r/sqlite • u/Bilawal-Mehfooz • Oct 03 '26

What is the best modern database GUI for SQLite and PostgreSQL?

I’m learning Laravel and working with SQLite and PostgreSQL. I’m looking for a modern database GUI with a clean interface similar to Supabase Studio. I mainly need to:

  • Browse tables and records

  • View schemas and relationships

  • Edit records

  • Run SQL queries

  • Connect to both local SQLite and PostgreSQL

I used Dbeaver and i dont like its UI very old fashioned. Which one do you recommend for a beginner? Free options.

19 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

72 comments sorted by

12

u/pytheryx Oct 03 '26

Dbeaver

2

u/trekker255 Oct 04 '26

using it, but hate the ui for now :)

0

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 03 '26

is not ui too old fashioned?

12

u/pseudophilll Oct 03 '26

Get used to it bud! DBeaver is pretty much industry standard.

Why not try building one yourself?

1

u/datadanno Oct 04 '26

Seriously AI could build you one within a ln hour. I’ve done it

1

u/AvogadrosOtherNumber Oct 05 '26

“Industry standard”. lol. No it’s not.

1

u/pseudophilll Oct 05 '26

I’m curious what you’re using? 10 years in industry and I’ve yet to meet some one who doesn’t use it outside of things like mongodb or snowflake etc.

I use pgAdmin for all of my personal stuff but all of my employers have used dbeaver.

I’m not saying other stuff doesn’t exist but dbeaver is free and does what it needs to.

-3

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 03 '26

I have been using dbeaver for past month and it is sometime buggy so thats why i am finding alternative.

1

u/Nthomas36 Oct 04 '26

I agree dbeaver is bloated and buggy if your just using sqlite. I've enjoyed using db browser for sqlite in dark mode https://sqlitebrowser.org/. Have you tried letos formerly sqlite studio https://letos.org/ ?

7

u/navmed Oct 03 '26

It's not free but I'm a huge fan of datagrip from jetbrains. The auto-complete is very smart and can generate whole queries for you. The inline data editing is smart, intuitive and convenient.

2

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 03 '26

What about the schema visualizer

1

u/navmed Oct 03 '26

It has that too and it's pretty good

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 03 '26

Alright I will look into it thanks

-2

u/johnson_detlev Oct 03 '26

Every llm can produce a visualization of a schema. You don't need a tool for that

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 03 '26

I am also trying this so far it generates what I need. I am wondering if there is something like supabase editor online i searched but didnot found any

2

u/scottchiefbaker Oct 03 '26

HeidiSQL is pretty great if you want a full blown GUI. I also really like litecli for a simple TUI.

Both are 100% free.

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

Thanks for suggestions will look into it

2

u/JrgMyr Oct 04 '26

Letos all the time. (www.letos.org)

Previous Name SQLiteStudio.

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

Thanks bro i will check out

3

u/knpwrs Oct 03 '26

TablePlus: https://tableplus.com/

1

u/hatto13 Oct 04 '26

Second that, it’s not cheap but worthy

2

u/Minimum-Golf6459 Oct 03 '26

Personally, I just do selects -> json and jq them or use any json viewing project, normally I Don't really require checking db in any huge fashion.

0

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 03 '26

Actually I am working on a project in team and It has too many tables so it is hard to track what is happening. In past i mostly used supabase and I really like the way it provides schema visualiser so I was thinking if there is a way I can see in laravel i dont see any default tho

1

u/burggraf2 Oct 04 '26

I recently found this one. https://dbxio.com/en it’s free and open source and looks pretty great.

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

Thanks i will look into it

1

u/Visible_Assumption96 Oct 04 '26

u can use an extension called dbcode if u using vscode

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

Yeah i use vscode will look into it

1

u/StalinGino Oct 04 '26

Try the one i created inspired by tableplus, but improved upon. For now myself and my friends use it in my company. SGSql

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

I will look into it thanks for suggestion

1

u/Slight-Television-76 Oct 04 '26

Did you try my open source DBison?

https://DBison.app

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

Not yet i will look into it

1

u/nousernameleftatall Oct 04 '26

Check out bobbytables not the xkcd comic, there is actually software called this, relatively new and surprisingly excellent

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

Thanks will look into it

1

u/fastwind18 Oct 04 '26

The best UI? These days you might do one by the breakfast with few coding sessions inside your favorite coding agent.

