Is SQL Designer free to use?

Yes. SQL Designer is completely free — no credit card required, no subscription, no document limits. You can create unlimited diagrams, export SQL for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, SQL Server, and MS Access, and share diagrams with others at no cost.

Does SQL Designer work without installation?

Yes. SQL Designer runs entirely in the browser — nothing to download or install. It works on any modern browser on Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Which SQL dialects does SQL Designer support for export?

SQL Designer can generate CREATE TABLE scripts for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, SQL Server, and Microsoft Access. Switch between dialects per diagram and copy the generated DDL to your clipboard with one click.

Can I share my database diagram with someone else?

Yes. SQL Designer generates shareable links with three access modes: read-only (anyone with the link can view), editable (anyone can edit), or approval-based (you approve each visitor individually). Diagrams can also be embedded as interactive iframes in any webpage or documentation site.

Can I import an existing SQL schema into SQL Designer?

Yes. SQL Designer can parse and import existing CREATE TABLE SQL scripts and render them as a visual diagram automatically.

How many diagrams can I create?

Unlimited. There is no cap on the number of diagrams you can create with a free account.

Does SQL Designer support foreign key relationships?

Yes. You can draw foreign key relationships between columns by connecting them visually on the canvas. Relationships are rendered using crow's foot notation and are included in the SQL export.

What is crow's foot notation in SQL Designer?

Crow's foot notation is a visual convention for showing the cardinality of database relationships. In SQL Designer, when you draw a foreign key between two columns, the connection line uses crow's foot symbols to indicate whether the relationship is one-to-one or one-to-many, making cardinality immediately clear on the diagram.

Can I embed a SQL Designer diagram in my website?

Yes. SQL Designer generates an iframe embed code for any shared diagram. Paste it into a blog post, documentation page, or internal wiki and the diagram renders as an interactive preview.

What browsers does SQL Designer support?

SQL Designer runs in all modern browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on Windows, Mac, and Linux. No installation or browser extension is required.

SQL Designer Features — Free ERD & Schema Designer

01 / Canvas

Canvas & editing

⌘

Drag-and-drop canvas

An infinite, pan-and-zoom canvas. Drop tables anywhere, rearrange freely, and work with schemas of any size without losing the shape of your design. Pan by scrolling, zoom with pinch or mouse wheel, and auto-fit the whole diagram to your screen in one click. The layout is always yours to control — no auto-arrange forced on you when you add a new table.

⊞

Tables & columns

Add tables, add columns, rename inline, reorder by drag. Each column gets a name, a type, and optional constraints.

T

Data types

Each dialect gets its own type list — MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, SQL Server, and MS Access all show only the types they actually support. Common examples: INT, BIGINT, VARCHAR, TEXT, BOOLEAN, DATE, TIMESTAMP, UUID, DECIMAL, JSON.

↻

Auto-save

Every edit is saved to your account. Close the tab, switch machines, come back tomorrow — it's still there.

02 / Relationships

Relationships & constraints

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Foreign keys

Drag from one column to another to define a foreign key — no dialog boxes, no typing constraint names by hand. Cardinality is rendered in crow's foot notation so one-to-many and one-to-one relationships are immediately readable on the canvas. Every foreign key you draw is reflected in the SQL export as a proper FOREIGN KEY ... REFERENCES constraint, in the correct syntax for whichever dialect you've selected.

PK

PRIMARY KEY

Mark a column as the primary key with one click. The generated DDL adds the PRIMARY KEY constraint for you.

!=

UNIQUE & NOT NULL

Toggle UNIQUE and NOT NULL per column. The SQL output reflects exactly what you set.

03 / SQL

SQL in & out

MySQL export

A complete MySQL CREATE TABLE script — types, constraints, foreign keys. Paste into MySQL Workbench, DBeaver, or a terminal and run.

PostgreSQL export

Switch dialects and the same diagram comes out as Postgres-compatible DDL — works with psql, pgAdmin, Supabase, anything that speaks Postgres.

SQLite export

Generates SQLite-compatible DDL with foreign key constraints declared inline inside CREATE TABLE — the only syntax SQLite accepts.

Oracle export

Outputs Oracle DDL using double-quoted identifiers and Oracle-native types like NUMBER, VARCHAR2, and CLOB. Compatible with SQL*Plus and Oracle SQL Developer.

SQL Server export

Generates T-SQL with bracket-quoted identifiers and SQL Server types like NVARCHAR, DATETIME2, and UNIQUEIDENTIFIER. Ready to run in SSMS or Azure Data Studio.

MS Access export

Exports bracket-quoted DDL with Access-specific types like AUTOINCREMENT, MEMO, and YESNO. Compatible with the Access SQL view and DAO.

↧

SQL import

Paste a CREATE TABLE script and SQL Designer parses it into a visual ER diagram automatically — tables, columns, types, constraints, and foreign keys all placed on the canvas. Useful for reverse-engineering a production schema before a refactor, visualizing a schema from documentation, or onboarding onto an unfamiliar database. Supports multi-table scripts with FOREIGN KEY references across tables.

⎘

One-click copy

Copy the full generated SQL to your clipboard with one click. No download, no extra step.

04 / Sharing

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Embeds

Embed a diagram as an interactive iframe in any docs site, README, or internal wiki. Embedded diagrams with a backlink can be featured in the schema library.

05 / Workspace

Workspace

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Multiple diagrams

One diagram per project, microservice, or database. All saved to your account, accessible from any device.

⌘W

Browser-based

Runs in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge. No download, no extension, no setup — just sql-designer.com.

06 / Compare

How SQL Designer compares

Most database designers fall into one of two buckets: desktop software that requires installation and ties you to one engine, or SaaS tools that put SQL export behind a paywall. SQL Designer is neither.

vs. MySQL Workbench

MySQL Workbench is powerful but desktop-only, MySQL-exclusive, and requires a ~200 MB install. It's the right choice for deep MySQL administration (query tuning, server monitoring, migrations). SQL Designer is the right choice when you want to sketch or document a schema fast, collaborate with someone who isn't on the same machine, or need output for a dialect other than MySQL — without installing anything.

vs. dbdiagram.io

dbdiagram.io uses a custom DSL — you write schema text and it renders a diagram. That's fast for people who prefer code-first workflows, but it means a learning curve and no drag-and-drop. Its free tier also caps the number of diagrams and restricts SQL export to paid plans. SQL Designer is visual from the start, dialect-aware, and free with no diagram cap or export paywall.

The SQL Designer position

Browser-based so nothing to install. Visual so there's no DSL to learn. Free forever — no feature is gated behind a subscription, and there are no diagram or export limits. Open source so you can inspect exactly what the tool does with your schema. This combination is what most free-tier ERD tools promise and don't deliver.

Full comparison including DrawSQL, ERDPlus, ChartDB, and Lucidchart: 10 Best Free ERD Tools in 2026 →

Everything an ERD tool should do.