head to head · open source
DBeaver vs drawDB
DBeaver has 51,791 GitHub stars, 4,371 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. drawDB has 39,572 stars, 3,248 forks, 241 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 31% (51,791 vs 39,572 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; drawDB is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, drawDB 8%. DBeaver was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (database, erd), 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 | drawDB | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 40K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 3.2K |
| 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 drawDB if
- You want the drawDB feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and drawDB 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 drawDB
drawDB is a free, open source, browser based database entity relationship diagram (ERD) editor and SQL generator for developers, data modellers, and teams who need to design database schemas and turn them into SQL scripts without creating an account.
read the full drawDB overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or drawDB more popular?
DBeaver has 51,791 GitHub stars and drawDB has 39,572. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and drawDB free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and drawDB under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and drawDB?
DBeaver is written in Java and drawDB in JavaScript. 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 drawDB?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,791 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose drawDB if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.