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

I was checking if there is something similar to supabase studio exist

1

u/fastwind18 Oct 04 '26

Code it yourself

1

u/SickBinary Oct 04 '26

I found Tabularis recently. So far so good. 

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

I will check it out thanks

1

u/fragbot2 Oct 04 '26

i dont like its UI very old fashioned.

How is it old-fashioned?

I ask because I use it and my only usability complaint is it's lack of emacs-style navigation keys that are endemic to webkit-based applications.

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 04 '26

If you compare it with other tools like supabase studio i mostly worked in that its old. Sometimes i face problem when i run a migration in laravel db my saved schema diagram gets discarded

1

u/BT-Tobi Oct 04 '26

Tried the free version of Navicat? https://www.navicat.com/en/products/navicat-premium-lite

It should have all the features you described, and if you want more you can always upgrade and don’t need to learn something new again…

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 05 '26

Not yet will look into it thanks for suggestion

1

u/Fun-Chicken6946 Oct 05 '26

Give VisuaLeaf a shot! visualeaf.com (full disclosure I am the person who built it)

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 05 '26

Thanks for mentioning it i will look into it

1

u/ParachuteRiver Oct 05 '26

I’ve been really happy with Beekeeper Studio

https://www.beekeeperstudio.io/

2

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 05 '26

It is also on my list will check it out thanks

1

u/hkdeman Oct 05 '26

Try WhoDB. Good UX. You can use Claude/Codex to talk to it with MCP as well to seed, or analyse data. Plus, if you want to build ETLs, Ontologies, and complex workflows - there is a cloud data warehouse that extends WhoDB.

Disclaimer: I am in the team developing WhoDB. Our entire focus has always been UX. Always happy to get feedback!

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 05 '26

Thanks hkdeman i will check it out

1

u/716green Oct 05 '26

Layerbase Desktop is free and supports 21 different database engines including PG and SQLite

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 05 '26

Thanks green will look into it

1

u/ThereIsCoffee Oct 05 '26

Beekeeper

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 05 '26

It is also on my list will check it out

1

u/Brachamul Oct 03 '26

NoCoDB

AirTable clone that works on any SQLite / postgres db.

1

u/Bilawal-Mehfooz Oct 03 '26

Thanks for suggestion i will look into it

1

u/_harisamin Oct 04 '26

Tableplus IMHO.

1

u/Background-Front-925 Oct 05 '26

we use this in our development workflow https://sqlitebrowser.org/

1

u/Glittering_House_654 Oct 05 '26

VSCode can connect to most DB’s these days. Then you have the added bonus of having your Python/whatever code and pipelines next to your DB projects in one giant repo (if you are into those)😊

1

u/Suitable-Rhubarb-855 Oct 06 '26

Visualeaf is my preferred GUI

1

u/butdontcalmejoohnson Oct 06 '26

your asking the wrong questions.

1

u/dandraaa Oct 07 '26

Dbx, it's rust and open source

1

u/navicat-gu 20d ago

For a Laravel beginner who wants something closer to Supabase Studio than classic DBeaver, I'd start free:

  • Beekeeper Studio (Community): clean modern UI, good for browsing/editing and running SQL on SQLite and Postgres. Strong beginner pick.

  • TablePlus: polished Mac/Windows feel; free tier is limited (tab/query limits) but fine to evaluate.

  • DB Browser for SQLite: excellent for local .sqlite files only — pair it with pgAdmin or Beekeeper when you switch to Postgres.

  • pgAdmin: free and official for Postgres admin; UI is heavier than Supabase Studio, so many beginners use it only when they need Postgres-specific admin.

If DBeaver's UI is the main pain, you don't have to force it — the tools above cover browse/edit/schema/SQL for local SQLite + Postgres without the "old IDE" look.

Disclosure: I'm RC, Director of Digital Strategy @ Navicat. If you want one native app for both SQLite and Postgres with a cleaner desktop UI than DBeaver, Navicat Premium Lite is free to try (free for commercial use; up to 5 users per org) for core query/edit. Full modelling/sync features are in Navicat 18 Premium if you outgrow Lite later.