If you want a free replacement, start with DBeaver Community (Apache 2.0, many engines, ER diagrams) or Beekeeper Studio Community (GPLv3, unlimited tabs, for individuals and small organisations; import and export are paid). If you need ER diagrams and deeper SQL tooling, look at DataGrip, which is also free for non-commercial use. If per-device licensing is the problem, Navicat and DbVisualizer Pro are licensed per user. On a Mac, if you only use one engine, Sequel Ace (MySQL, MariaDB, free) or Postico 2 (PostgreSQL) may be all you need.
TablePlus is a compact commercial client for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, Redis and other engines, sold as a perpetual licence with one year of updates (see our TablePlus review). These are the reasons, from its own documentation, that lead people to look elsewhere:
- The free version is an extended trial. TablePlus's licensing documentation limits it to 2 active tabs, 2 active windows and 2 advanced filters at a time.
- Licences are per device. A single-seat licence permits use on one computer; a new machine means unlinking the old one in the License Manager, and several machines mean a higher tier or extra devices.
- Missing features. No ER diagram, schema comparison or data modelling feature appears in the TablePlus documentation, and the vendor describes its plugin system as still under development.
- Engines vary by platform. The documentation marks Oracle as macOS only and Snowflake as macOS and Windows, and lists MongoDB as beta.
- Updates end after a year unless you renew, although you can keep using the last build covered by your licence.
If none of those affect you, TablePlus may still be the right tool; see the closing section.
Quick picks
Apache 2.0, no tab or window limits, many engines and read-only ER diagrams in the free edition.
A focused client whose GPLv3 Community edition has unlimited connections, queries and tabs.
Database diagrams with export to Mermaid, PlantUML and PNG, and free for non-commercial use.
Licensed per user with one key usable on Windows, macOS or Linux, perpetual or subscription.
How we chose
Considered: DBeaver Community, Beekeeper Studio, DataGrip, DbVisualizer, Navicat Premium, HeidiSQL, DbGate, Postico 2, Sequel Ace, VS Code with the MSSQL extension and Azure Data Studio.
Inclusion criteria: currently maintained; a realistic replacement for TablePlus's everyday job (browsing, editing and querying data across common engines); and it addresses at least one of the reasons above, verified on the vendor's own pages. Azure Data Studio is excluded because Microsoft retired it on 28 February 2026.
What was checked, not tested: editions pages, pricing and licensing pages, download pages and documentation, on 7 October 2026. The order is not a ranking: free multi-database tools first, then paid tools, then single-engine Mac tools.
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Databases | Fixes which TablePlus issue | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBeaver Community | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | Many relational; NoSQL in PRO | Free without tab limits; ER diagrams | Java-based; some features paid |
| Beekeeper Studio | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server, others | Unlimited tabs in free edition | Community limited to small organisations |
| DataGrip | Paid (free non-commercial) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Many relational and NoSQL | ER diagrams with export | Commercial use paid; subscription |
| DbVisualizer | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux | Many JDBC databases | Per-user licence; references graph | Editing and import/export Pro-only |
| Navicat Premium | Paid (free Lite) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Many relational and NoSQL | Per-user licence; ER diagrams in paid editions | Higher cost; editions split features |
| HeidiSQL | Free (GPL) | Windows, Linux, macOS (Apple silicon) | MariaDB, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, SQLite, others | Free with no limits | macOS build arm64 only |
| DbGate | Freemium | Windows, macOS, Linux, web | MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, SQLite, others | Free and open source; web mode | Some features in Premium |
| Postico 2 | Paid (unlimited evaluation) | macOS | PostgreSQL and compatibles | Mac-native PostgreSQL focus | Also per device; PostgreSQL only |
| Sequel Ace | Free (MIT) | macOS | MySQL, MariaDB | Free Mac-native MySQL client | MySQL and MariaDB only |
DBeaver Community
DBeaver Community 26.2.2 is open source under Apache 2.0 and connects to a long list of relational databases with no limits on tabs or windows. It includes ER diagrams in read-only form; edit mode, NoSQL databases, cloud explorers, schema and data compare and Git integration need a paid edition (Lite, Enterprise or Ultimate). It runs on Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple silicon) and Linux.
The trade-off against TablePlus is the interface: DBeaver is a large Java application rather than a compact native one. See DBeaver vs TablePlus.
- Java-based; the vendor documents memory settings for large result sets.
- Redis, MongoDB and other NoSQL engines that TablePlus supports need a paid DBeaver edition.
- Schema compare is paid, so it does not fully close that TablePlus gap for free.
Beekeeper Studio
Beekeeper Studio is a focused SQL editor and database manager. Its Community edition is GPLv3 and lists unlimited connections, queries and tabs, an autocompleting SQL editor, table filtering and editing and schema changes for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Redshift, TiDB, BigQuery, Redis and GreengageDB, with the same features on all three desktop platforms.
Paid plans are subscriptions, but the pricing page says that after 12 months of payments you keep the paid features released in that window permanently, which is close to TablePlus's "keep the last build" model. See Beekeeper Studio vs DBeaver.
- The Community edition is meant for individuals, non-profits and businesses with fewer than 10 employees or under USD 1M revenue.
