ERD Designer review
A capable free ERD tool for web-based schema design, DDL workflows, and exports.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
ERD Designer is a free, open-source tool for visually designing database schemas and entity relationship diagrams. It suits developers, database designers, and teams that want a browser-based workspace for creating tables and relationships, reverse-engineering diagrams from DDL, and exporting schema definitions. Access is available through a browser, a Visual Studio Code extension, and a Google Drive app, while Git-managed .erd files support version-controlled workflows.
Its strongest area is schema workflow coverage. Users can drag and drop tables and relationships, import DDL to generate ER diagrams, and export DDL for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MS SQL Server, SQLite, BigQuery, and Snowflake. The tool also exports specifications to Excel or Google Spreadsheet, diagrams to PNG, SVG, and interactive HTML, and provides reusable column share models and column groups. Perspectives help organize large schemas, making the product more suitable for complex designs than a diagram-only utility.
The platform fit is practical, but its collaboration model has a clear boundary. Google Drive files can be shared and opened by teammates, yet simultaneous editing is not supported, so teams needing live co-editing may prefer a different database design tool. ERD Designer also includes an experimental AI agent plugin and MCP server, with integrations for Claude Code and GitHub Copilot CLI; these are better viewed as optional developer-tool connections than core workflow guarantees. Choose ERD Designer for open-source schema design, DDL exchange, export flexibility, and developer-oriented workflows. Choose an alternative when real-time collaborative editing or a more established AI integration layer is central to the buying decision.
ERD Designer pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Imports and exports DDL for seven database systems
- Exports diagrams as PNG, SVG, or interactive HTML
- Works in browsers, VS Code, and Google Drive
- Where it doesn't
- Google Drive sharing does not support simultaneous editing
- AI agent plugin and MCP server are experimental
- Collaboration is centered on shared files rather than live co-editing
ERD Designer fact sheet, pricing and score →
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