Best 8 GUI tools for MySQL

MySQL is basically handled using command prompt or Terminal window according to the operating system. Working with command-line operations can be tricky and hard so people don’t like to work with command-line operations much often. Graphical User Interfaces are introduced to overcome this issue. Good GUI should give an easy way to initiate the commands and should be more user friendly. According to the features and performance, GUI s can be ranked. Here are the best GUI tools for the MySQL platform.

01. MySQL Workbench

MySQL Workbench is the default GUI tool provided by Oracle with Sun Systems. This is a more popular and unique visual tool for the developers. MySQL Workbench provides important features like data modeling, SQL Development, and comprehensive administrative tools. This is an open-source software and available on Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X.

MySQL Workbench designs enable the developers to handle complex ER modules in simple criteria and deliver documentation, performance management tasks with minimum effort and time.

The GUI provides visual tools for creating and optimizing the SQL queries and commands for the developers and also allows the administrators to use a visual console for the administration. MySQL Workbench also allows to migration the databases from SQL Server, Access, Sybase ASE, PostgreSQL, and other corresponding tools.

MySQL Workbench UI | Download

Interfaces and user interactions can be easily handled from Workbench and response time is comparatively minimum than the market competitors. Simple design, clean user interface, and easy handling push MySQL Workbench to the top of the list. MySQL Workbench is available free. Still, MySQL Workbench is a bit advance for the average users.

Pros

1. Internal Resources are available for the users.
2. Complex operations can be simplified by the GUI.
3. EER Diagrams are supported in the Workbench.
4. Open source and supported for every platform.
5. Community Driven.

Cons

1. System Crashes and maintenance failures.
2. High amount of resource consumption.
3. Difficult for the average users.

02. phpMyAdmin

This is a very popular GUI tool among the average database handlers written in PHP. phpMyAdmin provides a web-based GUI platform to work with the databases. As a complementary hosting tool for the server platforms, WAMP Server or XAMPP Server can be used. phpMyAdmin comes with a series of documentation needed for the initial phase and users are welcome to update the resource pages according to their experiences.

Interface f the phpMyAdmin dashboard

All the languages support phpMyAdmin, and the clean and clear documentation helps users to manage the software better. phpMyAdmin also allows the user to import and export their databases so that the user able handle many databases they want.

Also, phpMyAdmin is platform-independent and can be used in any operating system. The interface delivers all the necessary features to the user, and there won’t be any complications, and the user doesn’t have to remember all the queries.

These features place phpMyAdmin in the second place and comparing to MySQL Workbench offline access and multiple connection handling ability are the only features that are not in the phpMyAdmin.

Pros

1. Web-based GUI, therefore users can access it on any computer in the world.
2. A low amount of resource consumption and helps to optimize the computer much better.
3. Simple design and easy to understand.
4. Lots of hosting services are available for phpMyAdmin.

Cons

1. All the systems are running online and if the remote database works offline that makes issues to the user.
2. Code highlighting is not available and users find it hard to work with.

03. DBeaver

DBeaver is a multi-platform database management tool that allows the users to handle multiple database connections and databases in one environment. DBeaver delivers all the required features and makes an offline GUI platform for the users.

Comparatively minimum local resources are required to host the tool on the computer but lack of features and low response in the community forums make DBeaver slightly less popular among the users.

DBeaver creates a simple UI design and the identification of the features are more simpler. ER diagrams can be added to the DBeaver and users can configure the database using the MySQL queries provided by the tool.

DBeaver available free and contributors & the community makes the necessary changes and updates to the software. DBeaver ranked at three because of the function failures and low community support.

DBeaver Interface

Pros

1. Free and Open Source.
2. Setup is simple and automatically detects the necessary downloads.
3. IDE plugins are available and connections are less complex.
4. Clean and simple interface.

Cons

1. Functions are not showed in the interface.
2. Function errors and failures.

04. DataGrip

DataGrip is a platform-independent database management GUI and it allows to management of different types of databases at the same time. DataGrip is a fine product of popular company JET BRAINS. DataGrip is a paid GUI tool and there are different versions for personal use and organizational use.

Multi-language support is the key feature of the DataGrip and that delivers the users to work with different types of databases in one environment.

DataGrip is a powerful full GUI tool and it allows the user to insert, create, navigate and delete databases and tables among other necessary features. Searching through the set of data using the ‘Ctrl + F’ key combination also a popular feature among the users.

As all JET BRAINS products DataGrip also very expensive therefore it is less popular among personal users. DataGrip requires a high amount of local resources and it’s difficult to run on a regular computer. Because of these reasons DataGrip has ranked at number four.

It will cost around USD 90 per year for the personal use subscription and an organizational subscription nearly cost around USD 200.

