Goodbye Navicat: 3 Free MySQL Client Alternatives Compared
This article reviews three free MySQL client tools—DBeaver, MySQL Workbench, and HeidiSQL—as alternatives to the paid Navicat, highlighting their supported databases, installation, language support, and unique features like built-in monitoring and ER diagrams in MySQL Workbench, which the author recommends for performance testing.
1 DBeaver
DBeaver is a universal database tool that supports almost all database types, not limited to MySQL. The author recommends it for its broad database coverage.
Installation is straightforward: visit the official download page at https://dbeaver.io/download/, choose the Community Edition (left side) for personal use, select the version matching your operating system, and follow the installer steps. After installation, the interface language can be changed to Simplified Chinese.
On first connection to a database type, DBeaver automatically downloads the required driver. The fully Chinese interface makes it easy to use without further guidance.
2 MySQL Workbench
MySQL Workbench is the official MySQL client from Oracle. Many users download MySQL Server but overlook this companion tool. Download it from https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench/; the current version is 8.x, which is independent of your MySQL Server version.
Installation is simple, but the tool only provides an English interface. Despite the less attractive UI, the author strongly recommends it for two unique free features: built-in database monitoring and ER diagram generation.
Among the database clients the author has encountered, MySQL Workbench is the only one that offers both monitoring visualization and ER diagramming at no cost. For performance testing, monitoring data is essential; this tool eliminates the need to set up a separate monitoring environment. For DBAs, both features are highly practical.
3 HeidiSQL
HeidiSQL is less known but valued for its small footprint (latest download ~40 MB) while supporting five common databases: MariaDB, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and SQLite. It is free and open source, with source code available on GitHub. Official site: https://www.heidisql.com/.
Installation does not offer language selection, but after install it automatically adopts the system language (Chinese on Chinese systems) and can be changed via Tools > Preferences > Program Language. The interface is clean and functionality is comprehensive.
The author hopes one of these three tools meets the reader's needs as a Navicat replacement.
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