Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

HeidiSQL VS Navicat

Compare HeidiSQL VS Navicat and see what are their differences

HeidiSQL logo HeidiSQL

HeidiSQL is a powerful and easy client for MySQL, MariaDB, Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL. Open source and entirely free to use.

Navicat logo Navicat

Powerful database management & design tool for Win, Mac & Linux. With intuitive GUI, user manages MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, SQLite, Oracle & PostgreSQL DB easily.
  • HeidiSQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-15
  • Navicat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-09

HeidiSQL features and specs

  • Cost
    HeidiSQL is open-source and free to use, which makes it an affordable choice for individuals and organizations.
  • Multiple Database Support
    The tool supports a wide range of database systems including MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server, providing flexibility for users.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    HeidiSQL offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced users.
  • Query Editor
    The integrated query editor includes syntax highlighting and autocompletion, which enhances productivity and reduces errors.
  • Data Export and Import
    Users can easily export and import data in various formats like CSV, SQL, and XML, facilitating data management tasks.
  • Active Community
    A strong community of users and developers provides support, plugins, and regular updates.
  • Session Management
    HeidiSQL offers advanced session management features, allowing users to handle multiple database connections simultaneously.

Possible disadvantages of HeidiSQL

  • Platform Limitation
    HeidiSQL is primarily designed for Windows, which can be a limitation for users on other operating systems like macOS and Linux.
  • Lacks Some Features
    Compared to some other database management tools, HeidiSQL may lack advanced features such as graphical execution plans and integrated SSH tunneling.
  • Performance Issues
    Users have reported occasional performance issues, especially when dealing with large datasets or complex queries.
  • Learning Curve
    While generally user-friendly, some features and configurations can still be complex for beginners, necessitating time to learn.
  • Limited Data Visualization
    The tool offers limited data visualization options, which may not be sufficient for users requiring advanced data analytics capabilities.
  • Dependency on Wine for Linux
    Running HeidiSQL on Linux typically requires using Wine, which can introduce compatibility issues and reduce performance.

Navicat features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Navicat offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies database management tasks for users of all levels.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Navicat supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing users to work on their preferred platform.
  • Comprehensive Database Support
    Navicat supports a wide range of database systems such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQLite, SQL Server, and MariaDB, making it versatile for different projects.
  • Advanced Data Manipulation
    Navicat provides robust data import and export options, data synchronization, and backup capabilities to manage data efficiently.
  • Collaboration Features
    Navicat offers features like Navicat Cloud, which enables team collaboration, project sharing, and real-time access to projects.
  • Powerful SQL Editing
    Navicat includes an advanced SQL editor with features such as code completion, syntax highlighting, and query building tools, which enhance the SQL writing experience.
  • Data Visualization
    Navicat provides various data visualization tools, including charts and dashboards, to help users analyze their data graphically.

Possible disadvantages of Navicat

  • Cost
    Navicat is a premium tool and can be relatively expensive, particularly for individual users or small teams, compared to some free alternatives.
  • Resource Intensive
    Navicat can be resource-intensive and may require significant system resources, which might affect performance on lower-end machines.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic features are user-friendly, mastering Navicat's advanced functionalities may take time and effort, especially for newcomers.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free trial version of Navicat is limited in functionality and time, which might not be sufficient for thorough evaluation by potential users.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Some users have reported occasional crashes or stability issues, especially when handling large datasets or complex operations.
  • No Built-in Query Optimization Tool
    Navicat lacks a dedicated query optimization tool, which may necessitate the use of additional resources for performance tuning.
  • Version-Specific Documentation
    The documentation and tutorials are sometimes version-specific, which may cause confusion when navigating updates or differences between versions.

HeidiSQL videos

[HeidiSQL] Main features review

More videos:

  • Review - Tutorial HeidiSQL with MariaDB and MySQL Part 5 Relation 2 tables and more
  • Tutorial - HeidiSQL Tutorial 05 :- How to Import and Export database in HeidiSQL

Navicat videos

How can Navicat help you?

