Free Database Design Tools 2026: Free Tiers Compared
Seven database design tools compared on free tiers only: what each plan includes, where it stops, which engines it covers, and whether it works offline.
For a free tool that covers every database engine, use DbSchema Community Edition. For MySQL alone, use MySQL Workbench Community, which gives you schema sync for free. For a diagram you can keep in Git, use dbdiagram.io. For a diagram with no account and no install, use drawDB. This page compares free tiers only.
Every limit below was read off the vendor's own current page in August 2026, not off another comparison article. Free tiers move, and several widely repeated claims about these tools are now wrong. Where that happens, this page says so.
This is the free half of the category. For paid tools, trials and enterprise platforms, see Best Database Design Tools 2026.
Quick answer: the best free tool per job
- Every engine, one tool: DbSchema Community Edition. Reverse-engineers any supported database and draws interactive diagrams for free.
- MySQL only: MySQL Workbench Community. Forward engineering, reverse engineering and schema synchronization are all in the free build.
- PostgreSQL only: pgModeler Community. Deep PostgreSQL object coverage, but you compile it yourself and it no longer reverse-engineers.
- Schema as code: dbdiagram.io. Write DBML, get a diagram, keep the source in your repository.
- No account, no install: drawDB. Unlimited local diagrams in the browser, exports DDL for six dialects.
- A diagram without granting database access: ChartDB. You run one query yourself and paste the result.
What "free" means in a database design tool
Free means three different things in this category, and the difference decides whether a tool will still work for you in six months.
- Community Edition: a full desktop application with a permanent free tier and paid upper editions. DbSchema, DBeaver, MySQL Workbench and pgModeler work this way.
- Cloud free tier: a browser tool that caps diagrams, tables or privacy until you pay. dbdiagram.io and ChartDB work this way.
- Open source: the source is free and you may self-host or compile. drawDB, DBeaver and pgModeler are open source, but open source does not always mean a free binary.
Read the third one carefully. pgModeler is GPL and free forever as source, while the pre-built binaries are the commercial product[1]. That is a real cost even when the licence says free.
Free tier comparison
| Tool | What the free tier includes | Where the free tier stops | Offline | Engines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DbSchema Community | All engines, reverse engineering, interactive diagrams, visual table editing, SQL editor | No saving the project to a file, no offline design, no documentation export, no schema sync, no data tools | App yes, project files no | Every supported engine |
| DBeaver Community | Open source (ASL), ER diagrams, SQL editor, data transfer, export and import, mock data, schema compare | No NoSQL or cloud engines, no visual query builder, no enterprise authentication | Yes | Any database with a JDBC driver |
| MySQL Workbench Community | Open source (GPL), EER diagrams, reverse and forward engineering, schema diff and schema sync | No schema or model validation, no DBDoc documentation output | Yes | MySQL only |
| pgModeler Community | Source code, GPL, 30+ PostgreSQL object types, validation, CLI, export to SQL, PNG, SVG and HTML | No reverse engineering, no diff and sync, no database management module, no SSH tunnel; binaries from $59.90 per 6 months | Yes | PostgreSQL only |
| dbdiagram.io | Up to 10 diagrams, 1 diagram view, SQL import and export, public and embedded diagrams, export to PDF, PNG and SVG | No private diagrams, no version history, no AI assistant, no invited editors; public diagrams are view-only | No | Any, through DBML |
| drawDB | Unlimited local diagrams, all SQL dialects, import and export of SQL, DBML and JSON, templates, no account | No cloud storage or sync, no sharing, no collaboration; diagrams live in browser storage | Yes, and self-hostable | MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle |
| ChartDB | 2 diagrams, 10 tables per diagram, 1 user, plus a free AGPL self-hosted build | 0 connected databases, no schema export, no DBML editor, no sync, no versioning, no API | Self-hosted only | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, SQLite, MariaDB, ClickHouse, CockroachDB, Oracle |
DbSchema Community Edition
DbSchema Community is the free edition of our own tool, so here is the honest boundary. It connects to every supported engine, reverse-engineers the schema, and lets you design and edit tables directly in interactive diagrams. It includes the SQL editor.
- Free tier includes: all database engines, schema reverse engineering, interactive diagrams, visual table and column creation, SQL editor.
- Free tier stops at: saving the project to a file. Offline design, HTML5, PDF and Markdown documentation, the visual query builder, schema synchronization, the relational data browser, the data generator and the data importer are Pro.
