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Head-to-head · Database Design Tools

DB Designer vs dbdiagram.io

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score DB Designer #6 in Database Design Tools 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit DB Designer
dbdiagram.io #8 in Database Design Tools 8.6/10 Free plan · 7-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit dbdiagram.io

DB Designer leads on 0 checks, dbdiagram.io on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreDB Designer · 8.8/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly dbdiagram.io

DB Designer scores higher on our rubric for database design tools: 8.8 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #8.

DB Designer is the better fit for affordable collaborative web modeling. dbdiagram.io is the better fit for web-based diagramming and documentation.

  • DB Designer fits best

    Affordable collaborative web modeling

  • dbdiagram.io fits best

    Web-based diagramming and documentation

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Side by side

Feature DB Designer 8.8/10 Visit ↗ dbdiagram.io 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.6
Ranking #6 in Database Design Tools #8 in Database Design Tools
Best for Affordable collaborative web modeling Web-based diagramming and documentation
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 7 days
Deployment Cloud Cloud, Browser extension
Platforms Web Web
Support Email, Tickets, Live chat, Phone, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Compliance GDPR SOC 2, SSO/SAML
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features DB Designer 5/5 · dbdiagram.io 5/5
Reverse engineering ✓ ✓
Forward engineering ✓ ✓
SQL export ✓ ✓
Team collaboration ✓ ✓
Version history ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported databases MySQL, MS SQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQLite PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL (SQL Server), Oracle, Snowflake, BigQuery
Deployment Web Web
Our review
Pros
  • Free plan plus monthly tiers starting at $9
  • Visual modeling with reverse and forward engineering
  • Collaboration includes roles, comments, chat, and version restore
  • DBML authoring renders live ER diagrams as schemas are written.
  • Free plan includes SQL import/export, sharing, and diagram exports.
  • Version history, collaboration, embedding, and AI features support team workflows.
Cons
  • Starter limits users to 2 models and 10 tables per model
  • Reverse engineering is documented for only three databases
  • Web-only deployment may not suit desktop-first teams
  • Personal Pro limits collaboration compared with the Team plan.
  • Free-plan sharing is public rather than private or password-protected.
  • SAML SSO and custom security features require the Custom Plan.
Our verdict

DB Designer is a browser-based tool for creating, importing, editing, sharing, and exporting database schemas. It is aimed at developers, database administrators, engineers, educators, freelancers, and organizations that need visual…

Read the review →

dbdiagram.io is a browser-based database design and documentation tool for developers, data analysts, and teams. Its central workflow uses DBML to define schemas while live entity-relationship diagrams render as the code changes. It also…

Read the review →
  1. DB DesignerDatabase Design Tools 8.8Free plan
  2. dbdiagram.ioDatabase Design Tools 8.6Free plan · 7-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • DB Designer — where it wins

    • Free plan plus monthly tiers starting at $9
    • Visual modeling with reverse and forward engineering
    • Collaboration includes roles, comments, chat, and version restore

    Where it doesn't

    • Starter limits users to 2 models and 10 tables per model
    • Reverse engineering is documented for only three databases
    • Web-only deployment may not suit desktop-first teams

  • dbdiagram.io — where it wins

    • DBML authoring renders live ER diagrams as schemas are written.
    • Free plan includes SQL import/export, sharing, and diagram exports.
    • Version history, collaboration, embedding, and AI features support team workflows.

    Where it doesn't

    • Personal Pro limits collaboration compared with the Team plan.
    • Free-plan sharing is public rather than private or password-protected.
    • SAML SSO and custom security features require the Custom Plan.

More comparisons

All database design tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update