6 Best Postico Alternatives in 2026
Six Postico alternatives for PostgreSQL compared on platforms, engines and team features, with verified prices and two picks that are free.
Updated 9 October 2026. Prices checked 9 October 2026 against each vendor’s own pricing page.
- Try SaturnSQL freeSaturnSQL€19/user/mo
Teams where not everyone is on a Mac, or the same query is needed by more than one person
- TablePlus$99 once
Keeping a fast native app, beyond PostgreSQL
- pgAdminFree
A free PostgreSQL tool on every platform
- DBeaverFree / $113/yr
A free client for every database, on every platform
- Beekeeper StudioFree / $9/mo
A modern cross-platform desktop client with a clean interface
- DataGripFree non-commercial / €259/yr
Developers who want a full database IDE
Feature comparison
| SaturnSQL | Postico | TablePlus | pgAdmin | DBeaver | Beekeeper Studio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browser-based* | ✓ | — | — | ~ | — | — |
| Runs on Windows and Linux | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free tier* | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ |
| Shared query library | ✓ Paid | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scheduled queries | ✓ Paid | — | — | — | — | — |
| Export to Google Sheets | ✓ Paid | — | — | — | — | — |
| Send to Slack | ✓ Paid | — | — | — | — | — |
| PostgreSQL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amazon Redshift | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MySQL / MariaDB | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| SQL Server | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Licence model | Subscription | Perpetual | Perpetual | Free / OSS | Free / sub | Free / sub |
| Starting price | €19/mo | $99 once | $99 once | Free | Free | Free / $9/mo |
✓ available · ✓ Paid = not on the free tier · Pro = Pro plan · ~ partial · ? not documented by the vendor · — not available
- Browser-based: pgAdmin runs in a browser, but against a server you host and maintain yourself.
- Free tier: SaturnSQL’s free tier is 1 connection and 1 saved query. Postico’s evaluation version disables some features and is for evaluation only. TablePlus caps the free version at 2 open tabs. Beekeeper Community is for individuals and small businesses.
Prices checked 9 October 2026 against each vendor’s own pricing page: SaturnSQL · Postico · TablePlus · pgAdmin · DBeaver · Beekeeper Studio.
Why people leave Postico
Postico 2 is a well-made app, still actively maintained, and almost nobody leaves it because the editor is bad. People leave because of the walls around it: it runs only on macOS (14 or later for Postico 2), it opens only PostgreSQL-compatible databases, and every person on the team keeps their own connections and queries on their own Mac.
Which wall you hit decides the answer. If a teammate is on Windows or Linux, any of the cross-platform clients below will do. If you also need MySQL or SQL Server, you need a multi-engine client. If the problem is that the useful queries live on one person’s laptop, no desktop app will fix it.
First, decide which problem you’re solving
If the wall is the platform or the engine list, the desktop clients below cover it and you may not need us at all. If the wall is that every query lives on one Mac and the weekly numbers are exported by hand, that is a browser-based team editor’s job: one shared query library, connections managed once for everyone, and saved queries that run on a schedule into Google Sheets or Slack.
What a Postico licence actually costs
A commercial Postico 2 licence is $99 (€90) per device, a Team licence is $799 for up to 10 devices, and a Personal licence is $69 for one person on up to three of their own devices. All are perpetual. The evaluation version never expires, but some features are disabled and it is licensed for evaluation only. The Mac App Store version costs $69.99 and has no trial.
For one person on one Mac that is a very good deal, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. The arithmetic changes when the team grows past one platform or one engine: the Postico licences stay on the Macs, and the Windows and Linux users still need a second tool.
The 6 best Postico alternatives
SaturnSQL
Best for: Teams where not everyone is on a Mac, or the same query is needed by more than one personSaturnSQL is a browser-based SQL editor for PostgreSQL, Redshift and six other engines, with a shared query library, scheduled delivery to Google Sheets and Slack, and a hosted MCP server, which covers what Postico leaves out once a team is involved.