- Offline: the application runs locally, but designing without a connection and keeping the model as a file is a Pro feature.
- Engines: every engine DbSchema supports, which is the widest coverage in this list.
Use it when you need one free tool across several engines and you are working against a live database. Choose something else when the model has to survive as a file in your repository.
DBeaver Community Edition
DBeaver Community is free and open source under the Apache licence[4], and it is a desktop application on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its ER diagram ships as one of the standard plugins.
- Free tier includes: ER diagrams, SQL editor, data browser and editor, data transfer, export and import, mock data generation and schema compare.
- Free tier stops at: NoSQL engines such as MongoDB, Cassandra and Redis, cloud databases such as Redshift and BigQuery, the visual query builder, and enterprise authentication including SAML, SSO and Kerberos.
- Offline: yes, fully local.
- Engines: any database with a JDBC driver, and the published Community list runs past a hundred entries.
Better than our free tier at: the free tooling around the diagram. Data transfer, export and import, mock data generation and schema compare[5] are all in the free build, where our free tier puts data tools and schema sync behind Pro.
One caveat. DBeaver draws its diagram from a connection, so it documents a database that already exists. It is not a design-first modeller.
MySQL Workbench Community Edition
MySQL Workbench Community is Oracle's free GPL build and it is more generous than most people expect. Reverse engineering, forward engineering, schema diff and schema synchronization are all in the free edition[6].
- Free tier includes: EER diagramming with a choice of notation, auto layout, modelling of tables, indexes, views, stored procedures, triggers and functions, reverse engineering from a script and from a live database, forward engineering to a script and to a live database, schema diff, schema sync, and the migration wizard.
- Free tier stops at: general schema validation, MySQL-specific schema validation and model validation, plus the whole DBDoc set that documents a schema and publishes it in several formats. Those need the commercial Standard or Enterprise editions.
- Offline: yes, and the model saves to a file.
- Engines: MySQL only. It migrates into MySQL from SQL Server, Access, Sybase ASE and PostgreSQL, but it does not model them.
Better than our free tier at: schema synchronization and saving the model to a file. Both are free here and both are Pro for us. If your stack is MySQL and nothing else, this is the strongest free tier on the page.
pgModeler Community Edition
This entry has changed, and most roundups have not caught up. pgModeler now splits cleanly into a Community Edition distributed as source code[1] and a commercial Plus edition that ships the pre-built binaries.
- Free tier includes: 30+ PostgreSQL object types, relationship-driven column propagation, design-time validation with automatic fixes, the headless CLI, PostGIS support, and export to SQL, PNG, SVG, HTML and a live server.
- Free tier stops at: reverse engineering from a live database, incremental diff and sync, the built-in database management module, SSH tunnelling, the Git-friendly split-model format, saved sessions, query variables and the backup utilities. All of those are Plus.
- Free tier also stops at the binary. Community is the source; pre-built binaries start at $59.90 per six months.
- Offline: yes. No cloud dependency, no telemetry, and models are plain XML files on your machine.
- Engines: PostgreSQL only.
Better than our free tier at: owning the model. pgModeler saves designs as human-readable XML you can diff in Git, and our free tier cannot save a project at all.
Take the reverse-engineering change seriously. If you picked pgModeler because the free edition could read your production schema, that is no longer true.
dbdiagram.io free plan
dbdiagram.io is schema as code. You write DBML, the diagram renders as you type, and the source is text you can commit.
- Free tier includes: up to 10 diagrams, 1 diagram view, SQL import and export, importing a schema from an existing database, public and embedded diagrams, and export to PDF, PNG and SVG.
- Free tier stops at: private diagrams and password-protected diagrams, version history, the AI assistant, table groups, header colours, detail levels and sticky notes. Invited editors and the shared workspace need the Team plan.
- The limit that catches people: public diagrams on the free plan are view-only, and there is no private option at all until you pay.
- Offline: no. It is a browser tool.
- Engines: any, because the diagram is defined in DBML rather than tied to one dialect.
Better than our free tier at: keeping the design in version control. The schema is text, so it reviews and diffs like the rest of your code.
One correction worth making. Several comparison pages state that the free plan allows 10 tables. The vendor publishes a cap of 10 diagrams[2] and lists unlimited tables as a paid benefit, but no free table number is published anywhere on the pricing page.
drawDB free
drawDB is free and open source, runs entirely in the browser, and needs no account[7]. You can also self-host it with Docker.
