7 Best Azure Data Studio Alternatives in 2026
Last updated 23 August 2026 · By the SaturnSQL team
We build SaturnSQL, one of the tools on this list
So read this with that in mind. We have tried to earn your trust instead of assuming it: every price below was checked against the vendor’s own pricing or project page and is dated, we say plainly where other tools beat us, and where you would be better off with something else we tell you which one.
Azure Data Studio retired on 28 February 2026. It still launches and still connects, which is exactly why so many people are still using it — but it receives no updates, no security patches and no maintenance, and anything you report from here on will not be fixed.
Microsoft’s own answer is Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, and it is a good one: queries, scripts and SQL database projects open without conversion. We have put it first on this list, above ourselves, because for most people it is simply the right move. The rest of this page is for the cases where it is not — Mac users who want a native app, teams who need SQL Server Agent, and anyone whose Azure Data Studio was really a reporting tool that other people depended on.
The one thing to know before you choose
Microsoft split Azure Data Studio’s job across two tools rather than one. Development, schema tooling and notebooks go to VS Code with the MSSQL extension. SQL Server Agent and full administration stay in SSMS, which is Windows only. If you managed Agent jobs from Azure Data Studio on a Mac, there is no single replacement for you, and no amount of tool-shopping produces one. Plan for two tools, or move that work to whoever has a Windows machine.
Pick by what matters to you
- VS Code + MSSQL extension, The official migration path, and the right answer for most people
- SQL Server Management Studio, SQL Server Agent, and the administration Azure Data Studio never fully took over
- SaturnSQL, Teams whose Azure Data Studio work was queries and reports other people needed
- DBeaver, Keeping the cross-platform, multi-engine habit Azure Data Studio gave you
- DataGrip, People who wanted Azure Data Studio to be a real IDE
- TablePlus, A fast native client on macOS, where SSMS was never an option
- DbVisualizer, A mature cross-platform client with a real free tier
Feature comparison
| SaturnSQL | Azure Data Studio | VS Code + MSSQL extension | SQL Server Management Studio | DBeaver | DataGrip | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still supported* | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser-based | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Runs on macOS / Linux | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free tier* | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ |
| SQL Server Agent jobs | — | ~ | — | ✓ | — | — |
| Backup / restore / DACPAC | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | — |
| SQL notebooks | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Shared query library | ✓ Paid | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scheduled queries* | ✓ Paid | — | — | ~ | — | — |
| Export to Google Sheets | ✓ Paid | — | — | — | — | — |
| Send to Slack | ✓ Paid | — | — | — | — | — |
| SQL Server | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PostgreSQL | ✓ | ~ | ~ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| MySQL / MariaDB | ✓ | ~ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| ClickHouse | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| BigQuery | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Licence model | Subscription | Retired | Free | Free | Free / sub | Subscription |
| Starting price | €19/mo | — | Free | Free | Free | Free non-comm. |
✓ available · ✓ Paid = not on the free tier · Pro (beta) = Pro plan, limited beta · ~ partial · ? not documented by the vendor · — not available
- Still supported: Azure Data Studio retired 28 February 2026: no updates, no security patches.
- Free tier: DataGrip is free for non-commercial use only. SaturnSQL’s free tier is 1 connection and 1 saved query.
- Scheduled queries: SQL Server Agent can schedule jobs inside SQL Server itself; that is a different thing from a tool scheduling a query and delivering the rows somewhere.
Prices checked 23 August 2026 against each vendor’s own pricing page: SaturnSQL · Azure Data Studio · VS Code + MSSQL extension · SQL Server Management Studio · DBeaver · DataGrip.
The 7 best Azure Data Studio alternatives
VS Code + MSSQL extension
Best for: The official migration path, and the right answer for most peopleVisual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension is what Microsoft built the Azure Data Studio exit ramp for: your existing queries, scripts and SQL database projects open without conversion, it is free, and it runs on the same three platforms.
Strong
- + Microsoft’s own recommended replacement, so it is the path that will keep getting investment
- + Queries, scripts and SQL database projects open with no conversion
- + Schema Compare, Schema Designer, Query Profiler, DACPAC import/export and flat-file import all present
- + Free, cross-platform, and integrates with Git, CI/CD and GitHub Copilot
Limits
- − Primarily SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance and SQL database in Fabric
- − PostgreSQL needs a separate extension; the MySQL extension is still pending announcement
- − SQL Server Agent moves to SSMS, not here
- − It is an editor you assemble, not a database tool that arrives finished
Pricing: Visual Studio Code and the MSSQL extension are both free. GitHub Copilot integration is available but Copilot itself is billed separately. pricing page, checked 23 August 2026.
