head to head · open source
DBeaver vs Beekeeper Studio
DBeaver has 51,791 GitHub stars, 4,371 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Beekeeper Studio has 23,623 stars, 1,630 forks, 1,168 open issues and last shipped yesterday. DBeaver leads on adoption by 119% (51,791 vs 23,623 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Beekeeper Studio is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Beekeeper Studio 7%. Beekeeper Studio was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (database, mysql), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| DBeaver | Beekeeper Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 24K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 1.6K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick DBeaver if
- You weight community size — 52K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Beekeeper Studio if
- You want the Beekeeper Studio feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Beekeeper Studio fits your workflow better
About DBeaver
DBeaver is a free, multi platform database management tool built in Java, designed for developers, SQL programmers, database administrators, and analysts. It operates across Windows, macOS, and Linux and integrates with the Eclipse based plugin ecosystem via OSGi and Eclipse RCP frameworks.
read the full DBeaver overview →
About Beekeeper Studio
Beekeeper Studio is a cross platform, open source SQL editor and database manager for Linux, macOS, and Windows that gives developers and data teams one graphical client for many different database engines.
read the full Beekeeper Studio overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or Beekeeper Studio more popular?
DBeaver has 51,791 GitHub stars and Beekeeper Studio has 23,623. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and Beekeeper Studio free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Beekeeper Studio has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between DBeaver and Beekeeper Studio?
DBeaver is written in Java and Beekeeper Studio in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, DBeaver or Beekeeper Studio?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,791 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Beekeeper Studio if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.