head to head · open source
typeorm vs HeidiSQL
typeorm has 36,661 GitHub stars, 6,691 forks, 646 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. HeidiSQL has 6,315 stars, 600 forks, 324 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. typeorm leads on adoption by 481% (36,661 vs 6,315 stars). typeorm is written in TypeScript under MIT; HeidiSQL is written in Pascal under GPL-2.0. typeorm has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, HeidiSQL 10%. HeidiSQL was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (mariadb), 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
| typeorm | HeidiSQL | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 6.3K |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Pascal |
| Last push | 2026-10-29 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.7K | ⑂ 600 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick typeorm if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick HeidiSQL if
- You want the HeidiSQL feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Pascal
- You evaluated both and HeidiSQL fits your workflow better
About typeorm
TypeORM is an ORM that can run in Node.js, Browser, Cordova, Ionic, React Native, NativeScript, Expo, and Electron platforms and can be used with TypeScript and JavaScript (ES2023). Its goal is to always support the latest JavaScript features and provide additional features that help you to develop any kind of application that uses databases from small applications with a few tables to large scale enterprise applications with multiple databases. TypeORM supports more databases than any other JS/TS ORM: Google Spanner, Microsoft SqlServer, MySQL/MariaDB, MongoDB, Oracle, Postgres, SAP HANA and SQLite, as well as…
read the full typeorm overview →
About HeidiSQL
HeidiSQL HeidiSQL is a graphical interface for managing MariaDB or MySQL servers, Microsoft SQL databases, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Interbase or Firebird. "Heidi" lets you browse and edit data, create and edit tables, views, procedures, triggers and scheduled events. Also, you can export structure and data, either to SQL file, clipboard or to other servers. Read about features or see some screenshots. Need help? Look at the online help page to learn how to use HeidiSQL. The forum is meant to ask questions. The issue tracker is the place to report bugs or request new features. Building For compiling on platforms other…
read the full HeidiSQL overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is typeorm or HeidiSQL more popular?
typeorm has 36,661 GitHub stars and HeidiSQL has 6,315. typeorm has the larger community by that measure.
Are typeorm and HeidiSQL free?
Both are open source. typeorm is licensed under MIT and HeidiSQL under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between typeorm and HeidiSQL?
typeorm is written in TypeScript and HeidiSQL in Pascal. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, typeorm or HeidiSQL?
Choose typeorm if you want the larger community (36,661 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose HeidiSQL if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.