dbdiagram.io alternative · 2026
dbdiagram is a fast, text-first ERD tool built on DBML. Datadef reads the SQL or Prisma schema you already have, draws every table and key exactly as written, and puts it on the same canvas as the services, queues and warehouse that use it.
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Generate the kind of diagram you'd build in dbdiagram.io: free, in your browser, no account.
No account needed · Editable canvas, not a picture
dbdiagram draws tables, the references between them and, since August 2026, column-level lineage between tables, and it does that well. A design review usually needs more: the API that writes to those tables, the queue behind it, the warehouse they replicate to. In Datadef the ERD and that architecture share one canvas, with 2,000+ AWS, Azure, GCP and data-tool icons.
dbdiagram works in DBML: a SQL import becomes DBML, and DBML is what you maintain from then on. Datadef reads the DDL, pg_dump or MySQL export, or schema.prisma you already keep, and draws every table, column type and key exactly as written, with no model involved. Warehouse DDL without foreign keys gets its links from key names, drawn dashed.
dbdiagram’s AI assistant comes with paid plans only, and each plan has a monthly token quota; when it runs out, new messages wait for the first of the next month. Datadef gives anyone 1 AI diagram and 2 AI edits a day with no account, and Pro is unlimited under fair use for $12 a month, or $8 billed yearly.
| Feature | Datadef | dbdiagram.io |
|---|---|---|
| SQL DDL or a pg_dump / MySQL export to ERD | Parsed exactly, no AI involved | Imported, then kept as DBML |
| Text source you diff in git | DBML | |
| Export the design as SQL DDL | ||
| Services, queues and cloud resources on the same canvas | 2,000+ vendor icons | Tables, groups and notes |
| Lineage | Column-level, across tables, pipelines and tools | Column-level between tables, in DBML |
| AI assistant | 1 AI diagram a day free, unlimited on Pro | Paid plans, monthly token quota |
| Redrawn when the repository changes | Repo sync, daily (Pro) | CLI syncs the DBML you edit |
| Pricing | Flat $12/mo, or $8/mo billed yearly | Free tier, Personal Pro, per-member Team |
Stay with dbdiagram.io if:
Export the diagram as SQL from dbdiagram (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server or Oracle) and paste the DDL into Datadef, or attach the .sql file. The DDL is parsed, not re-drawn by a model, so every table, column type, primary key and foreign key comes out as written, in a second or two. A paste longer than the prompt box becomes an attachment and is read whole.
No. Datadef exports PNG and JPEG and serves a live embed image; it does not write DDL. If forward engineering (design the schema, then export the CREATE TABLE script) is the core of your workflow, dbdiagram is the better tool for that step.
Common in Snowflake, BigQuery and Redshift. When a schema declares none, Datadef reads links from key names (fct_orders.customer_key to dim_customer.customer_key, orders.customer_id to customers) and draws them dashed, with a note on the canvas saying how many were inferred, so nobody mistakes one for a constraint.
Yes. Add a sentence to the pasted DDL, such as "design the pipeline that loads these tables into BigQuery with Fivetran and dbt", and the request goes to the AI designer with your DDL as its source. Or connect the repository: Pro’s repo sync reads the SQL, the migrations and the Prisma schema along with the rest of the code, and redraws when they change.
The scratch canvas at datadef.io/scratch is free with 1 AI diagram and 2 AI edits a day, manual editing and PNG, JPEG and JSON export, no account needed. Pro adds unlimited AI under fair use, saved projects, repo sync, live embeds, sharing and MCP for $12 a month or $96 a year, after a 7-day free trial.
Free scratch canvas, no account, no credit card: 1 AI diagram and 2 AI edits a day. Pro unlocks unlimited AI, saved projects, repo sync, live embeds and MCP for $12 a month or $96 a year, after a 7-day free trial.
Open the free canvas