- Engines such as Oracle, MongoDB, DuckDB, ClickHouse and CockroachDB need a paid plan, as do import and export, backup and restore and editing query results.
- We could not confirm an ER diagram feature on the vendor's pages.
DataGrip
DataGrip fills the feature gap most directly. JetBrains documents database diagrams for a data source, schema or table, with export to PNG, Mermaid, PlantUML, Graphviz DOT and other formats. It covers many relational and NoSQL databases.
DataGrip has been free for non-commercial use since 1 October 2025 (an annual, renewable licence requiring online activation and anonymised usage statistics). Commercial use needs a subscription after a 30-day trial, which is a different model from TablePlus's one-time purchase. See DataGrip vs TablePlus.
- Commercial use is a subscription, not a one-time purchase.
- JetBrains lists 8 GB of total RAM, with 3 GB available for the IDE.
- A full IDE is more to learn than TablePlus.
DbVisualizer
DbVisualizer is a cross-platform JDBC client with a Free edition and a commercial Pro edition that the vendor licenses per user, so moving between machines does not consume extra devices. The Free edition includes connection management, SSH, generic JDBC support, SQL history and references graphs that show relationships between tables. Version 26.2.3 ships native Apple silicon and Intel builds for macOS.
- The editions page lists table data editing, table import and export, the query builder and explain plan as Pro-only, so the Free edition is weaker than TablePlus's for editing data.
- Pro prices are not shown on the editions page.
HeidiSQL
HeidiSQL 12.21 is free under the GPL and supports MariaDB, MySQL, MS SQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Interbase/Firebird and others. It has no tab or licence limits. It began on Windows and now also has Linux builds and a macOS build for Apple silicon. See DBeaver vs HeidiSQL.
- The macOS build is arm64 only, so Intel Macs, a common TablePlus platform, are not supported.
- No Redis or MongoDB support, which some TablePlus users rely on.
DbGate
DbGate's Community edition is open source under GPL-3.0 and handles MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, SQLite and others. It runs on Windows, macOS (Apple silicon and Intel) and Linux, and can also be deployed as a web application with Docker. A paid Premium edition adds further features and DbGate Cloud.
- Some features are reserved for Premium.
- A smaller vendor than DBeaver or JetBrains, so check that the engines you need are covered in Community.
Postico 2
Postico 2 is a Mac-native PostgreSQL client (universal binary) that also supports Amazon Redshift, Greenplum and CockroachDB. The evaluation version has no time limit, though some features are disabled. Its personal licence covers up to 3 devices, which may suit an individual with several Macs better than a single-device licence.
- PostgreSQL and compatible databases only.
- Commercial licences are also per device.
- Mac only.
Sequel Ace
Sequel Ace, the successor to Sequel Pro, is free and MIT-licensed, supports MySQL 5.7+ and MariaDB 10.0+, and runs on Intel and Apple silicon Macs with macOS 13.5 or later. Version 6.0.1 was released in September 2026. See best database tools for Mac.
- MySQL and MariaDB only.
- Mac only, maintained by an open-source community rather than a vendor.
When to stay with TablePlus
Stay with TablePlus if your work is mostly browsing, editing and querying data in MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server or Redis on one or two machines, and you value a one-time licence: it is one of the few paid clients here sold as a perpetual licence rather than a subscription, and you can keep using your last covered build after the update year ends. Its Code Review step, which shows pending edits as SQL before they are committed, and its iOS app are not matched by most alternatives above.
Move if you need ER diagrams or schema comparison (DataGrip, Navicat, DBeaver PRO), a genuinely usable free client (DBeaver Community, Beekeeper Studio Community, HeidiSQL), licences that follow the user rather than the device (Navicat, DbVisualizer Pro), or Oracle on Windows or Linux.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to TablePlus?
For most people, DBeaver Community: it is free under Apache 2.0, has no tab or window limits and supports many engines. Beekeeper Studio Community is closer in style but is intended for individuals and organisations with fewer than 10 employees or under USD 1M revenue.
Does TablePlus have ER diagrams?
No ER diagram feature appears in the TablePlus documentation. DataGrip, DBeaver and Navicat (Standard and Enterprise) document ER diagrams.
Is TablePlus licensed per user or per device?
Per device. The licensing documentation says a single-seat licence permits use on one computer, and you unlink an old device in the License Manager before activating a new one.
What are the limits of the free TablePlus version?
A maximum of 2 active tabs, 2 active windows and 2 advanced filters at a time, according to TablePlus's licensing documentation.
Is Navicat a good TablePlus alternative?
It is if you need modelling, synchronisation or automation, which Navicat puts in its paid editions. It costs more and splits features across editions. See TablePlus vs Navicat.
Sources
- TablePlus documentation: Licensing
- TablePlus documentation overview
- TablePlus pricing
- DBeaver editions
- DBeaver Community download page
- Beekeeper Studio pricing
- Beekeeper Studio Community Edition
- DataGrip database diagrams (JetBrains)
- DataGrip is now free for non-commercial use (JetBrains blog)
- DbVisualizer editions
- Navicat Premium feature matrix
- Navicat Premium store
- HeidiSQL downloads
- DbGate GitHub repository
- Postico 2 licences
- Sequel Ace GitHub repository
Checked October 2026.
How we research these guides: our editorial method.