How much does Navicat cost?

Navicat Premium is $1,599 as a perpetual per-user license, or $79.99 per month on subscription. There is no free tier beyond a 14-day trial.

Is there a free Navicat alternative?

DBCode has a free tier with unlimited connections and the core workflow: browsing, querying, autocomplete, ERDs, notebooks, and charts across 80+ databases. Pro adds visual data editing, import, streaming, and more.

Does DBCode replace Navicat for MySQL and PostgreSQL?

For everyday development work, yes. DBCode connects to MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, and more, with a SQL editor, visual query builder, ERDs, and data grid editing, all inside your editor.

What does Navicat still do better?

Navicat is a mature standalone tool with deep data modeling, scheduled jobs, and cross-server data transfer. If heavy standalone DBA automation is your daily work, those features go further than DBCode does today.

Does DBCode work in Cursor or Windsurf?

Yes. DBCode publishes every release to Open VSX, so it installs in Cursor, Windsurf, and other VS Code forks the same way it does in VS Code.

Compare

A Navicat alternative
that lives in your editor.

Navicat is a capable standalone database tool with a standalone price. DBCode is a database IDE inside VS Code with a free tier. Here's an honest look at where each one wins.

The short version

Navicat is a mature, full-featured database client, and it charges like one: $1,599 for a perpetual license, or $79.99 a month. If you live in a dedicated database tool all day and lean on its data modeling and automation, it earns its price.

DBCode makes a different trade. It turns VS Code into the database IDE, so your schema, data, and queries live next to your code and your AI tools, with a free tier that covers the everyday workflow across 80+ engines. You get the SQL editor, visual query builder, ERDs, and data grid without opening a second app or paying up front.

At a glance

DBCode vs Navicat.

	DBCode	Navicat
What it is	VS Code extension	Standalone app
Runs in	VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf	Its own window
Price	Free tier, Pro $36/year	$1,599 perpetual, or $79.99/mo
Free tier	Yes, unlimited connections	No, 14-day trial
Databases	80+, all editions	MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, and more
AI	Copilot, MCP, local LLMs	AI Assistant (paid)

Feature by feature

What's in the box.

	DBCode	Navicat
Runs inside VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf
Free tier	Yes, unlimited connections	14-day trial
SQL editor with autocomplete
Visual query builder
Schema ERD
Data grid editing
SQL notebooks (SQL + markdown)
NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Redis, Cassandra)		MongoDB, Redis
AI natural language queries		AI Assistant (paid)
AI data grid (filter, sort, chart via NL)
MCP server (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.)
Local LLMs / BYOK (Ollama, OpenAI)
Scheduled jobs and automation
Cross-server data transfer and sync	Basic
Secure sharing (encrypted links)
One price for every engine		Premium bundles them

Verified July 2026 against navicat.com pricing: Navicat Premium is $1,599 perpetual per user, or $79.99 per month. Feature notes verified against navicat.com. Spot an inaccuracy? Let us know. Want the wider picture? See the full comparison table.

Why switch

Three things people mention when they move:

No standalone license to buy. The free tier has unlimited connections and the core workflow. Pro is a fraction of a Navicat license and unlocks visual editing, import, and streaming.
No more alt-tab. Queries, results, and schema live in editor tabs next to the code that uses them. Same shortcuts, same theme, same window.
AI that's already wired up. Copilot gets tools to read your schema and run queries, an MCP server registers automatically, and you can point inline completion at local models via Ollama.

Moving over is quick: DBCode imports connections from CSV and JSON files, plus Azure Data Studio and pgAdmin formats.

To be fair

When Navicat is the better fit.

You lean on Navicat's data modeling. Navicat's dedicated modeling, diagram, and reverse-engineering tools are deeper than DBCode's ERDs for serious schema design work.
You automate with scheduled jobs. Navicat's job scheduler and cross-server data transfer and sync go further than DBCode does today for standalone DBA automation.
You don't work in a VS Code family editor. DBCode only makes sense inside VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or another fork. If your day happens elsewhere, a standalone app fits better.

FAQ

Common questions.

How much does Navicat cost?: Navicat Premium is $1,599 as a perpetual per-user license, or $79.99 per month on subscription. There is no free tier beyond a 14-day trial.
Is there a free Navicat alternative?: DBCode has a free tier with unlimited connections and the core workflow: browsing, querying, autocomplete, ERDs, notebooks, and charts across 80+ databases. Pro adds visual data editing, import, streaming, and more.
Does DBCode replace Navicat for MySQL and PostgreSQL?: For everyday development work, yes. DBCode connects to MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, and more, with a SQL editor, visual query builder, ERDs, and data grid editing, all inside your editor.
What does Navicat still do better?: Navicat is a mature standalone tool with deep data modeling, scheduled jobs, and cross-server data transfer. If heavy standalone DBA automation is your daily work, those features go further than DBCode does today.
Does DBCode work in Cursor or Windsurf?: Yes. DBCode publishes every release to Open VSX, so it installs in Cursor, Windsurf, and other VS Code forks the same way it does in VS Code.

DBCode is rated 4.7 ★ from 73 reviews on the VS Code Marketplace, with 810,000+ installs across the VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX.

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A Navicat alternative that lives in your editor.