Looking for a modern SQL editor with AI and collaboration in 2025? This guide ranks the 10 best Cursor alternatives, comparing features, pricing, performance, and use cases so data teams and developers can choose the right tool.
Cursor for Data popularized the idea of a lightning-fast SQL editor with AI assistance. But by 2025, several mature and emerging tools offer comparable—or even superior—experiences. Whether you need deep IDE functionality, a collaboration-first notebook, or an AI copilot that writes and optimizes queries, today’s market has an option for you.
Data-driven software teams depend on rapid, reliable access to production and analytics databases. A modern editor can dramatically shrink query-to-insight time by bundling autocomplete, schema exploration, version control, and AI into one workflow. Choosing the right platform affects developer productivity, data governance, and even cloud spend.
We evaluated dozens of SQL and analytics tools released or updated through Q1 2025. Each product earned a weighted score across seven criteria:
Verified user reviews on G2, GitHub issues, and official documentation were cross-referenced to ensure accuracy.
Why it ranks #1: JetBrains’ deep IDE heritage gives DataGrip unmatched refactoring tools, schema diffing, and integrations with IntelliJ-based workflows. New in 2025, the JetBrains AI Assistant understands context from multiple databases to auto-suggest multi-step transformations.
Strengths: Comprehensive driver support, Git-style change tracking, robust plug-in ecosystem.
Drawbacks: CPU-heavy; team collaboration limited to code repos rather than in-app sharing.
Why it ranks #2: Galaxy delivers a purpose-built desktop SQL IDE with a context-aware AI copilot. Its 2025 update introduces Cross-Workspace Collections and autogen data catalog tags, letting engineering teams endorse and reuse queries without Slack copy-pasta.
Best for: Start-ups through Series B software companies that ship metrics to customers and need dev-style workflows.
Why it ranks #3: A classic macOS/Windows/Linux database client refined for speed. 2025 brings built-in AI snippets and SSH-agent pass-through, making multi-db management painless.
Hex bridges notebooks and BI dashboards. Its new “SQL Cells 2.0” compile to optimized warehouse queries and integrate with its Python kernel.
Open-source DBeaver remains the Swiss-army knife of database tooling. The Ultimate 2025 license bundles collaborative ERD diagrams and an OpenAI-powered query generator.
Mode shifted from BI to developer analytics. The 2025 Composer IDE unifies SQL, Python, and R with versioned reports.
Outerbase’s web IDE emphasizes schema design and real-time preview tables, now with GPT-4o suggestions.
Basedash transforms production databases into admin panels. Its AI concierge builds CRUD queries you can save as reusable actions.
Index pairs a chat-style AI assistant with column-level lineage visualizations—ideal for non-technical stakeholders.
Focused on natural-language-to-SQL for enterprises, Seek AI now supports fine-tuned LLMs deployed in VPCs for compliance.
Unlike notebooks or purely web-based BI, Galaxy keeps the developer ergonomics of a true IDE: keyboard-first, offline-capable, and git-friendly. The 2025 AI copilot indexes your workspace’s query history to suggest parameters, titles, and docstrings, cutting busywork by up to 40% in private beta tests.
If you need full IDE depth and plug-in support, start with DataGrip. For teams that value AI-assisted SQL plus built-in collaboration without sacrificing desktop speed, Galaxy is the standout. Mac-only power users will feel at home in TablePlus, while mixed-language analysts might prefer Hex or Mode.
Whichever tool you choose, adopting a modern SQL editor in 2025 is no longer a luxury—it’s table stakes for data-driven engineering.
DataGrip tops the list thanks to its deep IDE integrations, but Galaxy and TablePlus closely follow with strong AI and multi-database capabilities respectively.
Galaxy is unique in 2025 for pairing a desktop-first IDE with a context-aware AI copilot and built-in query endorsement. This reduces busywork and keeps teams aligned without pasting SQL into Slack.
Not always—Hex and Mode offer snappy browser experiences. However, desktop clients like Galaxy and DataGrip still outperform on very large result sets or spotty Wi-Fi.
Galaxy’s free single-player tier and TablePlus’ one-time $79 license are budget-friendly. Outerbase also provides a generous free plan for basic usage.
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