The short answer. Sequel Ace is the maintained successor to Sequel Pro and the default recommendation: fast, native, and built for the way MySQL tables are actually browsed. Sequel Pro is the original, still usable and no longer developed, which is why it is here as a caution rather than a recommendation. MySQL Workbench is the official GUI: administration, modelling and a query editor in one, with the weight that implies. TablePlus and SQLPro Studio are the multi-engine clients. ElectroCRUD is the narrow one — a CRUD application over an existing schema, which is a different product from a database client. The dividing question is whether you are editing rows or administering a server, because a table browser and an administration console are used by different people on different days.
This guide covers 6 mysql clients for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ElectroCRUD | developer tool | Open source | not published | — |
| MySQL Workbench | developer tool | not published | not published | 8.0.47 |
| Sequel Ace | developer tool | not published | not published | 6.0.1 |
| Sequel Pro | developer tool | Open source | not published | 1.1.2 |
| SQLPro Studio | developer tool | not published | not published | 2026.238 |
| TablePlus | developer tool | not published | not published | 26.10.22 |
What actually decides this
- Row editing or server administration. Browsing and editing rows is a client job. Users, grants, replication and configuration are an administration job. Workbench does both; most of the others do the first well and the second not at all.
- Whether it is still maintained. Sequel Pro is the clearest example in this category: a good tool that stopped, forked into Sequel Ace, and left a generation of tutorials pointing at the original. A client that has stopped receiving updates will eventually fail against a new server version.
- What the multi-engine support costs. A general client abstracts the differences. That is a benefit when you switch engines daily and a loss when you need a MySQL-specific feature that the abstraction does not expose.
- How it handles a schema with hundreds of tables. A sidebar with two hundred tables needs search and grouping to be usable. The client that only sorts alphabetically is fine for a small schema and painful for a real one.
- Whether it can export and import reliably. Dumping a table to SQL or CSV is the operation that breaks on quoting, nulls and character sets. A client that gets this right is worth more than one with a nicer grid.
Our picks
- Sequel Ace — Its record describes the maintained successor to the long-standing Sequel Pro, which is the native case. Choose it when you want the maintained native MySQL client.
- MySQL Workbench — Its record describes the official MySQL GUI, which is the administration case. Choose it when you need administration and modelling as well as queries.
- TablePlus — Its record describes support for several database engines, which is the multi-engine case. Choose it when MySQL is one of several engines you use.
- SQLPro Studio — Its record describes a simple, powerful database manager, which is the general case. Choose it when you want a simple manager that covers the common engines.
- ElectroCRUD — Its record describes a modern MySQL CRUD application, which is the application case rather than the client case. Choose it when the goal is a CRUD interface over an existing schema.
The apps
ElectroCRUD
ElectroCRUD is a developer tool for macOS. Modern MySQL CRUD application. It is open source.
What it does. Simple solution to manage your database that not involves writing code or installs web-based solutions.
Full profile and verified facts for ElectroCRUD →
MySQL Workbench
MySQL Workbench is a developer tool for macOS. The official MySQL GUI. Its pricing is not published.
MySQL Workbench is listed with current version 8.0.47.
Full profile and verified facts for MySQL Workbench →
Sequel Ace
Sequel Ace is a developer tool for macOS. The maintained “sequel” to the longtime macOS tool Sequel Pro. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. MySQL/MariaDB database management for macOS.
Sequel Ace is listed with current version 6.0.1.
Full profile and verified facts for Sequel Ace →
Sequel Pro
Sequel Pro is a developer tool for macOS. MySQL database management for Mac OS X. It is open source.
What it does. MySQL/MariaDB database management for macOS.
Sequel Pro is listed with current version 1.1.2.
Full profile and verified facts for Sequel Pro →
SQLPro Studio
SQLPro Studio is a developer tool for macOS. Simple, powerful database manager for macOS. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. SQLPro Studio is a native database client for macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows. Manage MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, Oracle, and Snowflake databases.
SQLPro Studio is listed with current version 2026.238.
Full profile and verified facts for SQLPro Studio →
TablePlus
TablePlus is a developer tool for macOS. Supports: PostgreSQL, MySQL, RedShift, MariaDB… High-end security ensured. Its pricing is not published.
TablePlus is listed with current version 26.10.22.
Full profile and verified facts for TablePlus →
How to choose
- No licence fee, source available. ElectroCRUD and Sequel Pro — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. MySQL Workbench, Sequel Ace, SQLPro Studio and TablePlus — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: ElectroCRUD and Sequel Pro (2 of 6).
Common mistakes
- Following a tutorial for Sequel Pro on a machine where only Sequel Ace is installed.
- Using a row editor for user and grant administration.
- Exporting a table to CSV without checking how nulls and quotes were written.
- Assuming a multi-engine client exposes every MySQL-specific option.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these mysql clients?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 6 mysql clients: ElectroCRUD, MySQL Workbench, Sequel Ace, Sequel Pro, SQLPro Studio and TablePlus. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these mysql clients free?
Pricing across this group: open source (ElectroCRUD and Sequel Pro) and not published (MySQL Workbench, Sequel Ace, SQLPro Studio and TablePlus). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these mysql clients are open source?
ElectroCRUD (not published) and Sequel Pro (not published) are open source.
Do these mysql clients support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
