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Head-to-head · SQL Linters and Formatters

pgFormatter vs SQL Formatter VSCode

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score pgFormatter #3 in SQL Linters and Formatters 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit pgFormatter
SQL Formatter VSCode #7 in SQL Linters and Formatters 8.1/10 Open source ✓ 3 of 5 features Visit site

pgFormatter leads on 0 checks, SQL Formatter VSCode on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scorepgFormatter · 8.8/10
  • Free planonly pgFormatter
  • Most featurespgFormatter · 4 of 5

pgFormatter scores higher on our rubric for sql linters and formatters: 8.8 against 8.1 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #7.

pgFormatter is the better fit for postgreSQL teams needing dependable formatting. SQL Formatter VSCode is the better fit for VS Code users needing highly configurable formatting.

  • pgFormatter fits best

    PostgreSQL teams needing dependable formatting

  • SQL Formatter VSCode fits best

    VS Code users needing highly configurable formatting

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Side by side

Feature pgFormatter 8.8/10 Visit ↗ SQL Formatter VSCode 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.1
Ranking #3 in SQL Linters and Formatters #7 in SQL Linters and Formatters
Best for PostgreSQL teams needing dependable formatting VS Code users needing highly configurable formatting
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Open source
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted, Browser extension Desktop, Browser extension
Support Docs, Community Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market Solo, Small business
Features pgFormatter 4/5 · SQL Formatter VSCode 3/5
Automatic fixes ✓ ✓
Custom rules Not checked yet Not checked yet
Editor extensions ✓ ✓
CI/CD integration ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Configuration file ✓ ✓
Specs
Supported SQL dialects SQL-92, SQL-99, SQL-2003, SQL-2008, SQL-2011, PostgreSQL; works with other databases BigQuery, DB2 for LUW, DB2 for IBM i, DuckDB, Hive, MariaDB, MySQL, N1QL, PL/SQL, PostgreSQL, Amazon Redshift, SingleStoreDB, Snowflake, Spark, SQLite, Trino (Presto), Transact-SQL
Our review
Pros
  • Supports PostgreSQL, PL/pgSQL, and multiple SQL standard keyword sets
  • Offers CLI, CGI, web, API, text, HTML, and JSON workflows
  • Integrates with editors, pre-commit, configuration files, and CI/CD
  • Supports a broad range of SQL dialects
  • Offers detailed casing, spacing, indentation, and line-break controls
  • Formats files and selections directly in VS Code
Cons
  • Its strongest coverage is PostgreSQL and related SQL standards
  • Configuration may require project or user configuration files
  • Does not include AI features
  • The underlying SQL Formatter library is in maintenance mode
  • Requires VS Code for its editor-based workflow
  • Platform and workflow coverage is focused on the VS Code extension
Our verdict

pgFormatter is an open-source SQL formatter and beautifier focused on PostgreSQL and PL/pgSQL. It is suited to teams that want consistent SQL formatting across command-line workflows, web or CGI usage, editor environments, and automated…

Read the review →

SQL Formatter VSCode is an open-source Visual Studio Code extension for formatting SQL files and selections. It is aimed at developers and data teams who work in VS Code and need formatting rules that can be adjusted to match different SQL…

Read the review →
  1. pgFormatterSQL Linters and Formatters 8.8Free plan
  2. SQL Formatter VSCodeSQL Linters and Formatters 8.1Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • pgFormatter — where it wins

    • Supports PostgreSQL, PL/pgSQL, and multiple SQL standard keyword sets
    • Offers CLI, CGI, web, API, text, HTML, and JSON workflows
    • Integrates with editors, pre-commit, configuration files, and CI/CD

    Where it doesn't

    • Its strongest coverage is PostgreSQL and related SQL standards
    • Configuration may require project or user configuration files
    • Does not include AI features

  • SQL Formatter VSCode — where it wins

    • Supports a broad range of SQL dialects
    • Offers detailed casing, spacing, indentation, and line-break controls
    • Formats files and selections directly in VS Code

    Where it doesn't

    • The underlying SQL Formatter library is in maintenance mode
    • Requires VS Code for its editor-based workflow
    • Platform and workflow coverage is focused on the VS Code extension

More comparisons

All SQL linters and formatters comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update