For most people leaving SSMS, VS Code with the MSSQL extension is the first thing to try: it is free, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and Microsoft documents execution plans, schema compare, backup and restore and a query profiler in it. If you also work with PostgreSQL, MySQL or other engines, DBeaver Community (free) or DataGrip (paid for commercial use) put them in one tool. On a Mac, TablePlus and Beekeeper Studio are smaller native clients. If you are on Windows and want more than SSMS rather than less, dbForge Studio for SQL Server adds compare, profiling and debugging in paid editions. None of these replaces SSMS for SQL Server Agent or full server administration, so many teams keep SSMS installed for those tasks.
SSMS is Microsoft's free administration and development environment for SQL Server and Azure SQL, and the current release is SSMS 22 (22.10.2, 28 September 2026). People look for an alternative for a few recurring reasons:
- It runs only on Windows. Microsoft's FAQ states that SSMS is available only for Windows (x64 and Arm64) and does not run on macOS. Developers on a Mac or Linux machine need something else, or a Windows VM.
- It manages only the SQL Server family. SSMS connects to SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure Synapse Analytics and SQL database in Fabric. If your week also includes PostgreSQL or MySQL, you need a second tool anyway.
- It is a large, administration-first application. SSMS is built on Visual Studio and installs through the Visual Studio Installer. In our view that is more than some developers need when they mainly write and run queries; this is an editorial judgement, not a measurement.
- Extensions are limited. Microsoft states that third-party extensions are not supported in SSMS.
Do not move to Azure Data Studio. It was the usual cross-platform answer, but Microsoft retired it on 28 February 2026 and it no longer receives updates or security fixes. Microsoft's recommended replacement is Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, which is the first entry below.
If you are not leaving SSMS but choosing a SQL Server tool from scratch, our best SQL Server GUI tools guide is the better starting point. This page is for people who already know SSMS and want to know what each replacement keeps and what it drops.
Quick picks
Microsoft's recommended cross-platform SQL Server tool, with plans, schema compare and backup and restore documented as generally available.
Apache-licensed and cross-platform, with SQL Server alongside many other engines. SQL Server execution plans need a paid edition.
Documents Explain Plan for SQL Server, code completion and Git integration; free for non-commercial use.
A Windows-native suite with a free Express edition and compare, profiling and debugging in paid editions.
How we chose
Considered: VS Code with the MSSQL extension, DBeaver, DataGrip, dbForge Studio for SQL Server, TablePlus, DbVisualizer, Beekeeper Studio, Navicat Premium, Toad for SQL Server and Azure Data Studio.
Inclusion criteria: currently maintained; connects to SQL Server according to the vendor; and either runs on a platform SSMS does not, covers engines other than SQL Server, or offers SQL Server features SSMS lacks. Platforms, licence and SQL Server features had to be confirmed on official pages. Azure Data Studio was excluded because it is retired. Toad for SQL Server is Windows-only and is covered in our SQL Server GUI tools guide rather than here.
What was checked, not tested: vendor documentation, download pages, edition and pricing pages and release notes, on 7 October 2026. The order is not a ranking. Microsoft's own replacement comes first, then multi-database tools, then smaller clients.
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Databases | Replaces in SSMS | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VS Code + MSSQL | Free | Windows, macOS, Linux | SQL Server, Azure SQL, Fabric SQL | Querying, plans, schema compare, backup/restore, profiler | No SQL Server Agent; full admin stays in SSMS |
| DBeaver Community | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | SQL Server and many others | Querying, data editing, ER diagrams | SQL Server plans and query builder need PRO |
| DataGrip | Paid (free non-commercial) | Windows, macOS, Linux | SQL Server and many others | Querying, Explain Plan, refactoring, Git | Commercial use is paid; not an admin console |
| dbForge Studio for SQL Server | Freemium | Windows (macOS, Linux via CrossOver) | SQL Server, Azure SQL | Most development tasks, plus compare and profiling (paid) | Native on Windows only |
| TablePlus | Paid (limited free trial) | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS | SQL Server and many others | Querying and data editing | No SQL Server admin features listed |
| DbVisualizer | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | SQL Server and many others | Querying, Explain Plan (Pro) | Explain Plan is Pro-only |
| Beekeeper Studio | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | SQL Server and many others | Querying and data editing | Community licence aimed at small organisations |
| Navicat Premium | Paid (free Lite edition) | Windows, macOS, Linux | SQL Server and many others | Querying, data transfer and sync, backup | Paid; Agent and Always On not covered |
VS Code with the MSSQL extension
This is Microsoft's own answer to "SSMS on a Mac". The MSSQL extension supports SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric, and Microsoft lists Windows 10 and 11 (x64, Arm64), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux (x64, Arm64) as supported.
What carries over from SSMS (vendor documented, all marked GA): Object Explorer with filtering, estimated and actual execution plans in a query plan visualiser, a table designer, a visual schema designer, schema compare, DACPAC and BACPAC deploy and export, create, rename and drop databases, backup and restore, flat-file import, a query profiler based on Extended Events, SQL notebooks and a T-SQL formatter. It can also create local SQL Server containers. If you work with PostgreSQL too, Microsoft publishes a separate PostgreSQL extension for VS Code.
- Microsoft directs SQL Server Agent jobs and full administration to SSMS.
- Microsoft's feature list for the extension does not include Always On configuration, Registered Servers or the SSMS performance dashboards.
- It runs inside Visual Studio Code, so you adopt an editor and extension model rather than a dedicated database application.
Read our VS Code with the MSSQL extension review · Official site
DBeaver Community
DBeaver Community 26.2.2 is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence and runs on Windows (x86 and ARM), macOS and Linux. It lists SQL Server among many supported relational databases, so it suits people leaving SSMS because they also work with PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQLite.
What you get free: a SQL editor with autocomplete, a data editor, ER diagrams, data transfer and import and export. What needs a paid edition: DBeaver's documentation marks Microsoft SQL Server execution plans as available only in PRO, and the Visual Query Builder starts at the Lite edition. Git integration needs Enterprise or above. See DBeaver vs SSMS for a direct comparison.
- SQL Server execution plans are not available in Community; you need Lite or above.
- DBeaver does not document a graphical SQL Server Agent job manager, so Agent work stays in SSMS.
- It is a Java application; the vendor documents memory settings for large result sets.
DataGrip
JetBrains' DataGrip is a SQL IDE for many engines, including Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL. It has been free for non-commercial use since 1 October 2025 (the licence lasts a year, renews, needs online activation and sends anonymised usage statistics); commercial use needs a subscription, with a 30-day trial. It runs on Windows (including an ARM64 build), macOS and Linux.
Relevant for SSMS users (vendor documented): the DataGrip documentation lists SQL Server among the engines for Explain Plan; code completion understands objects and foreign keys; refactoring and Git integration are built in; and diagrams can be exported as PlantUML or Mermaid. The same database features exist in IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate through the Database Tools and SQL plugin. See DataGrip vs SSMS.
- Commercial use requires a paid subscription.
- It is a development IDE: JetBrains does not document a graphical SQL Server Agent job manager or server administration dialogs comparable to SSMS.
- JetBrains lists 8 GB of total RAM as a system requirement.
dbForge Studio for SQL Server
Devart's dbForge Studio for SQL Server is the alternative for people who are leaving SSMS for features rather than platform. It has a free Express edition with no time limit and paid Standard, Professional and Enterprise editions, and Devart documents support up to SQL Server 2025 plus Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure Synapse and Microsoft Fabric.
Features by edition (vendor documented): Express covers code completion and formatting, visual editors, database diagrams, import and export, backup and recovery and a Security Manager. Standard adds a T-SQL debugger, Visual Query Builder and Query Profiler. Professional adds a T-SQL code analyser, schema and data compare and sync, Index Manager, Event Profiler and a data generator. Enterprise adds source control.
- Native on Windows only; Devart documents running it on macOS and Linux through the commercial CrossOver layer.
- The debugger, profiler and compare tools need paid editions.
- It covers the SQL Server family only; Devart sells separate Studios for other engines (or the dbForge Edge bundle).
Read our dbForge Studio for SQL Server review · Official site
TablePlus
TablePlus is a native client that lists Microsoft SQL Server among its supported engines, alongside PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Redis and others. It runs on macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS and is sold as a perpetual per-device licence with a year of updates. The free version is limited to 2 tabs, 2 windows and 2 filters.
Why it suits some SSMS leavers (vendor documented): inline data editing, a review of pending changes before they are committed, a safe mode for production connections, and an editor with autocomplete. See DataGrip vs TablePlus and DBeaver vs TablePlus.
