TablePlus 6.8.0 — Mac version

Switching between Terminal, a clunky Java-based admin tool, and five browser tabs just to check a few rows of data gets old fast. When you want one window where you can peek inside a SQLite file, tweak a staging server on PostgreSQL, and move on, a decent native database client earns its keep.

Built like a proper Mac app

TablePlus is a native client for macOS 12.6 and up, and it runs on Apple Silicon without Rosetta. It handles PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and Microsoft SQL Server out of the box, with the option to add extra drivers and plugins when you need something more niche. The script editor does syntax highlighting, so a quick SELECT doesn't feel like typing into Notepad. A full set of keyboard shortcuts keeps your hands off the mouse when you're in the flow, and there's a safe mode for those moments when you'd rather not accidentally drop a production table before coffee.

Opens in a second, connects to multiple databases

Think of it as the middle ground between a command-line client and a heavyweight IDE. It opens in a second, connects to multiple databases at once, and gets out of your way. If you already reach for a text editor for queries and a separate GUI for browsing schema, this pulls both jobs into one spot. It won't replace psql for scripting or a full migration tool for deployments, but for the daily checking, tweaking, and quick exports, it's the tool you leave in the Dock.

Native libssl and TLS trust your Mac’s store

TablePlus plays well with macOS in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. The connection library leans on native libssl and TLS, so encrypted links to remote servers inherit the same trust store your Mac already uses for websites and Mail. No fiddling with certificate bundles. Copy a connection string from a colleague’s message, and the app parses it straight into a new saved connection. The dark mode support ties into the system appearance setting — flip the Mac to dark, and the query editor follows without a separate tick-box hunt.

If you use Alfred, Raycast, or Spotlight workflows for quick server access, the app’s sandboxed config files sit in ~/Library/Application Support where shell scripts can read them. That means you can script a backup check or a nightly row count without opening the full GUI at all. It’s not trying to be everything, just to sit cleanly alongside the tools you already trust.

Pin a read-only production connection next to staging

Developers who bounce between a local SQLite database for prototyping and a hosted PostgreSQL or MySQL instance for staging tend to settle into TablePlus quickly. The tabbed interface lets you pin a read-only connection to production next to a writable one for your dev box, colour-coded so you don’t mix them up. Freelance web developers and indie app makers often keep it running for the entire workday — open, check a user’s order row, tweak a config value, close the tab. No session timeout dance, no re-entering credentials.

Database administrators who spend half the day in query consoles still find a use for it as a quick visual browser. When a developer asks “does this index look right?” or “can you export the last hundred sign-ups,” the GUI saves typing and piping. It’s not a replacement for deep CLI work, but it cuts out the friction for the small, frequent tasks that eat up minutes.

Option-click a table name copies its qualified name

• The code preview panel shows what a query will do before it runs — handy for teaching moments or checking your own assumptions on a sleepy Tuesday.
• Holding Option while clicking a table name copies the fully qualified name to the clipboard. Tiny thing, massive time-saver when writing joins across schemas.
• The error reporting in the script editor underlines problems as you type, not just on execution. It catches missing commas and mismatched brackets early.
• Multiple windows aren’t just a gimmick — you can drag a tab out to its own space on a second monitor and keep the schema tree visible on the first while editing a long query full-screen.
• Safe mode locks you out of destructive statements unless you confirm twice, and you can toggle it per connection. Keep it on for the production server, off for the scratch database.

A lot of people search for a TablePlus torrent when they’re testing database tools, and with a quick check of the build’s code-signing and a clean sandbox setup the app can settle in nicely for long-term use.

• macOS 12.6 or later
• Works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs