If cost is the issue, DBeaver Community is the closest free multi-database alternative and has no commercial-use restriction. If you want a lighter native app, look at TablePlus, which is sold as a one-time licence. Beekeeper Studio and DbGate are open source options with paid upgrades. If you already write code in VS Code, Microsoft's free mssql and PostgreSQL extensions may cover what you used DataGrip for. If you only need DataGrip for non-commercial work, check JetBrains' free non-commercial licence before switching.
DataGrip is JetBrains' database IDE. JetBrains lists support for 25+ databases and documents context-aware completion, on-the-fly analysis with quick fixes, query history, import and export, and version control integration. The reasons people look for alternatives are mostly about cost, footprint and fit rather than missing features. These are vendor documented or our editorial reading; we have not surveyed users.
- Licence for commercial use. Since October 2025 DataGrip is free for non-commercial use, but JetBrains states that commercial projects still need a paid subscription. A team that wants a free tool for work has to look elsewhere.
- Usage statistics. JetBrains states that the free non-commercial licence requires agreeing to send anonymised usage statistics. Some users or employers will not accept that condition.
- System requirements. JetBrains lists 8 GB of total RAM (3 GB available for the IDE), a 4-core CPU and 10 GB of disk. On a smaller machine, a lighter client may be the practical choice.
- An IDE when you wanted a client. DataGrip follows JetBrains IDE conventions. People who mainly browse tables and run occasional queries may prefer a simpler interface (editorial).
Quick picks
Apache 2.0 Community edition with 100+ drivers on Windows, macOS and Linux, free for commercial use.
GPLv3 Community edition covering the main SQL engines; import/export, more engines and the AI Shell are in paid plans.
Free Microsoft extensions for SQL Server and PostgreSQL inside the editor you already use.
How we chose
We considered DBeaver, DbVisualizer, TablePlus, Beekeeper Studio, Navicat, DbGate, HeidiSQL, VS Code database extensions, dbForge Studio and Azure Data Studio. To be included, a tool had to be actively released in 2026, connect to several database engines (as DataGrip does), run on at least two desktop operating systems, and publish its editions, platforms and licence on an official page.
Azure Data Studio was excluded because Microsoft retired it on 28 February 2026. dbForge Studio was excluded because it is sold as separate per-engine products rather than one multi-engine client. HeidiSQL is a reasonable choice for MySQL and MariaDB and is covered in our MySQL Workbench alternatives guide.
Everything here was checked against vendor pages on 7 October 2026; none of it comes from our own use of the tools. The order is not a ranking.
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Databases | Best for | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBeaver | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | 100+ drivers (NoSQL in paid editions) | Free multi-engine work | Less IDE-style code analysis; Java based |
| DbVisualizer | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | 70+ incl. MongoDB, Redis | A commercial client with per-user Pro | Free edition lacks data editor and import/export |
| TablePlus | Freemium | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS | 15 incl. Redis, MongoDB | Lightweight native daily use | Free use limited to 2 tabs and 2 windows |
| Beekeeper Studio | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | 25+ | Simple open source client | Free edition intended for individuals and small organisations |
| Navicat Premium | Paid (free Lite edition) | Windows, macOS, Linux | MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB and more | Modelling and data transfer | Paid licence for the full product |
| DbGate | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux, web (Docker) | SQL and NoSQL | Desktop or self-hosted web use | Smaller ecosystem; some features Premium |
| VS Code database extensions | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | SQL Server, PostgreSQL; others via SQLTools | SQL next to application code | One extension per engine |
DBeaver
DBeaver Community is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, and its repository describes support for over 100 database drivers. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux (x86 and ARM builds) and its site lists a SQL editor, data editor, task management, maintenance tools, result export, SSH tunnels and AI chat in the Community edition. Version 26.2.2 was released on 4 October 2026.
It is the most common move for people leaving DataGrip because of the commercial licence: Community has no company-size or non-commercial condition. DBeaver's paid editions (Lite, Enterprise, Ultimate, Team) add NoSQL and big data support, and schema compare is listed only in Enterprise, Ultimate and Team. See DBeaver vs DataGrip.
- NoSQL and big data databases, and schema compare, require a paid edition.
- It is a Java application (the download states it requires Java 25, bundled with the installers), like DataGrip, so it does not address footprint concerns.
- It does not document IDE-style inspections and quick fixes to the extent JetBrains does for DataGrip.
DbVisualizer
DbVisualizer 26.2.3 (15 September 2026) runs on Windows (64-bit and ARM64), macOS 11+ and Linux. Its supported-databases page lists 70+ databases, with extended support for Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MariaDB, MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis and DynamoDB, and basic support for anything with a JDBC driver.
Pro is billed annually per user and, according to the pricing page, includes perpetual use of versions released during the subscription term, which some buyers prefer to a pure subscription. Pro adds visual explain plans, a query builder and table import and export.
- The Free edition has no table data viewer/editor, import and export, query builder or explain plan, according to the pricing page.
- Java based (the recommended installers bundle Java 25).
- Pro is still a recurring per-user cost.
