DB Pilot
A Mac database client that combines a table browser, a SQL editor and SQL-plus-Python notebooks with an AI assistant, and embeds DuckDB and chDB for querying local files.
- What it is
- Database clients and design tools
- Used for
- Data notebooks
- Type
- Commercial product
- Made by
- Maravista Software LLC
- License
- Proprietary (free tier; one-time purchase for AI features)
- Facts checked
- 23 October 2026
What it is
DB Pilot is a desktop database client for the Mac. It connects to PostgreSQL, CockroachDB, MySQL and SQLite, and can run two analytical engines inside the app: DuckDB and chDB, the in-process build of ClickHouse. With those you can attach other databases and files on disk or in S3 and GCS and join them in one query, for example a PostgreSQL table with a local Parquet file. Next to the table explorer and SQL editor are notebooks, added in March 2025, which mix SQL blocks, Python blocks, text, and interactive tables and charts.
The AI assistant writes and fixes SQL from plain-English requests, explains code, and works inline in the editor, the table viewer and Python blocks. It uses models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and xAI, or since version 1.4.17 (May 22, 2026) any custom provider, with your own API keys. According to the FAQ it sees table and column structure but can’t read your data. The free tier covers local databases, the editor and the table explorer, with a few AI messages to try; a one-time payment of $79 unlocks the AI features and includes a year of updates.
Why teams pick it
- Embedded DuckDB and chDB let you query and join local files and remote databases without setting up a server
- SQL and Python notebooks and a regular SQL client in one app
- Bring-your-own-key AI with a choice of vendors, and the assistant sees the schema, not the rows
- Paid once rather than by subscription
Watch out for
- Mac only for now; the site says Linux and Windows are coming
- Supports far fewer databases than general-purpose clients: PostgreSQL, CockroachDB, MySQL, SQLite, DuckDB and chDB
- A small, closed-source product from one company, with little published about it beyond its site and changelog
- The one-time price covers updates for a year; later versions need a new purchase
Alternatives
What all database clients and design tools have in common →Compare side by side →
How it fits with other technologies
What DB Pilot uses
See it in a real stack
No architecture uses DB Pilot yet. Drop it into the playground and wire it up yourself.Open playground →Where it came from2023–2026
DB Pilot’s first release came out on March 15, 2023, as a GUI client and SQL editor. PostgreSQL support arrived in April and MySQL in July, and in August 2023 the app gained an AI assistant and an embedded analytics database: an in-process ClickHouse through chDB, alongside standalone DuckDB connections, so you could join a PostgreSQL table with a local file. Version 1.0.0 followed on October 15, 2023, letting you attach other databases, local files and files in object storage to those engines.
A one-time purchase was added as a billing option in March 2024. In March 2025 the app added notebooks with Python blocks and a wider choice of AI models and custom instructions, and in May 2026 version 1.4.17 allowed any AI provider and model. Today the site calls it an “AI-native” database tool and sells AI access as a one-time purchase.
Why it’s built this way
- Embed analytical engines in the client
- Joining a production table with a CSV or Parquet file usually means loading the file somewhere first. Running DuckDB or chDB inside the app lets the query do it directly.
- Bring your own AI key
- The app doesn’t resell model access; users pay their model vendor and pick the model, including custom providers.
- Give the assistant the schema only
- Writing SQL needs table and column names, not the data itself, so the assistant can’t read rows.