- Free tier includes: unlimited local diagrams, all SQL dialects, import and export of SQL, DBML and JSON, templates and custom templates.
- Free tier stops at: cloud storage and sync, public sharing, the AI assistant and the MCP server, which are Solo, plus live collaboration and diagram permissions, which are Team.
- The limit that catches people: free diagrams are stored in your browser's IndexedDB. Clear your browser data and they are gone, so export a backup.
- Reverse engineering: from a DDL script you paste or upload, not from a live connection.
- Offline: yes in practice, and fully self-hostable.
- Engines: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle and a generic dialect.
Better than our free tier at: starting from nothing. There is no install, no account and no connection, and the diagram exports to JSON you keep.
ChartDB free
ChartDB comes in two shapes: a hosted free plan and a self-hosted build that is free and open source under the AGPL. The free hosted plan is small[3].
- Free tier includes: 2 diagrams, 10 tables per diagram, 1 user, visual search and community support on Discord. Self-hosting removes those caps.
- Free tier stops at: 0 connected databases, no schema export, no DBML editor, no database sync, no migrations or versioning, no public link, no API and no AI assistant.
- Offline: only if you self-host.
- Engines: PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, SQLite, MariaDB, ClickHouse, CockroachDB and Oracle. Snowflake and BigQuery are on the top paid plan only.
Better than our free tier at: producing a diagram without handing any tool a database connection. You run one supplied query yourself and paste the result, which matters when nobody will grant access to production.
Which free tier fits which job
| If you need to... | Free tier that fits | Because |
|---|---|---|
| work across several engines from one tool | DbSchema Community | the only free tier here that covers every supported engine |
| keep a MySQL model in a file and sync it | MySQL Workbench Community | schema sync and file-based models are free |
| explore and move data, not just draw it | DBeaver Community | data transfer, import, export and mock data are free |
| model deep PostgreSQL objects offline | pgModeler Community | 30+ PostgreSQL object types, if you compile it |
| review schema changes in a pull request | dbdiagram.io or drawDB | the schema is text you can commit |
| diagram a database you cannot connect to | ChartDB | import runs from a query you execute yourself |
| design before any database exists | drawDB or pgModeler Community | neither needs a connection to start |
What we left out, and why
SqlDBM used to appear in lists like this one. It no longer belongs here, because it has no free tier. Its pricing page publishes no plans and no prices[8], and every route into the product is a sales conversation.
Trials are not free tiers either, so a 15-day evaluation does not qualify a tool for this page. If you want the full category including paid and enterprise platforms, read Best Database Design Tools 2026. For PostgreSQL specifically, see Top Free PostgreSQL ER Diagram Tools.
FAQ
Which free database design tool covers the most engines?
DbSchema Community Edition, because engine coverage is not restricted in the free edition. DBeaver Community is close behind and reaches anything with a JDBC driver, though its NoSQL and cloud engines are paid.
Can free tools reverse-engineer an existing database?
DbSchema Community, DBeaver Community and MySQL Workbench Community can. pgModeler Community no longer can, since reverse engineering moved to the paid Plus edition. drawDB reads a DDL script rather than a live database, and ChartDB imports the output of a query you run yourself.
Which free tier lets me keep the model as a file?
MySQL Workbench Community, pgModeler Community and drawDB. DbSchema Community cannot save a project to a file, and dbdiagram.io keeps the DBML source rather than a model file.
Is a free tier enough for a team?
For sketching and review, usually yes. Collaboration is the first thing every vendor on this page charges for, so shared editing, private diagrams and permissions are where teams hit the paywall.
Does open source mean a free download?
Not always. pgModeler is GPL, but the free edition is the source code and the pre-built binaries are sold. DBeaver Community and drawDB do publish free builds.
Conclusion
Free tiers in this category differ less on drawing and more on what they let you keep. Ask three questions before you pick one: does it read my engine, does the model survive as a file, and what happens the day a second person needs to edit it.
DbSchema Community is the broadest free starting point here, because engine coverage is not the thing it charges for. Download it to start, and compare the editions if you need offline models, documentation or schema sync.
Sources
Start with the best free option
DbSchema Community Edition includes visual design, reverse engineering, and documentation. Pro adds schema sync, Git workflow, and advanced deployment.
