Compare software

sqldef vs Dbmate: catalog facts
sqldef	Dbmate
Free Free and open source under the MIT and Apache 2.0 licences.	Free The open-source application is available without a license fee.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux
Declarative schema in plain SQL Idempotent: only needed changes are applied	Plain SQL migrations across multiple database engines
Command line only Declarative diffs need care with destructive changes	Database-specific SQL still needs to match the chosen engine.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT, Apache-2.0	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.