cloudparts

DbVisualizer

A desktop SQL client written in Java that connects to almost any database through JDBC, with a free edition and a paid Pro edition that adds data editing, import and export, charts and an opt-in AI assistant.

What it is
Database clients and design tools
Type
Commercial product
Made by
DbVis Software AB
License
Proprietary (free edition, plus a paid Pro edition unlocked by a licence key)
Facts checked
23 October 2026
Website

What it is

DbVisualizer is a database client for Windows, macOS and Linux, made in Stockholm. It is written in Java (the Windows and macOS installers bundle their own Java runtime) and connects through JDBC drivers, which it can download and update for you from Maven. Its own list names 66 databases: 39 with extended support, where it knows the database’s objects and SQL dialect, such as PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, Snowflake, ClickHouse, Databricks, MongoDB and Redis, and 27 with basic support through a generic JDBC driver, such as DuckDB, Hive and Teradata. Any other database with a JDBC driver can be added the same way.

The core is an object tree for each connection and SQL Commander, an editor with autocompletion, formatting, variables and tabs that can be grouped by task or environment. Results show in a grid you can filter, chart, or view on a map when they hold geodata. The free edition covers connections, SSH tunnels, the editor and history. Pro, sold per user at $199 for the first year and $89 a year after, adds table management, editing data in the grid, import and export, a query builder, explain plans, charts and a command-line interface. Each subscription includes a perpetual licence for the versions released while it runs.

The AI assistant is a Pro feature, off by default, and administrators can disable it centrally. It sends your prompt, your conversation and the error messages you ask it to fix, plus, if you agree, context such as the database type and schema; it doesn’t send table data. Since 26.2 (June 18, 2026) you can choose models from Anthropic, Google or OpenAI. The latest release is 26.2.4.

Why teams pick it

  • One client for a long list of databases, relational and not, with dialect-aware features for 39 of them and basic access to anything with a JDBC driver
  • A free edition that is enough for browsing and running SQL, and a Pro licence that you keep using after the subscription ends
  • An AI assistant that is opt-in, never sends rows, and lets you choose the model vendor
  • Over 25 years of continuous development, with three feature releases a year recently

Watch out for

  • Closed source and per-seat: editing data in the grid, import and export, explain plans and the AI assistant all need Pro
  • A Java desktop app; it can’t be shared through a browser the way cloud console editors or web tools can
  • Databases with only basic support get the generic JDBC feature set, without the extras the tool offers for the ones it knows
  • New releases need an active subscription; an expired one keeps the version you had

Alternatives

What all database clients and design tools have in common →Compare side by side →
DB PilotCommercialA 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.

How it fits with other technologies

See it in a real stack

No architecture uses DbVisualizer yet. Drop it into the playground and wire it up yourself.Open playground →
Where it came from1998–2026

Roger Bjärevall started DbVisualizer in 1998 and released version 1.0 in 1999. It was written in Java and reached databases through JDBC, so a single program ran on any operating system and talked to any database that had a driver. The Pro edition followed in 2002, and DbVis Software AB was founded in Stockholm in 2003 to sell it.

In April 2020 Industrifonden and Fairpoint Capital invested €5.3 million, and it is now led by Martin Engdahl, formerly a director at Salesforce Sweden. It counts 7 million downloads and 30,000 companies using Pro. Releases moved to a year-based numbering, three a year: 25.1, 25.2 and 25.3 in 2025, then 26.1 in March and 26.2 in June 2026. The AI assistant first used OpenAI only; 26.2 added Anthropic and Google models and let users pick, so organizations can match the vendor to their compliance rules.

Why it’s built this way

Java and JDBC
One codebase runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and JDBC drivers exist for nearly every database, so the client works with databases its makers never tested, at a basic level.
One installer, with Pro unlocked by a licence key
Users start with the free edition and upgrade without reinstalling or moving their settings; the 21-day Pro trial needs no sign-up.
A perpetual licence inside a subscription
Paying users keep a working tool if they stop paying; the subscription buys updates and support rather than the right to run the program.
AI that is opt-in and sees the schema, not the data
Database contents are often confidential. The assistant is off until enabled, can be disabled by administrators, and sends structure only with the user’s consent.

Timeline

  1. 1998

    Roger Bjärevall starts work on DbVisualizer

  2. 1999

    Version 1.0 released publicly

  3. 2002

    DbVisualizer Pro launched

  4. 2003

    DbVis Software AB founded in Stockholm

  5. 2020

    €5.3 million from Industrifonden and Fairpoint Capital (April)

  6. 2026

    26.1 (March 6); 26.2 adds a choice of Anthropic, Google and OpenAI models and tab groups (June 18)

Sources6 · facts checked 23 October 2026

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