DataGrip Interface | Pricing

Pros

1. Multiple language support.
2. Cross-platform for all working operating systems.
3. Version Control support and avoid mistakes.
4. Powerful than the competition.

Cons

1. High amount of local resources required and make a major effect on computer performance.
2. Higher cost and low user-friendliness.

05. Sequel Pro

Sequel Pro is a popular database management tool among the Mac OS users. It’s only available in Mac OS and it’s a community-driven software. This tool is freely available and if you can, you can contribute to the development. MySQL is fully supported for the Sequel Pro and well popular among the small scale business.

Sequel Pro allows execute the queries locally and the simple design made it popular among the users. It also connects with the remote databases and many connections can be handled using several tabs in the Sequel Pro interface. Various kinds of filters available in the GUI and you don’t have to be an expert on database management to handle the databases in Sequel Pro.

But this tool consumes a big amount of local resources and slows down your computer. Sometimes this tool intends to crash or work a bit slow. Because of these and the not available for other operating systems drag Sequel Pro down to the fifth in the list.

Sequel PRO welcome page | Donate

Pros

1. Easy installation process and simple UI design.
2. Import and Export features also supported for the different types of frameworks.
3. Easy to manage mobile development platforms and databases.
4. Rich interfaces allows user to communicate between databases and tables in a minimum amount of time.

Cons

1. The higher amount of resource consumption leads to crashes and failures.
2. Only available for Mac OS users.

06. Navicat for MySQL

Navicat for MySQL is a popular development platform that allows users to interact with remote databases. There are several editions of Navicat in the market and all the editions are platform-independent therefore used in every operating system.

Navicat interface delivers all the critical operations and data visualization tools, data migration, easy collaboration features. Navicat of ell popular among the famous companies and the interface can be customized according to the user.

Navicat is a paid software but with the competition Navicat only requires around 300 USD for the entire non-commercial License.

The main drawback of the Navicat is the bugs through the system and often crashes. Even the latest updates couldn’t correct the error and considering these factors Navicat placed at the sixth place in the list.

Navicat Webpage | Download

Pros

1. Data & Structures can be synchronized easily.
2. Unicode support is available for the Navicat GUI.
3. Easy to use and light weighted features.
4. Job scheduling available for the batches.
5. Cross-platform availability.

Cons

1. Consistence bugs.
2. Difficulties with the crashes.

07. DBForge Studio

DBForge Studio is an advanced database management GUI tool and exceedingly used for generic database operations and especially for analyzing purposes. DBForge Studio provides extensive features for the users and a bunch of inbuilt functions that make the procedures automate and push the database management into an agile phase of management.

The user interface design and rich interfaces made this tool more popular among the community and DBForge comes with three special paid editions as Standard, Professional, and Enterprise. They also provide a free edition called DBForge Studio Express.

However high amount of payments have pushed users away from the tool as well a high amount of resource usage also an effective factor in this tool. DBForge Studio requires a .NET framework for the execution and only supported for the Windows operating system. These features put DBForge in the seventh position in the list.

dbForge Webpage | Download | Pricing

Pros

1. Easy to use, information in the interface creates a clear path to the procedures.
2. All the scripts are easily generated and response time is considerably low.

Cons

1. Local resources are uses extensively and intend to crash on frequent occasions.
2. Only works for windows platforms.
3. Too expensive. Enterprise edition costs around 700 USD.

08. HeidiSQL

HeidiSQL is written by German programmer Ansgar Becker in 2002. It’s only available on windows and a simple design structure makes the platform much easy for MySQL users. This is a community-driven GUI tool and users can contribute to the development procedures. If you are using Linux based operating system you can run HeidiSQL under the wine cross-platform.

Connect to the multiple servers using a single window and server connection is made by the command-line are the key features in HeidiSQL. Also, HeidiSQL is light weighted therefore minimum amount of local resources needed for this tool.

However comparing to the competitors HeidiSQL provides only basic features and users may have to go through a rigorous process to handle the databases. These drawbacks made HeidiSQL down to the seventh place in the list of GUI tools.

HeidiSQL | Donations

Pros

1. Free access and light-weighted.
2. Portable access and user management process is far more advance.
3. All the data will be synchronized.

Cons

1. Low information in the interface.
2. Low amount of graphical elements used in the users find it less attractive.
3. Can be buggy for the system.

Considering these GUI tools for MySQL most popular and almost everyone start to work with MySQL using phpMyAdmin considering the features and the reliability MySQL Workbench is more suitable as a GUI tool. Even though in commercial per purposes and in the organizations JET BRAINS products are more popular and used. Therefore DataGrip also stands on a higher ground in this contest.

There are some other GUI tools for MySQL also available like MyDB Studio, ToadEdge for MySQL, SQLyog, and so on.