head to head · open source
DBeaver vs TiDB
DBeaver has 51,791 GitHub stars, 4,371 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. TiDB has 40,541 stars, 6,242 forks, 6,976 open issues and last shipped yesterday. DBeaver leads on adoption by 28% (51,791 vs 40,541 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; TiDB is written in Go under Apache-2.0. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, TiDB 15%. TiDB was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai, 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 | TiDB | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 41K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 6.2K |
| 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 TiDB if
- You want the TiDB feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and TiDB 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 TiDB
TiDB is an open source, cloud native, distributed SQL database written in Go and licensed under Apache 2.0, aimed at teams that need ACID transactions, real time analytics, and vector search at scale without data silos.
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or TiDB more popular?
DBeaver has 51,791 GitHub stars and TiDB has 40,541. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and TiDB free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and TiDB under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and TiDB?
DBeaver is written in Java and TiDB in Go. 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 TiDB?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,791 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose TiDB if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.