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Head-to-head · Database Design Tools

drawDB vs ChartDB

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score drawDB #4 in Database Design Tools 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit drawDB
ChartDB #9 in Database Design Tools 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit ChartDB

drawDB leads on 0 checks, ChartDB 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 scoredrawDB · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth

drawDB scores higher on our rubric for database design tools: 9.0 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #9.

On deployment, ChartDB gives you Web_and_desktop where drawDB offers Web.

drawDB is the better fit for open-source teams wanting self-hosted ER modeling. ChartDB is the better fit for collaborative teams needing flexible deployment.

  • drawDB fits best

    Open-source teams wanting self-hosted ER modeling

  • ChartDB fits best

    Collaborative teams needing flexible deployment

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature drawDB 9.0/10 Visit ↗ ChartDB 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.5
Ranking #4 in Database Design Tools #9 in Database Design Tools
Best for Open-source teams wanting self-hosted ER modeling Collaborative teams needing flexible deployment
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — $25/user/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Support Email, Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features drawDB 5/5 · ChartDB 5/5
Reverse engineering ✓ ✓
Forward engineering ✓ ✓
SQL export ✓ ✓
Team collaboration ✓ ✓
Version history ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported databases MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, generic dialect PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MariaDB, SQLite, Cloudflare D1, CockroachDB, ClickHouse
Deployment Web Web_and_desktop
Our review
Pros
  • Open-source with Docker self-hosting for infrastructure control
  • Imports DDL and exports SQL, DBML, JSON, and images
  • Supports collaboration, versioning, migrations, and AI assistance
  • Imports schemas and creates editable entity-relationship diagrams
  • Supports SQL and DDL export plus synchronization workflows
  • Offers hosted cloud and open-source self-hosted deployment
Cons
  • Free diagrams are stored locally in the browser
  • Cloud sync and collaboration require a paid tier
  • The feature set may exceed the needs of simple schema sketches
  • The Free plan allows up to 10 tables in one database
  • Real-time collaboration and AI Assistant start on the Teams plan
  • SAML SSO and granular permissions require the Custom plan
Our verdict

drawDB is a browser-based database schema and entity-relationship diagram tool for developers, database administrators, and teams designing or documenting relational structures. Its visual editor supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite,…

Read the review →

ChartDB is a web-based database diagramming and design tool for developers, analysts, product teams, and engineering organizations. It imports schema metadata or queries, converts database structures into editable entity-relationship…

Read the review →
  1. drawDBDatabase Design Tools 9.0Free plan
  2. ChartDBDatabase Design Tools 8.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • drawDB — where it wins

    • Open-source with Docker self-hosting for infrastructure control
    • Imports DDL and exports SQL, DBML, JSON, and images
    • Supports collaboration, versioning, migrations, and AI assistance

    Where it doesn't

    • Free diagrams are stored locally in the browser
    • Cloud sync and collaboration require a paid tier
    • The feature set may exceed the needs of simple schema sketches

  • ChartDB — where it wins

    • Imports schemas and creates editable entity-relationship diagrams
    • Supports SQL and DDL export plus synchronization workflows
    • Offers hosted cloud and open-source self-hosted deployment

    Where it doesn't

    • The Free plan allows up to 10 tables in one database
    • Real-time collaboration and AI Assistant start on the Teams plan
    • SAML SSO and granular permissions require the Custom plan
  • drawDB9.0/10 · Free plan

    A capable ER modeling tool for open-source teams that need local control and flexible exports.

    Visit drawDBFull verdict →
  • ChartDB8.5/10 · Free plan

    A flexible database design workspace with import, export, collaboration, and self-hosting.

    Visit ChartDBFull verdict →

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