head to head · open source
DBeaver vs pgcli
DBeaver has 52,273 GitHub stars, 4,442 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pgcli has 13,429 stars, 615 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 289% (52,273 vs 13,429 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 | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 615 |
| 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 Free multi platform database tool for developers, SQL programmers, database administrators and analysts. Has a lot of features including schema editor, SQL editor, data editor, AI chat, ER diagrams, data export/import/migration, SQL execution plans, database administration tools, database dashboards, Spatial data viewer, proxy and SSH tunnelling, custom database drivers editor, etc. Out of the box supports more than 100 database drivers . Supports any database which has JDBC or ODBC driver (basically almost all existing databases). Integrates AI tools for work with data, SQL and database structure…
read the full DBeaver overview →
About pgcli
We stand with Ukraine Ukrainian people are fighting for their country. A lot of civilians, women and children, are suffering. Hundreds were killed and injured, and thousands were displaced. This is an image from my home town, Kharkiv. This place is right in the old city center. .. image:: screenshots/kharkiv destroyed.jpg Picture by @fomenko ph (Telegram). Please consider donating or volunteering. A REPL for Postgres This is a postgres client that does auto completion and syntax highlighting. Home Page: MySQL Equivalent: .. image:: screenshots/pgcli.gif .. image:: screenshots/image01.png Quick Start If you…
read the full pgcli overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or pgcli more popular?
DBeaver has 52,273 GitHub stars and pgcli has 13,429. 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 (52,273 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.