Quay vs TablePlus: which database client fits you?
TablePlus and Quay are both focused desktop clients rather than full IDEs. TablePlus already ships Safe mode and Code review. This page shows where each one is strongest so you can choose.
Short answer
Pick TablePlus if the left list sounds like you. Pick Quay if the right list does. Many people will happily keep both.
Who should pick TablePlus
- You want a desktop client that says it is trusted by 100k+ developers (TablePlus's own statement).
- You want a one-time perpetual licence model (TablePlus states a perpetual licence with one year of updates; check their pricing page for current terms).
- You use macOS or iOS and want the companion iOS app (TablePlus for iOS exists).
- You want plugins (JavaScript, in beta per TablePlus) or its Metrics Board dashboards.
Who should pick Quay
- You want edits held as a draft buffer with a full old → new review before saving.
- You want every commit to production to require typing the connection name.
- You want FK-ordered exports and a restore preview that warns about DROP/TRUNCATE.
- You want MongoDB and Redis editing to follow the same draft flow as SQL.
Plans and what each includes: see https://quay.uncle-z.com/pricing/.
Where Quay is behind today
Quay is young and early, and several things TablePlus offers (see the "Not listed on Quay's site" rows) are not claimed by Quay. If one of those is essential for you, stay with TablePlus.
Feature table
Quay features below are as described on https://quay.uncle-z.com/ and /pricing/ (5 Nov 2026). For which plan includes what, see /pricing/.
Competitor facts as listed on their public pages, checked 5 Nov 2026 (sources below). "Not listed" means we did not find it on their public page; we did not test their app, so it may exist.
| Feature | TablePlus | Quay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | See TablePlus's pricing page | See https://quay.uncle-z.com/pricing/ |
| Licence model | Perpetual licence, no subscription; one year of updates/support included | See https://quay.uncle-z.com/pricing/ |
| Desktop app | Yes (macOS, Windows, Linux; iOS) | Desktop app for macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows, Linux; no iOS app listed |
| Production protection | 'Safe mode' to prevent mistakes on production | Typed connection name required to commit on a prod-tagged connection: pending edits, raw INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE, ALTER TABLE, CREATE/DROP INDEX, restore, copy table |
| Review changes before saving | 'Code review' to see what you have changed | Draft buffer with old → new review modal |
| Inline editing | Yes | Yes (cells, JSON fields, Redis members) |
| Import / export SQL dump | Yes | Yes; FK-ordered export and encrypted .qenc |
| Query editor | Autocomplete, syntax highlighting, split panes, formatter, history, streaming results | Multi-tab editor, auto-complete, persistent history, saved queries |
| Plain-language EXPLAIN | Not listed on TablePlus's home page (checked 5 Nov 2026) | Yes; rule-based |
| Schema diff between connections | Not listed on TablePlus's home page (checked 5 Nov 2026) | Yes |
| Plugins / extensions | JavaScript plugins (beta) | Not listed on Quay's site |
| Team licensing | Team plan listed | Team sync is listed on /pricing/ |
Switching to Quay: 5 steps
- Download the build for your system from https://quay.uncle-z.com/downloads/ (macOS .dmg for Apple Silicon only, Windows x64 setup .exe, Linux x86_64 .deb or .rpm; source: /downloads/, 5 Nov 2026). Keep TablePlus installed; nothing here removes it.
- Copy your connection details (host, port, database, user, SSH settings) from TablePlus's connection settings. Quay does not claim an importer for TablePlus files, so you re-enter them once.
- Add each connection in Quay. SQLite asks for a file path; other engines ask for host, port and credentials.
- Tag each connection dev, staging or prod. The tag is what turns on typed-name confirmation for commits.
- Try one safe edit on a dev database: change a cell, press ⌘S, read the review. Then run one backup and restore it into a scratch database to see the FK-ordered export for yourself.
Download Quay Plans and prices: see https://quay.uncle-z.com/pricing/
Competitor sources, first checked 20 Oct 2026, re-checked 5 Nov 2026: https://tableplus.com/; https://tableplus.com/pricing.