head to head · open source
DBeaver vs flipper
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars, 4,372 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. flipper has 3,969 stars, 441 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 1,205% (51,797 vs 3,969 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; flipper is written in Ruby under MIT. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, flipper 11%. DBeaver was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | flipper | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 4.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Ruby |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 441 |
| 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 flipper if
- You want the flipper feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You evaluated both and flipper 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 flipper
Flipper is an MIT licensed Ruby and Rails library that gives applications control over who has access to features, letting teams enable or disable functionality for everyone, specific actors, groups, a percentage of actors, or a percentage of time.
read the full flipper overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or flipper more popular?
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars and flipper has 3,969. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and flipper free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and flipper under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and flipper?
DBeaver is written in Java and flipper in Ruby. 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 flipper?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,797 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose flipper if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.