Honest Comparison

QueryGlow vs Prisma Studio

Prisma 7's standalone Studio is a great, free way to browse, edit and query your data. QueryGlow is a dedicated self-hosted database GUI — a full SQL editor with AI, a visual EXPLAIN plan and production-grade security, across six engines.

Try Live DemoGet QueryGlow – $79 Lifetime

Two good tools, built for different jobs

They overlap — but they are not the same tool. Here is the honest version.

Prisma Studio

Free, standalone data browser

Prisma 7 ships a standalone, SQL-driven Studio: point it at any supported database with a connection URL — no schema.prisma required — to browse, edit and query your data. It is free and genuinely good, especially if you are already in the Prisma ecosystem.

QueryGlow

Self-hosted database GUI

QueryGlow is a dedicated database GUI you self-host with Docker and open in a browser. It pairs a full SQL editor and AI text-to-SQL with a visual EXPLAIN plan for tuning queries, 9 layers of self-host security, and support for six engines — built for daily query, edit and admin work that stays on your own infrastructure.

What QueryGlow brings to the table

Everything below is built into QueryGlow today.

A full SQL editor

A Monaco editor (the VS Code engine) with schema-aware autocomplete for tables and columns, and Ctrl+Enter to run.

AI text-to-SQL, schema-only

Describe a query in plain English and QueryGlow drafts the SQL. Bring your own OpenAI, Claude or Gemini key — and only your schema is ever sent, never a row of data.

A visual EXPLAIN plan

A visual EXPLAIN/ANALYZE plan tree that flags sequential scans and missing indexes — with concrete CREATE INDEX suggestions.

9-layer self-host security

Encrypted credentials (AES-256-GCM), built-in SSH tunnels, Safe Mode that blocks destructive queries, and Basic Auth — built for self-hosting in production.

Six database engines

PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB and TimescaleDB — one self-hosted interface for all of them.

Full data admin

Inline cell editing, CSV import and export, saved queries, and persistent query history — the everyday database chores in one place.

QueryGlow vs Prisma Studio at a Glance

Price

Prisma Studio

Free

QueryGlow

$79 once — unlimited users & servers

How it runs

Prisma Studio

Standalone — point it at a connection URL

QueryGlow

Self-hosted with Docker, opens in your browser

SQL editing

Prisma Studio

SQL-driven queries

QueryGlow

Full Monaco editor with schema-aware autocomplete

AI text-to-SQL

Prisma Studio

AI SQL generation in Studio (since v7.6)

QueryGlow

Bring your own key — schema-only, never your data

Visual EXPLAIN plan

Prisma Studio

—

QueryGlow

Flags seq scans & missing indexes

Safe Mode

Prisma Studio

—

QueryGlow

Blocks destructive queries

SSH tunnels

Prisma Studio

—

QueryGlow

Built in

Database engines

Prisma Studio

PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite

QueryGlow

PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB, TimescaleDB

Prisma Studio feature status as of June 2026 — see the official Prisma docs for the latest.

Which one fits you?

Prisma Studio is a great fit if…

  • You want a free, zero-config visual browser for your data
  • You are working in Prisma ORM or on Prisma Postgres
  • Browsing, editing and quick SQL cover what you need

Consider QueryGlow if you want…

  • You want a visual EXPLAIN plan to find and fix slow queries
  • You want a hardened self-hosted deployment — SSH tunnels, Safe Mode, encrypted credentials
  • You want one GUI across Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB and TimescaleDB
  • You want AI that drafts SQL while only ever seeing your schema

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Prisma Studio require Prisma ORM?
Not anymore. Prisma 7 introduced a standalone, SQL-driven Studio you can point at any supported database with a connection URL — no schema.prisma required. QueryGlow is also standalone: you connect with standard database credentials, no ORM involved.
Can QueryGlow work alongside Prisma?
Yes. QueryGlow connects directly to your database, independent of Prisma. You can use Prisma ORM for your application code and QueryGlow for day-to-day database work — they do not conflict.
How is QueryGlow different from Prisma Studio?
Prisma Studio is a free, polished way to browse, edit and query your data. QueryGlow is a dedicated self-hosted database GUI: a full SQL editor with AI text-to-SQL, a visual EXPLAIN plan that flags slow queries, 9-layer self-host security (SSH tunnels, Safe Mode, AES-256-GCM), and one interface across PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB and TimescaleDB.
Is QueryGlow free like Prisma Studio?
Prisma Studio is free. QueryGlow is a one-time $79 license (unlimited users and servers, full source code). They overlap but solve different needs: Prisma Studio is a great free browser for your data; QueryGlow is a full self-hosted database GUI with AI text-to-SQL, a visual EXPLAIN plan and production security tooling.
Does Prisma Studio show a visual EXPLAIN plan?
Prisma Studio focuses on browsing, editing and querying your data; a visual EXPLAIN plan is not part of it as of June 2026. QueryGlow includes a visual EXPLAIN/ANALYZE plan tree that flags sequential scans and missing indexes — with concrete CREATE INDEX suggestions.
Does QueryGlow have a Safe Mode?
Yes. Safe Mode blocks destructive queries before they run — one of QueryGlow’s 9 self-host security layers, alongside encrypted credentials (AES-256-GCM), built-in SSH tunnels and Basic Auth.
Can QueryGlow connect through SSH tunnels?
Yes. SSH tunnels are built into QueryGlow — part of the same self-host security toolkit as Safe Mode and AES-256-GCM credential encryption, designed for running against production databases on your own infrastructure.

A self-hosted database GUI, end to end

Full SQL editor, AI text-to-SQL, a visual EXPLAIN plan and 9-layer security. $79 once, on your own infrastructure.

Try Live DemoGet QueryGlow – $79 Lifetime

Try the demo first. No signup, no credit card.

Compare QueryGlow with Others

See how we stack up against the alternatives.

Prefer to skip installs entirely? QueryGlow also runs as a web-based SQL client — access any database from your browser.

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