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SQL to ER Diagram vs drawDB

Both are free, open-source tools that run in the browser. drawDB is a visual editor for building a schema and generating SQL from it; SQL to ER Diagram goes the other way, from existing schema text to a diagram.

Open SQL to ER Diagram →

No signup · nothing uploaded · free and open source (MIT)

ER diagram drawn by SQL to ER Diagram from the Inventory / warehouse example schema: suppliers, products, warehouses, stock, purchase_orders and purchase_order_items (6 tables, 7 relationships) — Output of SQL to ER Diagram for the Inventory / warehouse example schema: suppliers, products, warehouses, stock, purchase_orders and purchase_order_items (6 tables, 7 relationships).

At a glance

What it is: SQL to ER Diagram is a free, open-source browser tool that turns a schema you already have into an interactive entity-relationship (ER) diagram.
Input: SQL DDL for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Oracle, Snowflake and BigQuery, plus Prisma, DBML, Mermaid, PlantUML, SQLAlchemy and Sequelize schemas.
Output: An interactive ER diagram you can rearrange, then export as PNG, SVG, Mermaid, DBML or PlantUML, or share as a link.
Cost: Free. MIT-licensed open source. No account or signup.
Privacy: Runs entirely in your browser. The schema is never uploaded, and share links carry the diagram in the URL fragment, which is not sent to a server.
Limits: It never connects to your database itself: you paste schema text, or run one read-only catalog query in your own client and paste the result. There are no accounts, so there is no real-time multi-user editing; diagrams are kept in your browser, as a saved file, or as a share link. Layout stays smooth at around 300 tables.

What drawDB is

drawDB is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) entity-relationship diagram editor that runs in the browser. It is a diagram editor and SQL generator: you build the diagram and export SQL scripts from it. It can also import SQL scripts. It can be used without creating an account.

See drawDB for its current features and pricing.

What SQL to ER Diagram is

Free and open source under the MIT license. There are no paid plans.
No signup. There are no accounts; you open the page and paste a schema.
Runs entirely in your browser. The schema is parsed and drawn locally and is never uploaded to a server.
Reads the schema you already have: SQL DDL for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server, Oracle, Snowflake and BigQuery, plus Prisma, DBML, Mermaid, PlantUML, SQLAlchemy, Sequelize, TypeORM entities and Django models.
Imports from a live database without connecting to it: you run one read-only catalog query in your own client and paste the result.
Converts and migrates: exports the schema as DDL for another SQL dialect, and compares two versions to produce migration SQL.
Exports PNG, SVG, Mermaid, DBML and PlantUML, copies the diagram to the clipboard, and makes share-ready snapshot images.
Share by URL: a share link encodes the whole diagram in the URL fragment, which browsers do not send to a server.
Editor features: undo/redo, a ⌘K command palette that jumps to any table or column, a minimap, and a clickable list of parse problems.
Works offline after the first visit, and stays smooth at around 300 tables because layout runs in a Web Worker.
Headless CLI that turns a schema file into an SVG, for docs and CI.

When to choose which

Choose SQL to ER Diagram when

You are starting from code: SQL DDL in eight dialects, or a Prisma, DBML, Mermaid, PlantUML, SQLAlchemy or Sequelize schema.
You want to convert between text formats, for example SQL to Mermaid, DBML or PlantUML.
You want a ⌘K command palette, a minimap and a layout that stays smooth at around 300 tables.

Choose drawDB when

You are starting from a blank canvas and want SQL generated from what you draw.

What SQL to ER Diagram does not do

It has no accounts and no server, so there is no real-time multi-user editing and no cloud workspace. Diagrams and their version history live in your browser, in a file you save, or in a link you share.
It never connects to your database itself: you paste schema text, or run one read-only catalog query in your own client and paste its result.

FAQ

Which one should I use for an existing database?

If you already have the schema as SQL or ORM code, SQL to ER Diagram draws it directly from that text. If you want to design tables by drawing them, a visual editor such as drawDB is built for that.

Does SQL to ER Diagram support team collaboration?

Not in real time. There are no accounts or shared workspaces; you share a diagram by sending a link or a saved file. If your team needs to edit the same saved diagram together, a hosted tool with accounts is the better fit.

Which ER diagram tool does not upload my schema?

SQL to ER Diagram parses and draws the schema entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and share links carry the diagram in the URL fragment, which is not sent to a server.

This comparison is written by the maintainers of SQL to ER Diagram. It describes other products only in general terms and lists no prices or plan limits, because those change. Check each product’s own site for its current features and pricing. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.