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 layered security, across six engines.

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  • “Beautiful interface and very intuitive.”
    Jean-Francois, Mildor Violon, verified customer
https://db.your-company.com
QueryGlow Data Browser showing a customers table on a production PostgreSQL connection

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, layered self-host security, and support for six engines, built for daily query, edit and admin work that stays on your own infrastructure. Paste the postgresql:// or mysql:// URL from your DATABASE_URL and the connection form fills itself. The whole team uses the same install behind one shared login.

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, Ctrl+Enter to run, and shortcuts you can set yourself for run, explain, Ask AI and save.

AI text-to-SQL, schema-only

Describe a query in plain English and QueryGlow drafts the SQL. 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.

A visual EXPLAIN plan

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

Layered self-host security

Encrypted credentials (AES-256-GCM), SSH tunnels with pinned host keys, optional server certificate verification, Safe Mode, a confirmation before writes on production, and Basic Auth.

Agent Access for coding agents

Give Cursor or Claude Code a token instead of your DATABASE_URL. Tokens are per connection and read-only by default, enforced by the database; every call shows up in the Activity tab, and you can pause any token with one click.

Six database engines

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

Full data admin

Inline cell editing, Json fields readable and editable as JSON text, visual schema editing with the exact SQL shown first, CSV import and export, auto refresh every 10, 30 or 60 seconds, saved queries and query history.

QueryGlow vs Prisma Studio at a Glance

Price

Prisma Studio

Free

QueryGlow

$79 once: whole team, every server you run, every 1.x update

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

Your own key: schema and prompt only, never rows

Visual EXPLAIN plan

Prisma Studio

Not in Prisma Studio docs (Sept 2026)

QueryGlow

Flags seq scans and missing indexes

Query guard

Prisma Studio

Not in Prisma Studio docs (Sept 2026)

QueryGlow

Blocks destructive SQL by default; asks before writes on production

SSH tunnels

Prisma Studio

Not in Prisma Studio docs (Sept 2026)

QueryGlow

Built in, host key pinned on first use

Database engines

Prisma Studio

PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite

QueryGlow

PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB, TimescaleDB

Prisma Studio feature status as of September 2026, from the Prisma Studio docs and Prisma release notes.

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.

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 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
  • You want your coding agents on read-only tokens, with every call logged

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, or paste the same connection URL your app uses, 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 schema-only AI on your own key (schema and prompt only, never rows), a visual EXPLAIN plan that flags slow queries, layered self-host security (SSH tunnels with host key pinning, optional server certificate verification, Safe Mode, a confirmation before writes on production, AES-256-GCM credential encryption, Basic Auth), and one interface across PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB and TimescaleDB.
Is QueryGlow free like Prisma Studio?
Prisma Studio is free. QueryGlow is $79 once: your whole team on every server you run, source code included, and every 1.x update. They overlap but solve different needs: Prisma Studio is a great free browser for your data, with AI SQL since v7.6; QueryGlow is a full self-hosted database GUI with schema-only AI on your own key, 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 in the Prisma Studio docs as of September 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. DROP DATABASE and server file or command execution are always blocked. DROP TABLE, TRUNCATE, dropping indexes, views, sequences and schemas, and DELETE or UPDATE without WHERE are blocked by default. Safe Mode covers the Query Editor and AI agents. On a connection marked production, the Query Editor also asks before any write runs. It sits alongside encrypted credentials (AES-256-GCM), built-in SSH tunnels and Basic Auth.
Can QueryGlow connect through SSH tunnels?
Yes. SSH tunnels with key authentication are built into QueryGlow, and the server's host key is pinned on first connect, so a swapped host is refused. It is 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 layered self-host security. $79 once, on your own infrastructure, with every 1.x update.

Try the live demo

Try the live demo first: the real app on a sample database, read-only, AI switched off, no signup.

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.

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