JSQLFormatter vs Poor SQL
JSQLFormatter
manticore-projects.comPoor SQL
poorsql.comSide by side
| Figure | JSQLFormatter | Poor SQL |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · SQL Linters and Formatters | 8.3 (#5) | 9.0 (#1) |
Plans
In their own words
JSQLFormatter
JSQLFormatter formats SQL for terminal output, documents, and wikis, and is available as a Java library or command-line executable. It parses SQL with a grammar into an abstract syntax tree rather than relying on regular expressions. Supported statements include SELECT, INSERT, MERGE, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, and ALTER, including WITH clauses and nested sub-selects. The listed dialects cover Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, H2, DuckDB, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, and Snowflake. Formatting can preserve comments between keywords or within join conditions, while leaving comment-like string literals unchanged. Users can configure indentation, comma placement, and the casing of keywords, functions, and objects, with settings applied per invocation, file, or statement. Output options include ANSI terminal highlighting, HTML, and RTF. A Java-source feature imports SQL strings while retaining variables and can export them as String, StringBuilder, or MessageFormat. JSQLFormatter is free. Its license is Apache 2.0 from version 5.4 onward; releases through 5.3 were AGPL. A NetBeans plugin is a platform target, while Eclipse, JEdit, Squirrel SQL, and DBeaver are listed as planned.
Poor SQL
Poor SQL reformats and colorizes T-SQL according to settings such as indentation, tab spacing, maximum width, and where statements and clauses break. It can expand comma lists, boolean and CASE expressions, and JOIN ON sections. Formatting runs in the browser, including offline, and the site says submitted SQL is not sent to an external service. Output views include input SQL, formatted SQL, and HTML source. An obfuscation and minification option can vary colors, line lengths, and keyword case, or substitute keywords. Downloads include plugins for SQL Server Management Studio, Visual Studio, and WinMerge, plus a command-line bulk formatter. The open-source Poor Man’s T-SQL Formatter library is AGPL-licensed and supports Microsoft.NET and Mono; its JavaScript library works in browsers and contexts such as Node.js. The project describes its parsing as coarse rather than full, especially for DDL. The free plan is free. Settings are remembered with a cookie; blocking cookies restores defaults on each visit.