SQL Server Management Studio
Best for: SQL Server Agent, and the administration Azure Data Studio never fully took overSSMS is free and remains Microsoft’s supported home for SQL Server Agent and general administration — which is precisely the work the MSSQL extension does not cover, so many teams end up running both.
Strong
- + Free, and the deepest SQL Server administration tooling that exists
- + SQL Server Agent job management, which VS Code does not replace
- + XEvent Profiler and the full maintenance surface
Limits
- − Windows only, which is the reason a lot of people moved to Azure Data Studio in the first place
- − SQL Server family only: no PostgreSQL, no MySQL
- − Heavy, and the interface shows its age
Pricing: Free from Microsoft. Windows only. pricing page, checked 23 August 2026.
SaturnSQL
Best for: Teams whose Azure Data Studio work was queries and reports other people neededSaturnSQL is a browser-based SQL editor with a shared query library and scheduled delivery to Google Sheets and Slack — it replaces the querying and reporting half of Azure Data Studio, and none of the administration half.
Strong
- + Nothing to install, so there is no next retirement to migrate off a desktop app for
- + Shared query library, so a query outlives the person who wrote it
- + Scheduled delivery to Google Sheets and Slack, which Azure Data Studio never had
- + SQL Server alongside PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redshift, ClickHouse, BigQuery and DynamoDB in one place
Limits
- − No administration: no SQL Server Agent, no backup and restore, no DACPAC
- − No notebooks, which for some Azure Data Studio users was the whole point
- − No self-hosting, and the free tier is a demo: 1 connection, 1 saved query
Pricing: Starter €19 per user per month, including scheduling. Pro €29 is in limited beta. Free tier is 1 connection and 1 saved query with no sharing. pricing page, checked 3 August 2026.
DBeaver
Best for: Keeping the cross-platform, multi-engine habit Azure Data Studio gave youDBeaver Community Edition is free, cross-platform and speaks nearly every engine, which makes it the natural home for anyone who used Azure Data Studio precisely because it was not Windows-only and not SQL Server-only.
Strong
- + Community Edition free and open source, no seat limit
- + Windows, macOS and Linux, like Azure Data Studio was
- + SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle and most everything else in one client
Limits
- − Java-based and heavier than either Azure Data Studio or VS Code
- − No SQL Server Agent management
- − Desktop only: no shared query library, no scheduled delivery
Pricing: Community Edition free. Lite $113 per year. Enterprise $255 per year. Ultimate $510 per year. CloudBeaver Enterprise, the browser product, $1,025 per year. pricing page, checked 3 August 2026.
DataGrip
Best for: People who wanted Azure Data Studio to be a real IDEDataGrip is JetBrains’ database IDE with refactoring, inspections and version control built in — a genuine step up in code intelligence from Azure Data Studio, and free for non-commercial use since October 2025.
Strong
- + IntelliJ-grade completion, refactoring and inspections
- + Free for non-commercial use since October 2025
- + Cross-platform, multi-engine, with Git integration for SQL files
Limits
- − €259 per user per year for commercial use
- − No SQL Server administration to speak of
- − Single-user IDE: no shared library, no scheduling
Pricing: Free for non-commercial use since October 2025, renewed annually and requiring anonymised usage telemetry. Organisations pay €259 per user per year, with a perpetual fallback licence after 12 months. pricing page, checked 3 August 2026.
TablePlus
Best for: A fast native client on macOS, where SSMS was never an optionTablePlus is a fast, polished native client covering SQL Server alongside a dozen other engines, with a perpetual licence from $99 — the closest thing to a pleasant desktop experience for Mac users leaving Azure Data Studio.
Strong
- + Genuinely fast and native on macOS, Windows and Linux
- + Perpetual licence from $99, so it keeps working after the update year
- + Wide engine support including SQL Server, PostgreSQL and MySQL
Limits
- − No administration tooling and no notebooks
- − Free tier caps you at 2 open tabs and 2 windows
- − Single seat: no shared query library
Pricing: Basic $99 for one device, Standard $129 for two, Team $79 per seat starting at three seats. All perpetual, each including one year of updates and support. pricing page, checked 8 August 2026.