More videos:

  • Review - Software Reviews 105 Navicat Premium 12
  • Review - Software Reviews 105 Navicat Premium 12

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to HeidiSQL and Navicat)
Databases
64 64%
36% 36
Database Management
57 57%
43% 43
MySQL Tools
63 63%
37% 37
Database Tools
45 45%
55% 55

User comments

Share your experience with using HeidiSQL and Navicat. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare HeidiSQL and Navicat

HeidiSQL Reviews

  1. Mark-Mercer
    · self emloyed dba at Shatz ·
    very good and handy tool

    There was a need to work with the MS SQL database, but I did not want to install and understand the complex SQL Management Studio program, and this product turned out to be very easy to install and use. For more then 2 month i've used the tool haven't came across any issues.

    🏁 Competitors: SQL Server Management Studio
    👍 Pros:    Lightweight|Simple yet powerful and efficient tool|Many built-in features
    👎 Cons:    Nothing, so far

TOP 10 IDEs for SQL Database Management & Administration [2024]
HeidiSQL is one of the most popular multidatabase IDEs for database developers and administrators. It is free and open-source, thus opening excellent customization possibilities for the users. Also, it offers decent functionality to perform standard tasks across diverse databases. Though it lacks some advanced options that might be found in more robust IDEs, HeidiSQL can...
Source: blog.devart.com
5 Free & Open Source DBeaver Alternatives for 2024
Created in 2002, HeidiSQL is a well respected and mature GUI for managing MySQL, MariaDB, Microsoft SQL, and PostgreSQL databases on Microsoft Windows. It offers a robust set of features including a graphical interface for managing databases and data visually.
Top Ten MySQL GUI Tools
Navicat for MySQL is a powerful graphical interface that synchronizes your connection settings, models, and queries to the Navicat Cloud for automatic saving and sharing at any given time. Just like HeidiSQL, Navicat for MySQL has the ability to connect to a MySQL database through an SSH tunnel. It also offers workable data migration by providing comprehensive data format...
Top 10 of Most Helpful MySQL GUI Tools
The existing database tools for MySQL are many, and you can always find the right solution. There are both free and paid solutions. While the freeware tools like HeidiSQL or the Workbench free edition provide the basic functionality to do quintessential jobs, database professionals often need additional options. In this aspect, we’d recommend turning to advanced toolsets...
Source: www.hforge.org
20 Best SQL Management Tools in 2020
HeidiSQL is another reliable SQL management tool. It is designed using the popular MySQL server, Microsoft SQL databases, and PostgreSQL. It allows users to browse and edit data, create and edit tables, views, triggers and scheduled events.
Source: www.guru99.com

Navicat Reviews

Top pgAdmin Alternatives 2023
Navicat is another long-established database GUI tool, which supports a long list of databases. It is a great single-user SQL client that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. However, it has a serious limitation in multi-user scenarios where team collaboration and centralized control are needed. Navicat is not open-source, nor does it offer a free version, it operates on a...
15 Best MySQL GUI Clients for macOS
Navicat is a universal database development and administration solution that supports most of the popular database management systems and cloud platforms. With its help, you can easily design and manage entire databases and specific database objects, migrate data, compare and synchronize your databases, build queries, and perform reverse engineering.
Source: blog.devart.com
Best MySQL GUI Clients for Linux in 2023
The Navicat users can design and handle databases and database objects, migrate the data between tables and different databases, compare and synchronize databases (both the data and schemas), and deploy changes. The reverse engineering module and a powerful query builder with graphical interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality let you perform the most complicated tasks faster.
Source: blog.devart.com
9 Best Database Software For Mac [Reviewed & Ranked]
Navicat is a premium, multi-connection database development and administration tool for professional developers who work with databases. It works with database systems like MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, and SQL Server.
Source: alvarotrigo.com
Best Database Tools for 2022
You can install Navicat on Windows, Linux, or Mac OS for modeling data in SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, and many other major DBMSs. Navicat comes with three standard notations – Crow’s Foot, UML, and IDEF1X – and has many automated features for creating logical models, physical models, and physical databases.
Source: vertabelo.com

What are some alternatives?

When comparing HeidiSQL and Navicat, you can also consider the following products

DBeaver - DBeaver - Universal Database Manager and SQL Client.

DataGrip - Tool for SQL and databases

MySQL Workbench - MySQL Workbench is a unified visual tool for database architects, developers, and DBAs.

phpMyAdmin - phpMyAdmin is a tool written in PHP intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the Web.

SQL Developer - Oracle SQL Developer is a free, development environment that simplifies the management of Oracle Database in both traditional and Cloud deployments.

DbVisualizer - DbVisualizer is the universal database tool for developers, DBAs and analysts.