One URL for the team
pgAdmin runs as a desktop app or a web server. QueryGlow always runs on your server and opens in the browser; your whole team uses the same install behind one shared login.
QueryGlow vs pgAdmin
pgAdmin is the free, official PostgreSQL admin tool. QueryGlow is a database GUI for app developers: it runs on your server, opens from a URL for the whole team, and brings schema-only AI with your own key.
pgAdmin is free. QueryGlow is $79 once, with every 1.x update.
“Beautiful interface and very intuitive.”
Jean-Francois, Mildor Violon, verified customer
How the free route usually goes
Month 1
You SSH-tunnel and make it work.
Month 3
Your PM needs numbers, so you're writing their queries at 11pm.
Month 6
The rest of the team wants the same view of production, without installing anything.
That's usually when one shared web GUI starts to make sense. The demo costs nothing.
https://db.your-company.com
Where QueryGlow differs from pgAdmin
Your rows stay on your server
QueryGlow runs on your infrastructure. Your rows never leave your server. No telemetry, no tracking.
AI writes your SQL
Describe what you need in plain English and review the SQL before it runs. Ask AI sends your schema and prompt, never rows, to your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | pgAdmin | QueryGlow |
|---|---|---|
| How it runs | Desktop app or web server | Web app on your server; whole team on one install, one shared login |
| AI SQL generation | AI Assistant (your own provider) | Ask AI with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key: schema and prompt only, never rows |
| Database support | PostgreSQL only | 6 databases |
| SSH tunnel | Built in (SSH Tunnel tab) | Built in: key plus passphrase, host key pinned on first use |
| Themes | Light, Dark, High Contrast, System | Light, Dark or System; six accent colors or your own |
| CSV import/export | Import/Export dialog (CSV) | Import with INSERT, UPSERT or REPLACE; streaming export |
| Visual schema editing | Table and column dialogs | Add, rename, retype or drop columns; exact SQL shown before it runs |
| Setup | Desktop installer or container | ./queryglow install on a Linux server with Docker; ./queryglow update backs up first and rolls back on failure |
| Query guard | No DELETE/UPDATE guard documented | Safe Mode: DROP DATABASE always blocked; DROP TABLE, TRUNCATE and DELETE or UPDATE without WHERE blocked by default; asks before writes on production |
| EXPLAIN | Text, graphical or table format | Visual plan with CREATE INDEX and ANALYZE suggestions |
| SQL autocomplete | Object names and keywords | Tables, columns with types, dot notation |
| Price | Free | $79 once, every 1.x update |
How it runs
pgAdmin
Desktop app or web server
QueryGlow
Web app on your server; whole team on one install, one shared login
AI SQL generation
pgAdmin
AI Assistant (your own provider)
QueryGlow
Ask AI with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key: schema and prompt only, never rows
Database support
pgAdmin
PostgreSQL only
QueryGlow
6 databases
SSH tunnel
pgAdmin
Built in (SSH Tunnel tab)
QueryGlow
Built in: key plus passphrase, host key pinned on first use
Themes
pgAdmin
Light, Dark, High Contrast, System
QueryGlow
Light, Dark or System; six accent colors or your own
CSV import/export
pgAdmin
Import/Export dialog (CSV)
QueryGlow
Import with INSERT, UPSERT or REPLACE; streaming export
Visual schema editing
pgAdmin
Table and column dialogs
QueryGlow
Add, rename, retype or drop columns; exact SQL shown before it runs
Setup
pgAdmin
Desktop installer or container
QueryGlow
./queryglow install on a Linux server with Docker; ./queryglow update backs up first and rolls back on failure
Query guard
pgAdmin
No DELETE/UPDATE guard documented
QueryGlow
Safe Mode: DROP DATABASE always blocked; DROP TABLE, TRUNCATE and DELETE or UPDATE without WHERE blocked by default; asks before writes on production
EXPLAIN
pgAdmin
Text, graphical or table format
QueryGlow
Visual plan with CREATE INDEX and ANALYZE suggestions
SQL autocomplete
pgAdmin
Object names and keywords
QueryGlow
Tables, columns with types, dot notation
Price
pgAdmin
Free
QueryGlow
$79 once, every 1.x update
pgAdmin facts as of September 2026 (pgAdmin 4 v9.18), from pgadmin.org and the pgAdmin documentation.
