pgModeler vs SchemaCrawler
pgModeler
pgmodeler.io
SchemaCrawler
schemacrawler.comSide by side
| Figure | pgModeler | SchemaCrawler |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $59.90/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 | 7 | 1 |
| Spec score · Data Modeling Software | 8.2 (#8) | 7.7 (#13) |
| Purpose | pgModeler is a locally installed, multi-platform PostgreSQL schema engineering tool for visual design, reverse engineering, schema diff and synchronization, and CLI deployment automation. | SchemaCrawler is a free database schema discovery and comprehension tool for database documentation and data governance. |
| Security | Connections support SSL modes, client certificates, Kerberos server settings, and GSSAPI authentication. | The security guidance says SchemaCrawler cannot vouch for the security of scripts it executes and recommends removing the scripting JAR if scripting is not needed. |
| Support | The project directs feature requests and bug reports to its GitHub issues page. | 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
pgModeler
- Single user · 6 monthsPriced on request
- Single user · 12 monthsPriced on request
- Team lifetime · PerpetualPriced on request
- pgModeler CommunityFree
- pgModeler Plus · Single user · 6 months$59.90 a month
- pgModeler Plus · Single user · 12 monthsPrice not published
- pgModeler Plus · Team lifetimePrice not published
In their own words
pgModeler
pgModeler is a locally installed PostgreSQL schema engineering tool for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It supports visual design, reverse engineering, schema comparison and synchronization, and command-line deployment automation. Its relationship engine can propagate foreign-key columns, constraints, and indexes when tables are linked, and it supports more than 30 PostgreSQL object types. Models can be exported as SQL, PNG, SVG, HTML data dictionaries, or directly to a PostgreSQL server. The command-line interface can export DDL, run diffs, validate models, and automate CI/CD deployments. Models use human-readable XML; Plus adds a Git-powered versioning workflow. The software runs on the user's machine without an account, cloud dependency, or required internet connection. The community software is GPL v3 and free forever. Plus provides pre-built binaries and professional workflow features. Its listed single-user, six-month plan is $59.90 per month, billed from $59.90/6 months. Documentation warns that connection passwords are stored in plain text in the settings directory.
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.