Browse InnoDB tables, build joins with a live SQL preview, draw ER diagrams from your foreign keys, read EXPLAIN plans and chart the results, with MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite and MongoDB in the same app.
MySQL Workbench is the official MySQL tool from Oracle. It is free, it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and it covers a lot: a SQL editor, data modeling with forward and reverse engineering, server administration, a performance dashboard and a migration wizard.
It is also MySQL only. It does not connect to PostgreSQL, SQL Server or MongoDB, so a mixed stack means more than one client. There is no visual query builder, and results stay in a grid or get exported before you can chart them.
VisuaLeaf is built for the development side of MySQL work. Browse tables and rows, build joins visually with the SQL shown live, open JSON columns as a tree, read EXPLAIN as a plan, manage users and grants from a form, and chart query results, then use the same workflow on your other databases.
Choose MySQL Workbench if you need its data modeling with model-to-database sync, server administration, or a free tool from the MySQL team. Choose VisuaLeaf if you want visual query building, charts, and one client for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server and MongoDB.
The features MySQL developers ask about most, including the ones where MySQL Workbench is ahead.
| Feature | VisuaLeaf | MySQL Workbench |
|---|---|---|
| SQL editor with autocomplete Completion for tables, columns and functions | ||
| Inline grid editing Edit cells, insert and delete rows | ||
| ER diagrams from an existing schema Reverse-engineer InnoDB foreign keys into a diagram | ||
| Design a model and generate tables Draw tables on a diagram and create them | ||
| Visual EXPLAIN plan Read execution plans visually | ||
| User and privilege management Create users, assign roles, GRANT and REVOKE | ||
| Server monitoring Running queries, connections and slow queries | ||
| Server start, stop, configuration and logs Administer the MySQL instance itself | ||
| Visual query builder Pick columns, filters and joins; get SQL | ||
| Charts and dashboards Chart query results and pin them to dashboards | ||
| Scheduled import, export and transfer Run jobs between databases on a schedule | ||
| MariaDB Connect and work with MariaDB servers | ||
| PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite and MongoDB Other databases in the same app | ||
| Free No licence cost |
MySQL Workbench column reflects the free Community edition. Based on MySQL Workbench public documentation, checked October 2026. Partial means the feature exists but is limited or needs a paid edition; hover a partial mark for details.
MySQL Workbench is a good tool used by many teams. Here is the fair read.
The same workflow carries over to the other databases you use.
Draw an ER diagram from InnoDB foreign keys, inspect indexes, triggers and the full SHOW CREATE TABLE DDL, and query JSON columns with JSON_EXTRACT and the ->> operator. Managed MySQL on RDS, Aurora, Cloud SQL and Azure connects too. MySQL GUI
Explore tables and relationships, build SQL visually and profile queries on MariaDB, Percona Server and TiDB with the same tools. MariaDB GUI · Percona
When a project is not on MySQL, connect PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle or a local SQLite file and keep working the same way. PostgreSQL · SQL Server · SQLite
Where VisuaLeaf goes further, in more detail.
Open a table in the query builder, tick columns, add filters and accept the INNER, LEFT, RIGHT or FULL OUTER join suggested from a foreign key. Add aggregates, GROUP BY, HAVING, ORDER BY and LIMIT, watch the MySQL statement update live, and copy it into the editor when you need more.
MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite and 30+ other SQL databases connect in the same app, along with MongoDB and Redis, so a mixed stack does not mean a different tool per database.
Chart the result of a query on a dashboard, export tables to CSV, JSON or SQL dumps, copy data between MySQL and another SQL database, and schedule any of it from the Task Manager.
MySQL Workbench does not connect to MongoDB. VisuaLeaf started as a MongoDB GUI, so MongoDB gets a full workspace next to your MySQL connections: collections in tree, table and BSON views, an interactive shell, index management and JSON schema validation, with visual query and aggregation builders on paid plans.
You can also move data between MySQL and MongoDB in either direction, as a one-off copy or as a job that follows the MySQL binlog. See the MongoDB GUI page for details.
If you design schemas in a model and sync it to the database, administer the MySQL server itself (start and stop, configuration files, logs, performance reports), or want a free tool from the MySQL team, keep MySQL Workbench. Many teams use it for administration and modeling and VisuaLeaf for day-to-day querying and charting.
Practical migration notes.
Create each MySQL connection from the connection form with host, port, database and credentials; SSL and SSH tunnels are supported, and managed MySQL such as Amazon RDS and Aurora works the same way.
VisuaLeaf has a free Community Edition that includes the SQL databases. The visual query builder and EXPLAIN plans come with Basic ($79), and charts, dashboards and user management with Pro ($149), each a one-time licence with a year of updates (monthly billing is also offered). Every Pro feature is free for 14 days, no credit card required.
The questions we hear most often from teams evaluating VisuaLeaf against MySQL Workbench.
For development work, yes: it adds a visual query builder, charts and scheduled transfers, and also connects to MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite and MongoDB. For server administration and model synchronization, MySQL Workbench remains stronger.
Yes. VisuaLeaf reads the InnoDB foreign keys on your tables and draws an ER diagram with primary keys, referenced columns and one-to-many relationships from your live schema.
Yes. MariaDB has its own connection type, with ER diagrams, a visual query builder, EXPLAIN plans and query profiling.
Yes. VisuaLeaf renders EXPLAIN output as a visual plan so you can see join order, index usage and full table scans.
VisuaLeaf has a free Community Edition that includes MySQL and the other SQL databases. Basic ($79) adds the visual query builder and EXPLAIN plans, and Pro ($149) adds charts and dashboards, as one-time licences with a year of updates.
Yes. VisuaLeaf supports Windows 10 and 11, macOS 11 or later, and Linux through .deb and .rpm packages, with an arm64 .deb for ARM machines.
If MySQL Workbench covers your administration but you want a faster way to query, explain and chart your data, connect your MySQL databases to VisuaLeaf and try it.
Free Community Edition, plus every Pro feature free for 14 days. No credit card required.