See it before you pay
Open the live demo (read-only sample database, AI switched off), no signup. If it fits, buy once for your whole team.
Try the live demo
Stripe checkout. You'll enter your GitHub username for the repo invite. No refunds, so try the read-only demo first.
What QueryGlow adds
EXPLAIN warnings with fixes
pgAdmin shows EXPLAIN plans in text, graphical or table form and, since 9.13, offers AI Insights for EXPLAIN. QueryGlow's plan view flags sequential scans and row estimate errors without an AI call and inserts the CREATE INDEX or ANALYZE statement with one click.
Ask AI, schema only
Ask AI sends your database type, table and column names with their types, and your prompt. Never rows. Your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key, entered in the app (stored encrypted on your server) or set in .env.
Six engines, one install
PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB and TimescaleDB in the same interface. Enter one login, tick the databases on that server and add them all at once.
Asks before production writes
On a connection marked production, the Query Editor shows the statement and asks before any INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE or DDL runs. On by default, can be turned off in Preferences.
Connection security
SSH tunnels with key authentication and the host key pinned on first use, optional server certificate verification, and AES-256-GCM encryption for stored credentials.
CSV import with strategies
Three strategies: INSERT, UPSERT or REPLACE. Column mapping, encoding choice and a validation preview before anything is written.
Which one fits you?
We're not here to trash pgAdmin. It's free, community-maintained, and the reference admin tool for Postgres. Here's when it's still the right choice.
Stick with pgAdmin if...
- You are a specialized PostgreSQL DBA managing clusters
- You need obscure Postgres features (tablespaces, complex partitioning via UI)
- Your budget is strictly $0: pgAdmin is free, complete for PostgreSQL administration, and it will do the job
Switch to QueryGlow if...
- You're a developer building apps, not managing database clusters
- You want AI to draft your SQL, and you review it before it runs
- You want a confirmation before writes on production connections
- You need PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB, or TimescaleDB
- You want one install for the whole team, $79 once
Frequently asked questions
Is QueryGlow a good pgAdmin alternative?
For app developers, often yes. QueryGlow runs on your server and opens in the browser for the whole team, with AI SQL generation with your own key (schema only, never rows) and support for 6 databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB, TimescaleDB). pgAdmin is PostgreSQL only and goes deeper on PostgreSQL administration.
What does QueryGlow do differently from pgAdmin?
Six engines in one install instead of PostgreSQL only. Ask AI with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Google key that sends your database type, table and column names with their types, and your prompt, never rows. Safe Mode: DROP DATABASE is always blocked; DROP TABLE, TRUNCATE and DELETE or UPDATE without WHERE are blocked by default. A confirmation before any write on a connection marked production. An EXPLAIN view whose built-in notices (no AI needed) suggest CREATE INDEX or ANALYZE, inserted with one click.
Is pgAdmin free and QueryGlow paid?
pgAdmin is free and open source. QueryGlow is $79 once, with no recurring fees: your whole team on one install behind one shared login, every server you run, the source code, and every 1.x update.
Try it next to pgAdmin
Try the live demo first: the real app on a sample database, read-only, AI switched off, no signup. If it clicks, buy it once for $79, with every 1.x update.
Also check out our pgAdmin 4 setup guide for Docker, Ubuntu & Windows. Weighing a lighter open-source option instead? See the pgAdmin vs pgweb comparison.
Compare QueryGlow with Others
See how we stack up against the alternatives.
Prefer nothing to install on your laptop? QueryGlow is a web-based SQL client: installed on your server with one command, then Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB and TimescaleDB from any browser.