Strong
- + Runs in any browser, so Windows and Linux teammates use the same tool
- + Shared query library and connections, with credentials kept server-side instead of in each Mac’s Keychain
- + Scheduled delivery to Google Sheets and Slack
- + PostgreSQL and Redshift plus MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, ClickHouse, BigQuery and DynamoDB
- + Hosted MCP server, so Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can query your Postgres data
Limits
- − Not a native Mac app, and it will never feel as Mac-like as Postico
- − A subscription, where Postico is paid once
- − No CockroachDB or Greenplum support claimed, both of which Postico lists
- − No self-hosting, and the free tier is a demo: 1 connection, 1 saved query
Pricing: Starter €19 per user per month, including scheduling and the MCP server, with a 14-day trial and no credit card. Pro is €79 per seat per month, through sales. Free tier is 1 connection and 1 saved query with no sharing. pricing page, checked 9 October 2026.
TablePlus
Best for: Keeping a fast native app, beyond PostgreSQLTablePlus is the closest thing to Postico that also opens MySQL, SQL Server, SQLite and more, with the same buy-once model from $99 per device and native apps on macOS, Windows and Linux.
Strong
- + Fast and native, like Postico, but on Windows and Linux too
- + Very wide engine support beyond PostgreSQL
- + Perpetual licence that keeps working after the update year
Limits
- − Free version capped at 2 open tabs, 2 windows and 2 advanced filters
- − Single seat: no shared query library or team workspace
- − No scheduled queries and no delivery to Sheets or Slack
Pricing: Basic $99 for one device, Standard $129 for two, Team $79 per seat starting at three seats. All perpetual with a year of updates; renewal is $59 per device. pricing page, checked 9 October 2026.
pgAdmin
Best for: A free PostgreSQL tool on every platformpgAdmin is the free, open-source PostgreSQL tool from the Postgres community, running on macOS, Windows and Linux or as a self-hosted web server, and it beats Postico on administration while losing badly on day-to-day querying comfort.
Strong
- + Free and open source under the PostgreSQL licence
- + Deep administration: roles, tablespaces, vacuum, backup and restore
- + Desktop on every platform, or a self-hosted web server
Limits
- − Much heavier and slower to use than Postico for everyday queries
- − PostgreSQL only
- − No shared query library and no scheduled delivery
Pricing: Free and open source under the PostgreSQL licence, in desktop and server modes. No paid tier. pricing page, checked 9 October 2026.
DBeaver
Best for: A free client for every database, on every platformDBeaver Community Edition is free, open source and connects to nearly every database, which makes it the default free answer for anyone leaving Postico because they need more than PostgreSQL.
Strong
- + Community Edition is free with no seat or device limit
- + Supports nearly every engine, on macOS, Windows and Linux
- + ER diagrams, data transfer and SQL formatting built in
Limits
- − Java-based, and far from Postico’s native Mac feel
- − Desktop only, no shared query library
- − No scheduled delivery to Sheets or Slack
Pricing: Community Edition free. Lite $113 per year. Enterprise $255 per year. Ultimate $510 per year. pricing page, checked 3 August 2026.
Beekeeper Studio
Best for: A modern cross-platform desktop client with a clean interfaceBeekeeper Studio is a polished, local-first desktop client on macOS, Windows and Linux that comes closest to Postico’s simplicity among cross-platform tools, though its free Community Edition is meant only for individuals and small companies.
Strong
- + Clean modern interface, local-first
- + Runs on macOS, Windows and Linux
- + Many engines, including PostgreSQL, Redshift, CockroachDB, MySQL and SQL Server
Limits
- − Community Edition is for individuals and businesses under 10 employees or $1M revenue
- − Paid plans are per user per month
- − No shared library, no scheduled delivery
Pricing: Community Edition free for individuals and small businesses. Indie $9, Professional $14 and Business $18 per user per month billed yearly ($18, $28 and $35 billed monthly). 14-day trial. pricing page, checked 9 October 2026.
