DB Planner

dbdiagram.io alternatives for teams in 2026

Published

dbdiagram.io popularized a great idea: describe your schema in DBML and get a clean entity relationship diagram for free. But teams often outgrow it, usually for one of three reasons: schemas get too large for a single file, diagramming needs to be collaborative rather than solo, or the workflow needs tighter control over where schema data lives. Here are the alternatives worth knowing in 2026, and what each is best at.

DB Planner

DB Planner keeps the DBML-first workflow but is built for teams. The differences that matter:

  • Modular schemas. Split DBML across files and connect them with use * from './file' imports; references resolve across the whole project. This is the feature single-file tools lack once a schema passes a few dozen tables.
  • Real-time collaboration. A shared board with live updates, organizations, and owner, editor, and viewer roles.
  • SQL import. Convert DDL from Postgres, MySQL, MSSQL, or Snowflake straight to DBML.
  • Context on the canvas. Sticky notes on the board and markdown notes on individual columns keep design reasoning next to the design.

See the full feature list, or read the FAQ.

drawDB

A free, open-source, browser-based editor with a visual-first workflow: you build tables with forms rather than text, then export SQL. Good for quick one-off diagrams; less suited to text-as-source-of-truth workflows or shared team boards.

ChartDB

Open source and import-focused: paste one query's JSON output and get a diagram of an existing database. Strong for visualizing what already exists; lighter on schema authoring and design iteration.

QuickDBD

A text-to-diagram tool with its own shorthand syntax. Fast for sketching, with exports to SQL and images. The syntax is proprietary rather than DBML, so diagrams are less portable between tools.

pgModeler

A desktop modeling application dedicated to PostgreSQL, with deep support for Postgres-specific objects and DDL generation. The right choice when you are all-in on Postgres and want a heavy modeling IDE rather than a shared web board.

How to choose

  • Solo sketching: dbdiagram.io, QuickDBD, and drawDB are all quick and low friction.
  • Visualizing an existing database: ChartDB or a SQL import into DB Planner.
  • Postgres-only deep modeling: pgModeler.
  • Team schema design with DBML as the source of truth: DB Planner, especially once the schema is big enough to want multiple files and more than one editor at a time.