In this post, we are going to have a quick review of HeidiSQL, Navicat, TablePlus; and compare the pros and cons to see which is the best GUI client for your database management tasks.

1. HeidiSQL

HeidiSQL provides a powerful graphical interface for managing tables, logs, and users of a MySQL database, as well as Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL.

  • Supported Platforms: HeidiSQL was built for the Windows platform, and it only works on Windows.

  • Supported Drivers: Initially, HeidiSQL offered support for MySQL, then extended to MS SQL Server, and now it also includes PostgreSQL support.

  • Pricing: HeidiSQL is a free and open-source client. Its codebase was originally taken from Ansgar Becker’s own MySQL-Front 2.5 software. Anyone can download and use the app for free with no limitation, but it also accepts the donation.

HeidiSQL

Pros:

  • It’s lightweight.
  • Connect to multiple servers in one window
  • Free to use – Licensed under GNU GPL.
  • Portable. Alongside the possibility of downloading the installer and source code, a portable version of the software is available.
  • Full database user management and privileges management options.
  • Write queries with customizable syntax-highlighting and code-completion
  • Data synchronization. HeidiSQL can compare and synchronize your data and structure between local and remote databases.
  • SSH tunneling support

Cons:

  • Low stability. HeidiSQL is known to have a lot of bugs that result in frequent crashes
  • It’s only available for Windows and it doesn’t look like a cross-platform is coming anytime soon
  • No built-in debugger included
  • Low DPI display. The author attempted to add the high DPI but dropped it eventually.

2. Navicat

Navicat offers a powerful tool for both database development and administration.

  • Supported Platforms: Navicat is cross-platform. It’s available on Mac, Windows, Linux. Navicat also has its iOS versions.

  • Supported Drivers: Navicat supports several popular databases: MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Oracle, SQLite, PostgreSQL, and Microsoft SQL Server.

  • Pricing: Navicat is a commercial application with 14 days trial and it has many pricing schemes. You can either buy a special edition for MySQL with:

    • $119 for Non-Commercial Edition
    • $199 for Standard Edition
    • $299 for Enterprise Edition
    • or you can buy Navicat Premium to work with all supported drivers at the price of $1299 for Enterprise Edition and $599 for Non-Commercial Edition.

Navicat

Pros:

  • It’s cross-platform and supports multiple drivers.
  • Data and structure synchronization
  • Visual query builder and report builder
  • Good import/export options.
  • Supports many languages, including Polish, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, French, and English
  • Compatible with other Navicat products: Navicat Monitor, Navicat Data Modeler, Navicat Report Viewer, and Navicat Data Model Essentials.

Cons:

  • It’s expensive. A single machine license for one driver only (MySQL for example) is already $299. If you work with more than one drivers, such as PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or SQLite, you will end up having to purchase the Navicat premium package at $1,299.
  • It’s one of the most resource-intensive database tools. It leaves a high memory footprint while running.
  • Very few shortcut keys.

3. TablePlus

With a native build and a lightweight size, TablePlus is a very handy tool for managing multiple databases.

  • Supported platforms: TablePlus is built native for each platform. It started out with a native version for Mac, then another version for Windows, and a version for Linux was introduced recently as an alpha release. It also has an iOS version.

  • Supported Drivers: TablePlus supports a handful of relational databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Microsoft SQL Server, Amazon Redshift, MariaDB, CockroachDB, Vertica, Oracle; and two popular NoSQL databases: Cassandra and Redis.

  • Pricing: TablePlus has a free version with full set of features which you can download and use forever, but there are some usage limitations. If you use it heavily, the license costs $59 to remove all those limitations.

TablePlus

Pros:

  • Native build for each platform so it’s fast, lightweight, and stable.
  • Clean and simple interface.
  • Multiple drivers support
  • Multiple conditions data filter
  • Queries history and keyword binding favorite.
  • Streaming results and async loading to show queries results faster and doesn’t block the UI.
  • Very quick inline editing for table data and structure, you also can edit query results directly.
  • Smart query editor with highlight syntax, instant autocomplete, SQL reformat.
  • A plugin system to extend the app.
  • Quick support. TablePlus releases new updates regularly and responds to users’ requests almost immediately.

Cons:

It currently lacks of some advanced features such as ER Diagram, database compare tool to Diff and Sync, etc.

4. Conclusion

Go with HeidiSQL if you:

  • Prefer the old-fashioned design with loads of buttons in the UI.
  • Work on Windows only
  • Need a tool that is feature rich.

Go with SQLyog if you:

  • Need a full-featured tool
  • Don’t mind the slugginess
  • Are comfortable with the cost

Go with TablePlus if you:

  • Are a fan of native experience
  • Work with multiple databases
  • Want a modern design with better usability
  • Want quick support & development cycle.