Altova DatabaseSpy vs tbls
Altova DatabaseSpy
altova.comtbls
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Altova DatabaseSpy | tbls |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Database Documentation Tools | 8.3 (#7) | 8.2 (#9) |
Plans
Altova DatabaseSpy
- Professional EditionPriced on request
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
- DatabaseSpy 2026 Professional Edition€159, paid once
- DatabaseSpy 2026 Enterprise Edition€179, paid once
In their own words
Altova DatabaseSpy
Altova DatabaseSpy has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
tbls
tbls is a command-line tool for documenting databases and checking their schemas. It generates GitHub Flavored Markdown and can export schema information in formats including DOT, PlantUML, Mermaid, SVG, PNG, JPG, JSON, YAML, Excel, and configuration files. Its configurable lint rules can require column comments or set column-count limits. The `diff` command compares a database schema with generated documentation or another database, while `coverage` measures documentation for descriptions and comments. Documented data sources include PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, BigQuery, Cloud Spanner, Amazon Redshift, SQL Server, Azure SQL, Microsoft Fabric Warehouse, DynamoDB, Snowflake, MongoDB, ClickHouse, Databricks, JSON, HTTP, and GitHub. Docker and a GitHub Action are documented for CI use, and external drivers can extend database support. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, or in a self-hosted setup. The listed plan is free under the MIT License. SQL Server requires version 2017 or later and database compatibility level 110 or higher.