- Yes, SSMS is free: Microsoft's SSMS FAQ says it is free for personal or enterprise use, so commercial use at work is covered.
- SSMS 22 has its own End-User License Agreement and does not need a Visual Studio subscription or any Visual Studio edition.
- SSMS is proprietary, not open source, and runs only on Windows (x64 and Arm64).
- The free tool does not make SQL Server free: Express is free, Developer editions are for development and test only, and production editions are licensed separately.
- GitHub Copilot in SSMS is an optional component that uses your GitHub Copilot access; a limited Copilot Free plan exists.
Is SSMS free? The short answer
Yes. Microsoft's SSMS FAQ answers the question "How much does SSMS cost?" with one line: SSMS is free for personal or enterprise use. The same FAQ says SSMS "runs on Windows and is a free download from Microsoft". There is no trial period, no paid edition and no feature that unlocks with a licence key; the current version, SSMS 22.10.2, is the same download for everyone.
You download a small bootstrapper (vs_SSMS.exe) that opens the Visual Studio Installer. During setup the installer asks you to acknowledge the Microsoft Privacy Statement and the Microsoft Software License Terms; that acknowledgement is the only licensing step. For what SSMS does, see the SSMS review.
The SSMS licence: what Microsoft says
SSMS is proprietary software under a Microsoft licence, not an open source licence. Microsoft's FAQ answers "Is SSMS open source?" and "Do you plan to make SSMS open source?" with "No" to both. The points that usually matter to a team are below.
| Question | What Microsoft documents |
|---|---|
| Can I use it at work or for client projects? | Yes. SSMS is free for personal or enterprise use. |
| Do I need a Visual Studio licence or subscription? | No. SSMS 22 has its own End-User License Agreement, and no Visual Studio edition has to be installed. |
| Is it open source? | No, and Microsoft says it has no plans to make it open source. |
| Which platforms? | Windows only, on x64 and Arm64. There is no macOS or Linux version. |
| Can I add third-party extensions? | Not supported. Extra features come as Microsoft workloads and components in the Visual Studio Installer. |
What is not free: SQL Server and Copilot
SSMS is a client. The licence for the database you connect to is separate:
- SQL Server Express is described by Microsoft as the entry-level, free database edition, so SSMS plus Express costs nothing.
- SQL Server Developer editions (Enterprise Developer and Standard Developer in SQL Server 2025) are licensed for development and test systems, not as production servers.
- Standard and Enterprise in production, and Azure SQL services, are paid; SSMS does not change those costs.
- GitHub Copilot in SSMS is a separate component that is not installed by default. It uses your GitHub account with Copilot access. Microsoft documents a Copilot Free plan with a limited number of chat responses per month, after which you wait for the monthly reset or upgrade to a paid Copilot plan. Check GitHub's own pricing page for current plan prices.
SSMS limits: what "free" does not include
SSMS has no feature-limited free tier, because there is no paid tier. The limits are practical:
- Windows only. On a Mac, see SSMS for Mac: what to use instead in the related guides below.
- Only the latest release is supported. Microsoft's support policy says security updates, critical updates and fixes ship only in the latest point release, and fixes are not back-ported, so staying supported means updating.
- Microsoft SQL engines only. SSMS manages SQL Server, Azure SQL and SQL database in Fabric, not MySQL or PostgreSQL. For a multi-database client, see DBeaver vs SSMS.
- Installation needs administrator rights on the machine, which can matter on locked-down company laptops.
If those limits rule SSMS out, the SSMS alternatives page compares the other options.
Frequently asked questions
Is SSMS free for commercial use?
Yes. Microsoft states that SSMS is free for personal or enterprise use, so using it at work or on client projects costs nothing. You still need a valid licence for any SQL Server edition you run in production.
Do I need a Visual Studio subscription to use SSMS?
No. SSMS 22 is installed through the Visual Studio Installer, but Microsoft says it has its own End-User License Agreement, does not require any edition of Visual Studio, and needs no Visual Studio subscription.
Is SQL Server Management Studio open source?
No. Microsoft's FAQ says SSMS is not open source and that there are no plans to make it open source. If you need an open source client, DBeaver Community or VS Code with the MSSQL extension are the usual choices.
Is SSMS 22 free, or only older versions?
SSMS 22, the current generally available version, is free. Microsoft says it "remains a free application, just as it always has been".
Does GitHub Copilot in SSMS cost money?
Copilot is optional and not installed by default. It needs a GitHub account with Copilot access. The Copilot Free plan gives a limited number of chat responses each month; beyond that you need a paid GitHub Copilot plan.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: SQL Server Management Studio FAQ
- Microsoft Learn: Install SQL Server Management Studio
- Microsoft Learn: SSMS 22 release notes
- Microsoft Learn: SSMS support policy
- Microsoft Learn: What is GitHub Copilot in SSMS
- Microsoft Learn: Use GitHub Copilot for free in SSMS
- Microsoft Learn: Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2025
- Microsoft Learn: SSMS system requirements
Checked 8 October 2026.
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