drawDB vs dbdiagram.io

drawDB9.0Visit dbdiagram.io8.6Visit

Higher score drawDB #4 in Database Design Tools 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit drawDB

vs

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

• drawDB fits best

  Open-source teams wanting self-hosted ER modeling

• dbdiagram.io fits best

  Web-based diagramming and documentation

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Side by side

Feature	drawDB 9.0/10 Visit ↗	dbdiagram.io 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.6
Ranking	#4 in Database Design Tools	#8 in Database Design Tools
Best for	Open-source teams wanting self-hosted ER modeling	Web-based diagramming and documentation
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	7 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Browser extension
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 · dbdiagram.io 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, MSSQL (SQL Server), Oracle, Snowflake, BigQuery
Deployment	Web	Web
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	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	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	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	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 →	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 →

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

• 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.

• drawDB9.0/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit drawDBFull verdict →
• dbdiagram.io8.6/10 · Free plan · 7-day trial

  A focused, accessible choice for DBML-based schema diagrams and documentation.

  Visit dbdiagram.ioFull verdict →