head to head · open source
DBeaver vs lowdb
DBeaver has 51,814 GitHub stars, 4,374 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. lowdb has 22,580 stars, 962 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 129% (51,814 vs 22,580 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; lowdb is written in JavaScript under MIT. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, lowdb 4%. 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 | lowdb | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 23K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-03-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 962 |
| 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 lowdb if
- You want the lowdb feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and lowdb 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 lowdb
lowdb is a small, MIT licensed embedded JSON database for JavaScript and TypeScript that persists data to a plain db.json file, aimed at Node.js, Electron, and browser projects that need local storage without running a database server.
read the full lowdb overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or lowdb more popular?
DBeaver has 51,814 GitHub stars and lowdb has 22,580. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and lowdb free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and lowdb under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and lowdb?
DBeaver is written in Java and lowdb 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 lowdb?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,814 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose lowdb if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.