shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use DBeaver?

Professional database management software. Connect, query, analyze, and manage your data with advanced tools. Get a free DBeaver PRO trial. - dbeaver.com

Worth it. Buy the free Community edition if you regularly work across multiple databases — it's the de facto universal SQL client with 4.4–4.5/5 ratings. Skip it for occasional simple lookups; a lighter client or spreadsheet is less hassle.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 50+ public sources; snippets were truncated, so some pricing and quote detail is partial.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support-quality evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Community

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
LiteFrom ~$11/mo
PROPaid license
EnterpriseCustom

Best for

  • Developers and analysts juggling many databases
  • Data engineers writing SQL daily
  • Teams wanting one free universal client
  • Enterprises needing audited DB access (PRO)

Not for

  • Non-technical users who just want to view data
  • Anyone needing only occasional simple queries — overkill
  • Teams wanting a lightweight, native-feeling client
  • Admins unwilling to patch and lock down client installs

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Attackers abuse legitimate DBeaver installs to exfiltrate data — restrict and monitor who can connect.

medium

CVE-2021-3836 (patched Dec 2021) shows patching discipline matters; update promptly.

medium

Free Community edition lacks PRO project-level password security.

medium

Feature split across Lite/PRO/Enterprise is confusing; compare editions before paying.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free open-source Community edition handles most database work.
  • Connects to virtually every database through one universal client.
  • Strong ratings: 4.4–4.5/5 across Gartner, Software Advice, Capterra.
  • Praised as the 'Swiss Army Knife of Database Tools'.
  • PRO tier adds enterprise security like encrypted projects.

Cons

  • Longtime fans still call the UI sluggish ('sludgiest').
  • Beginners report confusion before getting value.
  • Best features gated behind paid Lite/PRO/Enterprise editions.
  • Lighter rivals exist for simple, single-database needs.

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/21/2026 - 12 sources - Patched vulnerability history (CVE-2021-3836, a fixed SQL injection in Lite) plus critical findings in CloudBeaver images; PRO adds enterprise security controls.

official x4review x5security x2news x1
  • CVE-2021-3836, Vulnerability in dbeaver, patched December 14, 2021.
  • SQL injection in DBeaver Lite, Release notes record a fixed SQL injection vulnerability.
  • Critical vulnerabilities in CloudBeaver images, GitHub issue reports critical vulnerabilities in DBeaver's CloudBeaver container images.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free core edition; paid tiers optional
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Powerful but clunky; fans call UI sludgiest
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Universal database support plus enterprise tooling
  • Support quality. No support-quality evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture: 3/5. CVE history; PRO adds security controls
  • 4.4/5 Gartner Peer Insights 39 reviews
  • 8.6/10 TrustRadius rating 86 reviews
  • From ~$11/mo Starting price Lite edition; Community is free
  • $6.5M Total funding Seed round, 2023

Pricing

Community

$0

  • Full universal SQL client
  • Open source, community support

Lite

From ~$11/mo

  • Yearly subscription
  • Entry-level paid features

PRO

Paid license

  • Advanced tools
  • Free trial offered

Enterprise

Not disclosed

  • Enterprise security features
  • Vendor support

Security

Patched vulnerability history (CVE-2021-3836, a fixed SQL injection in Lite) plus critical findings in CloudBeaver images; PRO adds enterprise security controls.

  • CVE-2021-3836Vulnerability in dbeaver, patched December 14, 2021.⁹
  • SQL injection in DBeaver LiteRelease notes record a fixed SQL injection vulnerability.
  • Critical vulnerabilities in CloudBeaver imagesGitHub issue reports critical vulnerabilities in DBeaver's CloudBeaver container images.

Companies that use it

Companies that could

  • Udacity Uses PopSQL instead
Full analysis

Based on 50+ public sources; snippets were truncated, so some pricing and quote detail is partial.

Free, powerful universal DB client — brilliant for multi-database work, overkill for casual users and clunky for beginners.

Methodology

Based on 50+ public sources; snippets were truncated, so some pricing and quote detail is partial.

Sources

  1. DBeaver Reviews & Ratings — Gartner Peer Insightsgartner.com
    review
  2. DBeaver Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  3. DBeaver Pricing — TrustRadiustrustradius.com
    review
  4. DBeaver is the best database IDE... — GitHub discussiongithub.com
    review
  5. DBeaver Community — official sitedbeaver.io
    official
  6. Buy DBeaver — Pricing & Plansdbeaver.com
    official
  7. Compare DBeaver Products & Pricingdbeaver.com
    official
  8. DBeaver takes $6M seed investment — TechCrunchtechcrunch.com
    news
  9. CVE-2021-3836 — CVE Recordcve.org
    security
  10. How Hackers Use Legitimate SQL Tools Like DBeaver — AhnLab ASECasec.ahnlab.com
    security
  11. DBeaver Customersdbeaver.com
    official
  12. Easy to use alternative to DBeaver — DbGatedbgate.io
    review

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