OxidDB vs TablePlus and DBeaver: which database client fits?

All three are desktop clients for browsing tables, running SQL and editing data. TablePlus is a native app that runs on the Mac, Windows, Linux and iOS and talks to a long list of databases. DBeaver is a free, open-source tool built on Java and Eclipse, with paid PRO editions on top. OxidDB is a native Mac app for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite and DuckDB (MariaDB goes through its MySQL driver), designed mainly around one problem: running a destructive statement on the wrong database. Several of its features, including SSH tunnels, ER diagrams, EXPLAIN plans, exports and the MCP server, are in the oxid-db command-line tool that ships inside the app, not in the app’s window.

Short version: if you need SQL Server, Oracle, Redis, MongoDB or other databases beyond the ones OxidDB supports, work on Windows or Linux too, or want SSH tunnels and ER diagrams in the app itself, TablePlus or DBeaver is the better pick. If you want something free, DBeaver Community costs nothing. OxidDB is worth a look if you work mainly in Postgres, MySQL, SQLite or DuckDB on a Mac, touch production databases, and want to type the word before a DROP or an unfiltered DELETE runs, for $49 once.

At a glance

Range of databases: TablePlus and DBeaver win

This is the biggest difference, and it favours the other two. OxidDB supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite and DuckDB, and connects to MariaDB through its MySQL driver, which we haven’t yet tested against a real MariaDB server. TablePlus lists more than a dozen, including SQL Server, Oracle, Redis, MongoDB, Cassandra and ClickHouse, and has supported DuckDB since Build 562. DBeaver Community covers the common SQL databases and DuckDB, and DBeaver PRO adds MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis, CouchDB and cloud databases such as Redshift and BigQuery (dbeaver.io). If your work touches anything outside Postgres, MySQL, SQLite and DuckDB, OxidDB isn’t the right tool.

Both are also cross-platform. If your team works on Windows or Linux as well as the Mac, one tool everywhere is a real advantage.

What’s in the app, and what’s on the command line

TablePlus and DBeaver put their features in the app. OxidDB’s app window has the connection list, the SQL editor with completion, the editable grid, the schema editor, manual commit mode, query cancelling and a searchable query history. SSH tunnels, CSV and JSON exports, CSV import, saved queries, EXPLAIN plans, ER diagrams and MCP setup are only in oxid-db, the command-line tool inside the app. If you’d rather not use a terminal for those, TablePlus or DBeaver will suit you better.

Guarding production

All three let you mark a connection as production. TablePlus has connection tags and colours, and a Safe Mode that can warn before queries run, or ask for a password before anything other than SELECT and EXPLAIN is sent. DBeaver’s Production connection type turns autocommit off, asks you to confirm SQL execution and data changes, and colours the editor brick red.

OxidDB’s approach is narrower. On a connection tagged production, a DROP, a TRUNCATE, or a DELETE or UPDATE with no WHERE has to be confirmed by typing the word. It applies to SQL typed in the editor, run from the command line, or sent by an agent over MCP. The dialog shows a row estimate from the query planner on PostgreSQL, MySQL and DuckDB, rather than a COUNT(*) run against the table you are about to delete from; SQLite gives no estimate, so the warning there has no number. It doesn’t cover everything: dropping a column or index in the schema editor, or deleting rows in the grid, shows the exact SQL and an Apply button but doesn’t ask you to type anything. Staging and production connections get a coloured badge so their windows look different. Grid edits are shown as the exact SQL before they run, and applied in one transaction. Rows are only editable when they can be identified uniquely.

Working with AI coding agents

OxidDB’s command-line tool includes an MCP server, so Claude Code and other agents can query your databases. You opt in per connection from the command line, it is read-only by default, and it can never be made writable on a production connection (an agent can still be allowed to read one). Read-only means OxidDB checks each statement before running it; for a hard guarantee, give the agent a read-only database user.

TablePlus has also added an MCP server (version 7.1.8 lists “Introduced and reworked TablePlus MCP”). DBeaver’s editions include AI capabilities, and Community has an “AI Chat & @ai command”; we couldn’t confirm a built-in MCP server.

Other things OxidDB does

• Open a Parquet, CSV or JSON file as a connection and query it in SQL.
• Results stream in pages, so a large table opens without waiting for every row to arrive.
• On the command line, EXPLAIN shown as a tree; with ANALYZE on PostgreSQL, MySQL and DuckDB, a step is flagged when its estimate is out by ten times or more.
• NULL, empty text and empty binary stay visibly different in the grid and in CSV and JSON exports, and exact numerics keep every digit.
• Saved queries are plain .sql files in folders on disk, managed from the command line.
• Credentials in the macOS Keychain and query history on your Mac. The app sends no usage statistics; on its own it only contacts oxidapps.com to check your licence and look for updates.

Price

DBeaver Community is free, and for many people that settles it. DBeaver PRO is a subscription: Lite $113 a year, Enterprise $255, Ultimate $510.

TablePlus Basic is $99 once for one device, with a year of updates; after that the app keeps working, and further updates are $59 per device. Its free trial is limited to two tabs and two windows at a time.

OxidDB is $49 once, with a 7-day free trial. One licence covers one Mac. It is also one of the 12 apps in the $99 Value Pack.

Which should you choose?

• Choose DBeaver if you want free and open source, need many database types, or work across Windows, macOS and Linux.
• Choose TablePlus if you want a native client that covers far more databases than OxidDB, has SSH tunnels and ER diagrams in the app, works on several platforms including iOS, and already has an MCP server.
• Choose OxidDB if you work in PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite or DuckDB on a Mac, regularly connect to production, are comfortable using a command-line tool for tunnels, exports and diagrams, and want to type the word before a destructive statement runs, a read-only-by-default MCP server, and a one-time price.

Questions

What is a good TablePlus alternative for Mac?

DBeaver Community is free and open source. OxidDB is a native Mac app for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite and DuckDB, built around guarding production databases, for $49 once. If you need SQL Server, Oracle, Redis or MongoDB, TablePlus or DBeaver is the better pick.

TablePlus vs DBeaver: which is better?

TablePlus is a native app for macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS, $99 one-time for one device with a year of updates. DBeaver is built on Java and Eclipse; Community is free and open source, and PRO starts at $113 a year. Both cover far more databases than OxidDB.

Is there a free database client for Mac?

Yes. DBeaver Community is free and open source and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its PRO editions are subscriptions: Lite $113 a year, Enterprise $255 and Ultimate $510.

What is a good Postgres client for Mac?

TablePlus, DBeaver and OxidDB all support PostgreSQL. On a production connection, OxidDB makes you type the word before a DROP, TRUNCATE, or a DELETE or UPDATE without WHERE runs, and shows the planner's row estimate. It costs $49 once, with a 7-day free trial.

Does OxidDB have SSH tunnels and ER diagrams?

Only in its bundled oxid-db command-line tool, not in the app window. SSH tunnels are set up from the command line, and ER diagrams are exported as SVG. If you want both in the app itself, TablePlus or DBeaver will suit you better.