DbVisualizer
Best for: A mature cross-platform client with a real free tierDbVisualizer is a two-decade-old JDBC client with a genuinely usable free tier and a Pro licence from $199 per user for the first year, covering SQL Server alongside everything else you might connect to.
Strong
- + Free tier with the standard feature set and no time limit
- + Very broad engine support through JDBC
- + Perpetual fallback licence included in the subscription
Limits
- − Java-based desktop app, with the weight that implies
- − No SQL Server Agent management
- − No shared query library or scheduled delivery
Pricing: Free version with the standard feature set. Pro $199 per user for the first year with standard support, $229 with premium support; renewals $89 and $119 per user per year. Volume and academic discounts available. pricing page, checked 20 August 2026.
If the problem is not the client
There is a category of Azure Data Studio user for whom none of the above quite lands: the person whose Azure Data Studio was, in practice, a reporting tool. A handful of queries, run on a Monday, pasted into a spreadsheet somebody else reads. The tool retired, and the ritual is now homeless.
That work does not want a desktop client at all. SaturnSQL keeps queries in a shared library the team can read, and can run a saved query on a schedule and push the rows straight into Google Sheets or Slack. It connects to SQL Server, so the queries move across. What it does not do is administration — if you came to this page for SQL Server Agent, backups or DACPAC, use SSMS and ignore us entirely.
How we judged
We ranked on how completely each tool covers what people actually used Azure Data Studio for — cross-platform SQL Server querying, schema work, notebooks and light administration — and we weighted Microsoft’s own recommended path first, because continuity of support is the thing that just failed. The retirement date and replacement guidance were read from Microsoft Learn on 23 August 2026. DbVisualizer figures were verified on 20 August 2026, TablePlus on 8 August 2026, and DBeaver and DataGrip on 3 August 2026, each linked from its entry above. We build SaturnSQL, so treat our verdict on ourselves with appropriate suspicion and check the table. See also our DBeaver alternatives, DataGrip alternatives and MySQL Workbench alternatives roundups.
Frequently asked questions
Is Azure Data Studio discontinued?
Yes. Azure Data Studio retired on 28 February 2026 and no longer receives updates, security patches or maintenance. The application still launches and still connects, so nothing broke overnight — but it is unsupported software, and anything you report will not be fixed. Microsoft directs users to Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, and to SQL Server Management Studio for SQL Server Agent and full administration.
What is Microsoft’s official replacement for Azure Data Studio?
Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension. Microsoft’s position is that your existing queries, scripts and SQL database projects open there without conversion, and the extension carries Schema Compare, Schema Designer, Query Profiler, DACPAC and BACPAC import/export, flat-file import and SQL notebooks. The exception is SQL Server Agent, which moves to SSMS rather than to VS Code.
Can I keep using Azure Data Studio after retirement?
Technically yes — Microsoft did not disable it remotely. Whether you should is a security question rather than a functionality one. An unpatched database client holds live credentials for production systems and will not receive fixes for anything found in it from here on. Most teams treat the retirement as a deadline that has already passed rather than a suggestion.
What is the best Azure Data Studio alternative for macOS?
VS Code with the MSSQL extension is the official answer and runs on macOS, so it is the lowest-friction move. If you want a native app instead of an editor, TablePlus is fast and polished with a $99 perpetual licence. If you want the multi-engine breadth for free, DBeaver Community Edition covers SQL Server alongside nearly everything else. SSMS is not an option here — it is Windows only, which is why many Mac users adopted Azure Data Studio in the first place.
Do I need both VS Code and SSMS after the migration?
Often, yes, and it is worth planning for. Microsoft split the work: day-to-day development, schema tooling and notebooks live in VS Code with the MSSQL extension, while SQL Server Agent jobs and full administration stay in SSMS. If your Azure Data Studio use was purely querying, VS Code alone is enough. If you managed Agent jobs from it, you need SSMS too — and SSMS is Windows only.
Is there a browser-based alternative to Azure Data Studio?
Yes. SaturnSQL runs entirely in the browser, with a shared query library and scheduled delivery to Google Sheets and Slack, covering SQL Server alongside PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, Redshift, ClickHouse, BigQuery and DynamoDB. It replaces the querying and reporting half of Azure Data Studio and none of the administration half — no SQL Server Agent, no backup and restore, no DACPAC, no notebooks. If those were why you opened Azure Data Studio, VS Code or SSMS is your answer, not us.
Shared queries and scheduled reports, in the browser, from €19 per user per month.