Overview

DBDiff is a free, MIT-licensed tool for comparing MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite databases and turning schema or data differences into migrations. It is best suited to developers and teams who want one cross-platform workflow for comparison and migration management across those engines. Its breadth is compelling for a free tool, but generated changes still need review, particularly for destructive edits and PostgreSQL enums.

It goes beyond producing a diff: commands also cover applying, rolling back, checking, validating, repairing, and baselining migrations. That makes it a practical fit for teams managing migration workflows, rather than just inspecting occasional schema changes.

Key features

Schema and data comparison

DBDiff can compare tables, views, triggers, routines, types, sequences, row-level security policies, and data. Its dbdiff.yml configuration can define connections and drivers, limit comparison scope, include or ignore tables and fields, and apply row filters. This control suits targeted comparisons, though teams need to configure scope deliberately to avoid overlooking relevant changes.

Migration output and safeguards

Generated migrations can include up and down changes and target native SQL, Flyway, Liquibase XML or YAML, Laravel Migrations, or custom templates. This range makes it easier to fit DBDiff into an existing migration convention. By default, generation stops when a change would drop a table or column; an option allows those changes, so teams can choose to permit them but should review the result before applying it.

Database coverage

DBDiff lists support for MySQL 8.0.x, 8.4.x, and 9.3.x/9.6.x, PostgreSQL 14.x–16.x, and SQLite 3.x. It also names compatible variants including MariaDB, Aurora, PlanetScale, Neon, CockroachDB, YugabyteDB, TimescaleDB, and pgvector, with most not tested by the core team. Teams running those variants should validate their workflow before relying on them. Other database versions may work, but are not actively tested.

For PostgreSQL, DBDiff compares row-level security policies and each table’s ENABLE and FORCE ROW LEVEL SECURITY flags. Supabase mode selects the PostgreSQL driver and enables SSL, but comparison is limited to the public schema; Supabase-managed schemas such as auth and storage are outside its scope.

Performance and known limitation

The project says it has been tested against databases with millions of rows and that schema comparisons use a constant number of round-trips regardless of table count. That is useful for larger comparisons, but does not remove the need to validate migration behavior for the specific engine and schema. In particular, PostgreSQL enum label removals or reordering can produce migrations that dependent objects prevent from applying automatically.

Pricing

DBDiff is free and open source under the MIT license. There are no paid plans or seat and quota tiers to weigh; the trade-off is that teams need to assess database compatibility and migration limitations against their own workflow. Commercial support enquiries are invited, and users are directed to GitHub issues for support.

Platforms

DBDiff supports Linux, macOS, and Windows, and can also be self-hosted. Installation options include prebuilt binaries, npm packages, a PHAR, Docker or Podman images, and Composer source installation. Multi-architecture container images are published to GHCR on each release, giving teams several ways to align deployment with their environment.

Who it's for

DBDiff is a strong fit for developers and database teams that work across MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite and want comparison, migration generation, and migration-management commands in one free tool. Its output formats and configurable scope are useful when a team already has a migration convention or needs targeted diffs. It is less suitable for unattended migration generation or for workflows that depend on untested compatible variants, Supabase-managed schemas, or PostgreSQL enum changes that must apply without manual intervention.

Pros and cons

Pros: Free, MIT-licensed access to schema and data comparison across three database engines gives teams a multi-engine option without a paid plan.
Pros: Reversible migration output, several established formats, and commands for applying, validating, repairing, and baselining support more of the migration lifecycle than comparison alone.
Pros: Configurable filters and scope help narrow comparisons, while PostgreSQL row-level security policies and flags are included in its diff targets.
Cons: Database-version coverage is specific, and most named compatible variants are not core-team tested, so adoption on those platforms calls for validation.
Cons: PostgreSQL enum removals or reorderings can be blocked by dependent objects, limiting confidence in automatically applying those migrations.
Cons: Drop-table and drop-column migrations are blocked by default, a useful safeguard that adds a deliberate review step when such changes are intended.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist, see Database Schema Comparison Tools.

DBDiff is another free, open-source listing for Linux, macOS, and Windows, associated with Akal Software.
dbForge Studio for PostgreSQL is worth considering if a PostgreSQL-focused option with a free Express plan, trial, and paid Standard subscription better suits the team.
pgquarrel is a free, BSD-3-Clause-licensed alternative for Linux, Windows, or self-hosted environments.
Skeema offers a free Community plan for tables, stored procedures, functions, and 18 linter checks, plus a paid Plus plan for teams considering a freemium option.
sqldef is a free, MIT-licensed CLI alternative for Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and Windows environments.
apgdiff is another free alternative.
Redgate SQL Provision is a paid option with a free trial and capacity tiers based on production data volume to provision or mask.
SQL Delta is a paid Windows alternative with a free trial.

Verdict

Choose DBDiff if your team needs a free, cross-platform way to compare MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite and manage migrations in formats that fit an existing workflow. Its combination of data and schema diffs with lifecycle commands is the strongest reason to adopt it. Look elsewhere if your workflow depends on untested database variants, Supabase-managed schemas, or automatically applicable PostgreSQL enum changes.

	dbdiff	Skeema
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	$54.08/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Windows	Linux, macOS, Windows
Migration scripts	Yes	—
Database scope	multi-engine	—
CI/CD integration	Yes	—
Supported platforms	cross-platform	—
Free plan	—	Yes

dbdiff vs Skeema

dbdiff

Skeema