS, which is Windows only.
- The extension downloads a service package on first activation unless you install the offline VSIX.
Read our VS Code with the MSSQL extension review · Official site
MySQL Workbench
MySQL Workbench 26.7.0 (July 2026) is Oracle's rebuild on MySQL Shell; earlier releases are end of life. The download page offers Debian Linux and generic Linux builds, and MySQL's APT repository includes Workbench for Ubuntu. Oracle's supported-platforms page lists Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and Oracle Linux or RHEL 8 and 9 on x86_64, and states that Workbench on Linux is a GNOME application formally supported only on the GNOME desktop. That page is still headed version 8.0, so confirm support for version 26.
- Only x86_64 is listed for Linux.
- Formally supported only on GNOME; Oracle's platform page had not caught up with version 26 when checked.
pgAdmin 4
pgAdmin 4 v9.18 (17 September 2026, PostgreSQL Licence) has official apt and rpm repositories with three packages: pgadmin4-desktop for desktop mode, pgadmin4-web for server mode, and pgadmin4 for both. After installing the web package you run /usr/pgadmin4/bin/setup-web.sh to configure the web server. The apt repository lists Debian 12 and 13 and Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 on x86_64; the rpm repository lists AlmaLinux, RHEL and Rocky Linux 9 and 10 and Fedora 43 and 44.
For containers, the pgAdmin project publishes the dpage/pgadmin4 image on Docker Hub, which runs in server mode over HTTP or HTTPS. A Python package is also offered.
- PostgreSQL only.
- The apt repository lists x86_64 only.
- Server mode exposes a web application that you must secure.
CloudBeaver Community
CloudBeaver is the web-based member of the DBeaver family, with a Java back end and a React front end. The Community edition is open source under Apache 2.0; version 26.2.2 was released on 5 October 2026, and it is deployed from the official dbeaver/cloudbeaver Docker image. The vendor also sells CloudBeaver Enterprise and an AWS edition with team access control and cloud explorers.
- You run, update and secure the server yourself.
- Enterprise features such as centralised access control are in paid editions.
phpMyAdmin
phpMyAdmin 5.2.3 (8 October 2025) requires PHP 7.2 to 8.4 and MySQL or MariaDB 5.5 or newer. It can be installed from a release archive, the official Docker image (phpmyadmin), Composer, or distribution package managers. Version 6.0, which will need PHP 8.2 or later, is in development.
- MySQL and MariaDB only.
- The latest release is from October 2025, so check the project for security updates before deploying.
- A public-facing install is a common attack target and needs careful hardening.
Adminer
Adminer is "database management in a single PHP file". Version 6.1.1 (25 September 2026) supports MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MS SQL and Oracle, with Elasticsearch, MongoDB and Redis available through plugins. It is free for commercial and non-commercial use under the Apache License or GPL 2 and runs on PHP 5.3 to 8 with sessions enabled.
- A deliberately minimal interface compared with desktop clients.
- As with any web tool on a server, you must restrict access to it.
Command-line clients and how to choose on Linux
Keep the command-line clients installed. On servers and over SSH they are often the only practical option, and every GUI above complements rather than replaces them. psql comes in the postgresql-client-18 package from the PostgreSQL project's apt repository (PGDG). MySQL's APT (Debian and Ubuntu) and Yum repositories provide MySQL Shell (mysqlsh) and the server packages. For SQL Server, Microsoft publishes the Go-based sqlcmd (also called go-sqlcmd) through its apt and yum repositories at packages.microsoft.com and as tarballs on GitHub; Microsoft notes that versions newer than 1.6 may not be in every package manager. The ODBC-based sqlcmd ships in the mssql-tools package. MongoDB's mongosh is available as deb and rpm packages and as a tgz archive.
Desktop packaging: if you want updates through your system package manager, prefer a vendor repository (DBeaver, TablePlus, pgAdmin, MySQL Workbench on Ubuntu). For one package across distributions, use Flatpak (DBeaver, HeidiSQL, Navicat, Beekeeper Studio, DbGate) or Snap (DBeaver, DataGrip, Beekeeper Studio, DbGate, VS Code). Without root access, use a tarball or AppImage (DBeaver, DataGrip, DbVisualizer, TablePlus, Navicat, Beekeeper Studio, DbGate).
ARM64: DBeaver, DataGrip, TablePlus, Navicat, HeidiSQL, Beekeeper Studio, DbGate and VS Code list ARM64 Linux builds. pgAdmin's apt repository and MySQL Workbench list x86_64 only.
Headless server: choose pgAdmin in server mode for PostgreSQL, phpMyAdmin or Adminer for MySQL and MariaDB, and CloudBeaver or DbGate for several engines. Put any of them behind authentication and, ideally, a VPN or SSH tunnel.
Frequently asked questions
Is SSMS available for Linux?
No. Microsoft states that SSMS is available only for Windows. On Linux, use VS Code with the MSSQL extension, a multi-database client such as DBeaver or DataGrip, or the sqlcmd command-line tool.
Which Linux database tools are available as Flatpak?
Of the tools on this page, DBeaver Community, HeidiSQL, Navicat Premium, Beekeeper Studio and DbGate list Flatpak installation on their download pages.
Can I run pgAdmin on a Linux server and use it from a browser?
Yes. Install the pgadmin4-web package and run setup-web.sh, or use the dpage/pgadmin4 container image, which runs in server mode over HTTP or HTTPS.
Is there a web version of DBeaver?
Yes. CloudBeaver is the web-based DBeaver product. Its Community edition is open source under Apache 2.0 and is deployed with the dbeaver/cloudbeaver Docker image.
Which database GUI runs on a Raspberry Pi or other ARM64 Linux machine?
DBeaver, DataGrip, TablePlus, Navicat, HeidiSQL, Beekeeper Studio, DbGate and VS Code list ARM64 Linux builds; HeidiSQL mentions Raspberry Pi OS specifically. Check memory requirements for the Java-based tools on small boards.
Sources
- DBeaver Community download page
- DataGrip installation guide (JetBrains)
- DbVisualizer download page
- TablePlus for Linux installation
- Navicat Premium download page
- Beekeeper Studio download page
- HeidiSQL downloads
- DbGate downloads
- DbGate GitHub repository
- Visual Studio Code download page
- MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code (Microsoft Learn)
- MySQL Workbench supported platforms
- MySQL APT repository
- pgAdmin 4 APT repository
- pgAdmin 4 RPM repository
- pgAdmin 4 container
- CloudBeaver GitHub repository
- phpMyAdmin downloads
- Adminer
- PostgreSQL downloads for Ubuntu
- Download and install sqlcmd (Microsoft Learn)
- Install mongosh (MongoDB docs)
- SSMS FAQ (Microsoft Learn)
Checked October 2026.
How we research these guides: our editorial method.