Esploro
Comparison
Postico and TablePlus alternatives
Postico and TablePlus are two of the best-loved SQL clients on the Mac. Most people compare everything else against them. Here's an honest look at both — and at Esploro, the open source client I built — so you can pick the one that fits how you work.
The short version
| Esploro | Postico | TablePlus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS (Linux & Windows soon) | macOS | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS |
| Databases | Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB | PostgreSQL | Many (Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, more) |
| Free for personal use | ✓ no limits | Limited free mode | 2 tabs / 2 windows |
| Open source | ✓ MIT | No | No |
| Built with | Tauri 2 + Rust | Native AppKit | Native |
| Apple Silicon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Postico
Postico is a native Mac client built for PostgreSQL. If you work in Postgres and want a clean, Mac-like app, it's hard to beat.
Pros
- A native Mac UI that feels at home on macOS.
- Fast and stable for everyday browsing and editing.
- Simple and uncluttered — easy to pick up.
Cons
- PostgreSQL only — no MySQL or MariaDB.
- macOS only.
- Closed source; a paid license is needed for full use.
TablePlus
TablePlus is the Swiss-army knife. It supports a long list of databases and runs almost everywhere, so it's a safe default when you work across many systems.
Pros
- Supports many databases — Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server and more.
- Cross-platform: macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS.
- Fast native app with plenty of power-user features.
Cons
- The free tier is capped at two tabs and two windows.
- Closed source.
- All that breadth makes the UI busier than a focused tool.
Esploro
I built Esploro because I wanted something between the two: focused and fast like Postico, but covering MySQL as well as Postgres — open source, and free for personal use with no limits.
Pros
- Free for personal use, with no tab, window or row limits.
- Open source under the MIT license — nothing hidden.
- Postgres, MySQL and MariaDB in one app.
- Built with Tauri 2 and Rust: light on CPU and memory, Apple Silicon native.
- Local-first — credentials live in the macOS Keychain, with no cloud.
Cons
- macOS only today (Linux and Windows are planned).
- A younger project, so the feature set is smaller than a veteran like TablePlus.
- Commercial use requires a license.
Which should you pick?
If you work only in PostgreSQL on a Mac and love native polish, pick Postico. If you juggle many database engines across operating systems, TablePlus is the dependable choice. If you want Postgres and MySQL in one focused app that's open source and free for personal use, try Esploro.
Esploro is free for personal use and open source. It runs on macOS 13 or later, on Apple Silicon and Intel.
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