- The TablePlus site does not list SQL Server administration features such as Agent jobs, backups or execution plans.
- The free version's tab, window and filter limits make it a trial rather than a long-term free tool.
DbVisualizer
DbVisualizer 26.2.3 ships Free and Pro in one installer, with Windows x64 and ARM64 setups that bundle Java, plus macOS and Linux builds. It lists SQL Server among its supported databases.
SQL Server features (vendor documented): Explain Plan supports SQL Server and Azure SQL Database with graph, tree and text views, but only in DbVisualizer Pro. Git integration and an AI assistant are also listed.
- Explain Plan is Pro-only.
- It does not document SQL Server Agent or server administration features comparable to SSMS.
Beekeeper Studio
Beekeeper Studio's pricing page lists SQL Server in the free Community edition, together with PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MariaDB, Redshift, BigQuery, Redis and others; paid tiers add engines such as Oracle, MongoDB, DuckDB and Snowflake, plus import and export, backup and restore and editing of query results. On Windows it offers both an installer and a portable version.
The Community edition is GPLv3, but Beekeeper says it is intended for students, individuals, non-profits and businesses with fewer than 10 employees or under USD 1M annual revenue; larger organisations should buy a paid licence.
- Larger organisations are expected to pay, despite the open source Community edition.
- Beekeeper does not list SQL Server administration features such as Agent jobs or execution plans.
When to stay with SSMS
Stay with SSMS (or keep it installed) if you administer SQL Server. Microsoft names SSMS as the place for SQL Server Agent jobs and for complex administrative work: security management including logins, roles and Always Encrypted, Always On availability group configuration and failover, performance tuning advisors and dashboards, Registered Servers, live query statistics, and database diagrams and table designers. SSMS 22 also includes Schema Compare and database projects, with Git integration and GitHub Copilot (generally available) as optional components. None of the alternatives above documents the same coverage.
A common pattern is to split the work: develop in VS Code, DBeaver or DataGrip on whatever operating system you prefer, and keep SSMS on a Windows machine or VM for Agent jobs, availability groups and security. On Windows Arm64 devices you do not need to leave at all: SSMS 22 runs natively on Arm64.
Leave SSMS for development work if you are on macOS or Linux, you spend most of your time in other engines, or you only query and edit data. For a broader view see best SQL IDEs, and practise T-SQL with our SQL exercises.
Frequently asked questions
What can I use instead of SSMS on a Mac?
Microsoft recommends Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, which supports macOS on Intel and Apple Silicon. DBeaver, DataGrip, TablePlus, DbVisualizer, Beekeeper Studio and Navicat Premium also run on macOS and connect to SQL Server. SSMS itself does not run on macOS.
Is Azure Data Studio still an SSMS alternative?
No. Microsoft retired Azure Data Studio on 28 February 2026, and it no longer receives updates or security fixes. Microsoft points users to the MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code, with SSMS for SQL Server Agent and full administration.
Can any SSMS alternative manage SQL Server Agent jobs?
Not among the tools on this page, according to their documentation. Microsoft directs SQL Server Agent work to SSMS, and neither DBeaver nor DataGrip documents a graphical Agent job manager. You can still create and manage jobs with T-SQL (the msdb stored procedures) from any client.
Is there a free SSMS alternative that shows SQL Server execution plans?
Yes. The free MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code documents estimated and actual execution plans. DBeaver Community does not: DBeaver marks SQL Server execution plans as a PRO feature. DataGrip shows them and is free for non-commercial use.
Does SSMS run on Windows on Arm?
Yes. Microsoft states that SSMS is available for x86-64 and Arm64 processors on Windows, so Arm-based Windows laptops are not a reason to switch.
Sources
- SSMS FAQ (Microsoft Learn)
- SSMS 22 release notes (Microsoft Learn)
- What is happening with Azure Data Studio (Microsoft Learn)
- MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code (Microsoft Learn)
- DBeaver Community download page
- DBeaver editions (dbeaver.com)
- DataGrip installation guide (JetBrains)
- DataGrip query execution plan documentation
- dbForge Studio for SQL Server editions (Devart)
- TablePlus pricing
- DbVisualizer download page
- Beekeeper Studio pricing
- Navicat Premium product page
Checked October 2026.
How we research these guides: our editorial method.