head to head · open source
DBeaver vs pgcli
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars, 4,372 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped today. pgcli has 13,392 stars, 613 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 287% (51,797 vs 13,392 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; pgcli is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, pgcli 5%. DBeaver was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (database), 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 | pgcli | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 13K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 613 |
| 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 pgcli if
- You want the pgcli feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and pgcli 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 pgcli
pgcli is a Python command line REPL for PostgreSQL, distributed under the BSD 3 Clause licence, that replaces psql for interactive sessions by adding autocompletion and syntax highlighting for developers, DBAs, and analysts who work in a terminal.
read the full pgcli overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or pgcli more popular?
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars and pgcli has 13,392. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and pgcli free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and pgcli under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and pgcli?
DBeaver is written in Java and pgcli in Python. 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 pgcli?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,797 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose pgcli if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.