TablePlus
TablePlus describes itself as a native app and lists MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, Redshift, MariaDB, CockroachDB, Vertica, Redis, MongoDB, Oracle, Cassandra, BigQuery, ClickHouse and TursoDB. Its licences are one-time purchases with a year of updates and support, and iOS access is included with desktop licences.
It suits developers who used DataGrip mostly to browse and edit data and run queries, and who would rather pay once than subscribe. See DataGrip vs TablePlus.
- The free version allows only 2 open tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters at a time.
- It does not document code inspections, refactoring or version control integration comparable to DataGrip.
- Updates after the first year need a renewal.
Beekeeper Studio
Beekeeper Studio lists 25+ databases. Its GPLv3 Community edition covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Redshift, TiDB, BigQuery, Redis and GreengageDB; according to its pricing page, Oracle, MongoDB, DuckDB, ClickHouse, CockroachDB and others need a paid plan, and Snowflake needs Business. Paid plans (Indie, Professional, Business) also add import and export, backup and restore, editing of query results, cloud workspaces, enterprise authentication and the AI Shell (Professional and above). Version 6.1.5 shipped on 5 October 2026.
It offers a SQL editor with autocomplete and a spreadsheet-style table editor; import and export starts at the paid Indie plan. It suits people who want a focused client rather than an IDE.
- The free edition is intended for students, individuals, non-profits and businesses with fewer than 10 employees or under USD 1 million revenue; larger organisations are asked to buy a licence.
- Import and export, backup and restore, query result editing, and engines such as Oracle, MongoDB and DuckDB are paid features.
- Kerberos, Windows authentication, IAM and Entra ID connectivity are paid features.
- Narrower than DataGrip for code analysis and refactoring.
DbGate
DbGate is licensed under GPL-3.0 and runs as a desktop app on Windows, macOS and Linux, or as a web application in Docker. It lists SQL and NoSQL engines including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, SQLite, MongoDB, Redis, ClickHouse, Cassandra and DuckDB. Paid Premium and Team Premium plans add features and team administration.
It is a fit if you want one client for relational and NoSQL sources without a JetBrains subscription, or want a team to share a browser-based tool.
- Some features need a Premium licence.
- Smaller ecosystem and documentation than JetBrains tools.
- A self-hosted web deployment has to be secured and kept updated by you.
VS Code database extensions
Microsoft's free mssql extension supports SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric, with Object Explorer, IntelliSense, a query plan visualiser, Schema Compare, Table and Schema Designers, SQL Database Projects and GitHub Copilot integration. Its free PostgreSQL extension adds an object explorer, IntelliSense, schema visualisation and query plan views. The community SQLTools extension has official drivers for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, MariaDB, CockroachDB and TiDB.
This is the nearest free match to the DataGrip habit of editing SQL alongside code with version control, since VS Code includes Git integration.
- Separate extensions per engine, with different feature sets.
- Microsoft lists its MySQL extension as pending; MySQL needs a community extension such as SQLTools.
- Less complete as a database browser and administration tool than a dedicated client.
When to stay with DataGrip
Stay with DataGrip if you rely on its code assistance: JetBrains documents context-aware completion that understands table structure and foreign keys, on-the-fly analysis with quick fixes, and version control integration. None of the free alternatives above documents the same depth for SQL code.
It also makes sense to stay if your use is non-commercial (the free licence covers learning, hobby projects, open source without commercial benefit and content creation), or if you already pay for a JetBrains IDE such as IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate, where the Database Tools and SQL plugin provides the same features as DataGrip. Read our DataGrip review for more.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to DataGrip?
DBeaver Community is free and open source (Apache 2.0) with no restriction on commercial use. Beekeeper Studio and DbGate also have free open source editions, and Microsoft's VS Code extensions for SQL Server and PostgreSQL are free.
Is DataGrip free?
DataGrip is free for non-commercial use (learning, hobby projects, open source without commercial benefit, content creation) since October 2025, provided you agree to send anonymised usage statistics. Commercial use requires a paid subscription.
Do other JetBrains IDEs include DataGrip features?
Yes. JetBrains states that the Database Tools and SQL plugin provides the features of DataGrip, but in IntelliJ IDEA the functionality is limited without an Ultimate subscription.
What is a lighter alternative to DataGrip?
TablePlus describes itself as a native app and is sold as a one-time licence. JetBrains lists 8 GB of total RAM as a DataGrip requirement; we have not measured memory use of any tool on this page.
DataGrip or DBeaver?
DataGrip suits developers who want IDE features; DBeaver suits people who want a free client across many engines. See DBeaver vs DataGrip.
Sources
- DataGrip product page
- DataGrip system requirements
- JetBrains: DataGrip free for non-commercial use
- IntelliJ IDEA: Database Tools and SQL
- DBeaver Community download page
- DBeaver GitHub repository
- DBeaver commercial edition comparison
- DbVisualizer pricing and edition comparison
- DbVisualizer supported databases
- TablePlus pricing
- Beekeeper Studio pricing
- Navicat Premium
- DbGate GitHub repository
- mssql extension for VS Code
- PostgreSQL extension for VS Code
Checked October 2026.
How we research these guides: our editorial method.