DbSchema vs SchemaCrawler
DbSchema
dbschema.com
SchemaCrawler
schemacrawler.comSide by side
| Figure | DbSchema | SchemaCrawler |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $9/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · Data Modeling Software | 8.5 (#4) | 7.7 (#13) |
| Spec score · Database Documentation Tools | 8.4 (#6) | 7.7 (#18) |
| Database support | DbSchema supports 70+ SQL and NoSQL databases through JDBC and can automatically download the required JDBC driver. | It supports almost any database with a JDBC driver, though some proprietary drivers must be downloaded separately. |
| Integrations | DbSchema's Git workflow supports repositories hosted on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or a self-hosted Git server. | The site documents integrations with Apache Maven, GitHub Actions, GitLab pipelines, Docker, Graphviz, and templating engines including Velocity, Thymeleaf, FreeMarker, and Mustache. |
| Purpose | DbSchema is a database design and management tool for visualizing, designing, documenting and interacting with SQL and NoSQL databases. | SchemaCrawler is a free database schema discovery and comprehension tool for database documentation and data governance. |
| Support | Technical support is available through the in-app support function, GitHub, email, a support ticket, or a booked call. | Community support is available on Stack Overflow, while professional support packages provide direct access to the author and can cover project advice or consulting. |
Plans
DbSchema
- ProPriced on request
- ArchitectPriced on request
- Community EditionFree
- AI Assistant add-on$9 a month
- Pro Monthly Subscription$29.40 a month
- Architect Monthly$47.04 a month
- Pro Perpetual$294, paid once
- Architect Perpetual$470.40, paid once
In their own words
DbSchema
DbSchema is a desktop tool for designing, documenting and working with SQL and NoSQL databases on Linux, macOS and Windows. It connects to more than 70 databases through JDBC and can download the needed driver. Users can build interactive schema diagrams, split designs into subsystem diagrams, or create physical schemas while offline and save them as local.dbs files. For connected databases, schema synchronization compares the model with the database and can produce migration SQL for review. The SQL editor offers schema-aware autocomplete, and a visual query builder lets users arrange tables, joins and filters and inspect generated SQL before execution. DbSchema can also publish interactive HTML5 schema documentation that opens in a browser without an installation or license. Connections run directly from the user's computer to the database, with configured SSL and SSH tunnels available. Community Edition is free forever. Pro Monthly is $29.40 a month, and Architect Monthly is $47.04 a month, plus taxes. The shared installer requires no registration and includes a 15-day Architect trial that can be extended by 15 days.
SchemaCrawler
SchemaCrawler is free, open-source software for discovering database schemas, documenting them, and supporting data governance. Its command-line tools output metadata as plain text, HTML5, HTML5 with embedded diagrams, JSON, or YAML. These formats are intended to make differences between database schemas easier to identify. SchemaCrawler can generate entity-relationship diagrams and execute JavaScript or Python against a live database connection. It supports almost any database with a JDBC driver, although some proprietary drivers require separate downloads. Integrations documented by the project include Apache Maven, GitHub Actions, GitLab pipelines, Docker, Graphviz, and several templating engines. The AI MCP Server allows natural-language exploration of database structures, table relationships, and SQL query generation. SchemaCrawler runs on operating systems supporting Java SE 17 or newer and can be self-hosted. The software is free; bundled JDBC-driver distributions are GPL v3, and commercial-use licensing terms can be arranged.