DataGrip
Best for: Developers who want a full database IDEDataGrip is JetBrains’ database IDE, with refactoring, inspections and version control, free for non-commercial use since October 2025, and the opposite of Postico’s minimalism.
Strong
- + Free for non-commercial use since October 2025
- + IntelliJ-grade code intelligence and refactoring
- + Every major engine, on every platform
Limits
- − Heavy, and far more IDE than most Postico users want
- − The free licence cannot be used for commercial work
- − Single-user: no shared library, no scheduling
Pricing: Free for non-commercial use since October 2025. Organisations pay €259 per user per year, with a perpetual fallback licence after 12 months. pricing page, checked 3 August 2026.
If the problem is not the client
Every desktop tool above keeps connections, passwords and saved queries on each person’s machine, just like Postico. Swapping one for another does nothing about the same query being rewritten by three people, or the weekly report being exported by hand.
SaturnSQL is the browser-based PostgreSQL editor for that case. Queries live in a shared library, connections are added once for the whole team, and a saved query can run on a schedule into Google Sheets or Slack.
And if what you want is Claude or ChatGPT answering questions from your Postgres data, no desktop client helps there either. SaturnSQL’s hosted PostgreSQL MCP server lets each teammate connect their assistant with a sign-in, without a connection string in a config file. If none of this is your problem, keep Postico: it is the nicer app for solo work on a Mac.
How we judged
We ranked on how well each tool covers what people use Postico for, which is browsing tables and running ad-hoc queries against PostgreSQL, and on whether it removes the reason they are leaving. Postico, TablePlus, Beekeeper Studio, pgAdmin and SaturnSQL figures were read from their own pages on 9 October 2026; DBeaver and DataGrip were verified on 3 August 2026. Each figure is linked from its entry above. Where a competitor beats SaturnSQL we have said so in its Limits list. See also our TablePlus alternatives, pgAdmin alternatives and the best SQL clients for Mac.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free Postico alternative?
pgAdmin is the free PostgreSQL-focused option: open source, maintained by the Postgres community and available on macOS, Windows and Linux. DBeaver Community Edition is the free choice if you also need MySQL, SQL Server or other databases. Neither feels as native on a Mac as Postico.
Is Postico free?
Postico 2 has an evaluation version with no time limit, but some features are disabled and it is licensed for evaluation only. A commercial licence is $99 (€90) per device, a Team licence is $799 for up to 10 devices, and a Personal licence is $69. All are perpetual. The Mac App Store version is $69.99 and has no trial.
Does Postico work on Windows or Linux?
No. Postico is macOS only, and Postico 2 requires macOS 14 or later. If part of your team is on Windows or Linux, TablePlus, DBeaver, Beekeeper Studio and pgAdmin all run there, and SaturnSQL runs in any browser.
Does Postico support MySQL?
No. Postico supports PostgreSQL and PostgreSQL-compatible databases, with first-class support for Amazon Redshift, CockroachDB and Greenplum. For MySQL, SQL Server or SQLite you need a second tool, or a multi-engine client such as TablePlus, DBeaver or SaturnSQL.
Can a team share queries in Postico?
Not as a shared library. Postico can sync server settings through iCloud or Dropbox, and queries are local files you can organise in folders, but there is no team workspace, no roles and no shared query library. SaturnSQL keeps queries and connections in one shared workspace, with credentials stored server-side.
Can Claude or ChatGPT query my Postgres database instead?
Yes, with an MCP server. SaturnSQL includes a hosted MCP server on the Starter plan: add https://mcp.saturnsql.com/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code, sign in, and the assistant can read your Postgres schema and run queries through the connection your team shares, without seeing the password. Postico has no AI features.
Shared Postgres queries and scheduled reports, in the browser, from €19 per user per month.
