Best SQL Editor for Mac/Linux/Windows in 2026 | MySQL, PostgreSQL

Use DbSchema when you want the SQL editor and the schema diagram in one window on any of the three operating systems, on MySQL, PostgreSQL or roughly a hundred other engines. Use TablePlus for the fastest native macOS grid[1]. Use DataGrip if you already live in a JetBrains IDE. Use DBeaver when a free, open-source client has to cover everything.

How We Compared the Editors

Every editor below was scored on what buyers actually shortlist: which operating systems it runs on natively, which engines it reaches, whether there is a usable free tier, whether it works offline on the desktop, whether it can build a query visually, whether it autocompletes, and what it costs. Prices and editions were read from each vendor's own page on 16 August 2026. Where a vendor does not publish a list price as readable text, this article says so rather than quoting a number from memory - two of the four are in that position.

SQL Editors Compared: Platforms, Engines, Price

Read the "not verified" cells literally. They mean the vendor's own pages did not answer that question on the day this table was built, not that the feature is missing. DBeaver and DataGrip both render their prices in the browser[3] rather than serving them as text, so neither list price could be read and neither is quoted here - check them at the vendor before you budget.

Where each one wins: DbSchema wins when the schema matters as much as the query, because the editor sits next to a live diagram of the database. DBeaver wins on price and reach - a genuinely free, open-source client with no seat count. DataGrip wins for developers already inside a JetBrains IDE, and it is free outright for non-commercial work. TablePlus wins on speed and feel on macOS, and it is the only one here sold as a plain one-off purchase with no subscription.

Best SQL Editor by Operating System

macOS. TablePlus is the fastest native Mac client and runs on both Intel and Apple Silicon, with an iOS build included in the licence. DbSchema also ships a native macOS package and is the better choice when you need the diagram alongside the editor rather than a grid on its own. Both are one-off purchases; TablePlus Basic is $99 for one device[1].

Linux. DBeaver Community and DbSchema both install natively and both are free to start with - DBeaver outright, DbSchema through its Community edition. DbSchema installs from the same kit it uses on Windows and macOS, so a model built on one machine opens unchanged on another.

Windows. All four run here. DataGrip is the natural pick if your team already pays for the JetBrains toolbox; DbSchema is the pick if the job includes designing or documenting the schema and not only querying it.

Writing SQL in DbSchema

The DbSchema SQL editor is built to sit beside the diagram rather than replace it. The SQL editor documentation covers it in full; four things it does that a plain query console does not:

• Real-time diagram updates - as you write or change SQL, the diagram redraws, so you see how tables and relationships shift as you work.
• Autocomplete and syntax highlighting - commands are suggested as you type, and highlighting separates keywords, tables and columns at a glance.
• Instant SQL generation - from the diagram you can generate or view the SQL behind any table, and reuse its structure and relationships.
• Groovy and JavaScript - the editor runs both alongside SQL, for data updates, report generation and other repeated jobs. Switch language from the combo in the editor menu.

One edition note. The SQL editor itself is in the free Community edition. The visual query builder - the drag-and-drop surface that assembles joins from the foreign keys already in the model - is Pro, as are offline design, schema synchronization and relational data browsing.

Explore Your Database with the SQL Data Viewer

Running queries and reading the results happens in the same place. Write the query, execute it, and the rows arrive in an interactive grid you can edit directly, which is what you want for a quick fix rather than a migration. Query validation and error messages sit in the editor to shorten the debugging loop.

When a result is too large to hold on screen, the save button in the result pane re-executes the query and streams it straight to a file instead of into the grid.

Why Use DbSchema's SQL Editor?

The argument for DbSchema is not that it writes SQL better than a dedicated IDE. It is that the SQL and the schema are the same workspace, which shortens the loop between reading a database and changing it.

• The SQL editor is in the free Community edition - no licence needed to write and run queries.
• The schema stays visible while you query it, so foreign keys are something you can see rather than remember.
• Write SQL with autocomplete and syntax checking, and generate statements for any table straight from the diagram.
• Run and edit results in one grid, and save a result to file when it is too large for the screen.
• Extend it with Groovy and JavaScript for jobs you repeat.
• A 15-day Pro trial, extendable by another 15 days, opens the visual query builder, offline design and schema synchronization.

Get Started for Free

Download DbSchema and run your first query against your own database. The SQL editor, the diagrams and reverse-engineering are in the free Community edition; the 15-day Pro trial adds the visual query builder, offline design and schema synchronization, and a Pro licence is €169.42 for personal use or €254.13 for business.

Sources

1. TablePlus pricing
2. DBeaver Community download
3. DBeaver PRO licences
4. JetBrains DataGrip