Beekeeper Studio
Free tierA SQL client that connects and queries immediately — no JDBC setup
A cross-platform database client whose community edition is GPL-3.0. It supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server and other common databases, with an autocompleting SQL editor, spreadsheet-style data browsing and editing, saved queries and SSH tunnel connections.
Why we picked it
Community edition GPL-3.0, 23,600 stars.
DBeaver and DB Browser for SQLite are already in this directory. DBeaver is the most complete, at the cost of a slow Java start, a dense interface and a driver download on first connection. Beekeeper goes the other way: Electron, quick to open, clean, writing SQL as soon as it connects.
For everyday work — look something up, change a few rows, export a CSV — it is the smoother of the two. For ER diagrams, data migration or debugging stored procedures, DBeaver fits better.
SSH tunnelling is built in, so a database behind a bastion does not need you to set up port forwarding first.
To be clear about:
- The community and commercial editions are different products. The open-source community edition covers everyday querying and editing; the commercial one adds more database types, shared team queries and encrypted connection management. The download page offers the commercial trial by default — the open-source build is under Community Edition.
- It is an Electron app and uses more memory than a native client.