Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Database Design Tools

ERBuilder Data Modeler vs DB Designer

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score ERBuilder Data Modeler #5 in Database Design Tools 8.9/10 Free plan · 15-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 5 of 5 features Visit ERBuilder
DB Designer #6 in Database Design Tools 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit DB Designer

ERBuilder Data Modeler leads on 0 checks, DB Designer 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 scoreERBuilder Data Modeler · 8.9/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly ERBuilder Data Modeler

ERBuilder Data Modeler scores higher on our rubric for database design tools: 8.9 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #6.

On deployment, ERBuilder Data Modeler gives you Desktop where DB Designer offers Web.

ERBuilder Data Modeler is the better fit for professional Windows database modeling. DB Designer is the better fit for affordable collaborative web modeling.

  • ERBuilder Data Modeler fits best

    Professional Windows database modeling

  • DB Designer fits best

    Affordable collaborative web modeling

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 ERBuilder Data Modeler 8.9/10 Visit ↗ DB Designer 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.9 8.8
Ranking #5 in Database Design Tools #6 in Database Design Tools
Best for Professional Windows database modeling Affordable collaborative web modeling
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $139/user/yr —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 15 days —
Deployment Desktop Cloud
Platforms Windows Web
Support Email, Docs Email, Tickets, Live chat, Phone, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ERBuilder Data Modeler 5/5 · DB Designer 5/5
Reverse engineering ✓ ✓
Forward engineering ✓ ✓
SQL export ✓ ✓
Team collaboration ✓ ✓
Version history ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported databases Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Firebird, Microsoft Azure SQL Database, Azure Synapse Dedicated SQL Pool, Amazon Redshift, Amazon RDS MySQL, MS SQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQLite
Deployment Desktop Web
Our review
Pros
  • Supports reverse and forward engineering across multiple database platforms
  • Includes comparison, synchronization, documentation, validation and version management
  • Enterprise adds Git-based collaborative modeling and generative AI features
  • Free plan plus monthly tiers starting at $9
  • Visual modeling with reverse and forward engineering
  • Collaboration includes roles, comments, chat, and version restore
Cons
  • Windows-only desktop deployment
  • Enterprise features are priced higher than Professional
  • Paid licenses include one workstation or concurrent user
  • 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
Our verdict

ERBuilder Data Modeler is a Windows desktop database modeling tool for software engineers, database designers, developers, analysts and data architects. It supports visual entity-relationship modeling, reverse engineering from local and…

Read the review →

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 →
  1. ERBuilder Data ModelerDatabase Design Tools 8.9Free plan · 15-day trial
  2. DB DesignerDatabase Design Tools 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • ERBuilder Data Modeler — where it wins

    • Supports reverse and forward engineering across multiple database platforms
    • Includes comparison, synchronization, documentation, validation and version management
    • Enterprise adds Git-based collaborative modeling and generative AI features

    Where it doesn't

    • Windows-only desktop deployment
    • Enterprise features are priced higher than Professional
    • Paid licenses include one workstation or concurrent user

  • 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

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