6,598 open-source and SaaS tools, with GitHub stats refreshed every day.

3 alternatives ranked by real activity

Open-source erwin Data Modeler alternatives

A curated, ranked list of the 3 best open-source alternatives to erwin Data Modeler.

The best open-source alternative to erwin Data Modeler is drawDB. If that doesn't suit you, other good options are ChartDB and Liam ERD.

erwin Data Modeler alternatives are mainly Database Tools tools. 3 of them shipped code in the last 30 days, 3 can be self-hosted, and 1 uses a permissive licence.

Last updated October 3, 2026 · ranked by GitHub stars, growth and recent commits

drawDB

A free browser-based editor for drawing database entity-relationship diagrams and generating SQL, with import and export of scripts and no account required.

GitHub stars
40k
Last commit
3 days ago
Licence
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Hosted version
Available
drawdb.appdrawDB homepage screenshot

drawDB is a free, browser-based database schema editor and SQL generator. You build entity-relationship diagrams with a few clicks, and it works without creating an account, which makes it quick to sketch a data model before writing any code.

Diagrams can be exported to and imported from SQL scripts, and the tool can generate migrations. Topics show support for dialects including MySQL-family databases such as MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite and Oracle, and diagrams are kept in the browser using IndexedDB. The editor is customizable, and the app is written in JavaScript.

drawDB is AGPL-3.0 licensed. The public version runs at drawdb.app, and you can also build it locally or with Docker to host it yourself. Sharing diagrams is optional and requires setting up a small server using the provided environment sample; with the Docker image you pass the server URL at startup, with no rebuild needed. It suits developers and students designing relational schemas.

Key features

  • Visual ER diagram editor in the browser
  • SQL script export and import
  • SQL migration generation
  • Multiple SQL dialects supported
  • No account required
  • Docker build for self-hosting

Pricing: The drawDB editor is free and open source with no account needed. Solo Pro and Team Pro add cloud sync, collaboration and AI, but their prices are not shown on the page.

Read more about drawDBWebsite GitHub

ChartDB

A web-based database diagram editor that imports your schema with one query, lets you edit entity-relationship diagrams and exports SQL, with no account required.

GitHub stars
23k
Last commit
19 days ago
Latest release
v1.20.1
Licence
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Hosted version
Available
chartdb.ioChartDB homepage screenshot

ChartDB is an open-source database diagramming editor that runs in the browser. Its signature feature is a Smart Query: you run one query against your database, paste the resulting JSON schema into ChartDB, and your tables and relationships are visualized instantly, with no installation and no database password shared with the tool.

From there you can edit the diagram interactively and export it, and an AI-powered export generates DDL scripts in the SQL dialect of your choice, which helps when moving between engines, such as MySQL to PostgreSQL or SQLite to MariaDB. The diagrams are useful for documentation, team discussions and understanding an unfamiliar database. Topics show support for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server and MariaDB, and the app is built with React and TypeScript.

ChartDB is AGPL-3.0 licensed. You can use the hosted editor at chartdb.io, which works without an account, or self-host the open-source code. It suits developers, data engineers and students who need quick schema visualizations and migration scripts without setting up heavy modeling software.

Key features

  • One-query schema import as JSON
  • Interactive ER diagram editing
  • AI-assisted DDL export across SQL dialects
  • No installation or database password required
  • Supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite and SQL Server
  • No account needed

Pricing: A free plan covers one user. Pro is $25 per month for one person and Teams starts at $59 on its Basic tier; yearly billing is up to 40% cheaper and the Custom plan is quoted by sales.

Read more about ChartDBWebsite GitHub

Liam ERD

Liam ERD generates interactive entity relationship diagrams from your database schema, with zoom, pan and filtering for exploring complex structures.

GitHub stars
5.1k
Last commit
8 days ago
Latest release
@liam-hq/cli@0.7.24
Licence
Apache-2.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Hosted version
Available
liambx.comLiam ERD homepage screenshot

Liam ERD turns an existing database schema into a clear, interactive entity relationship diagram. It is meant for developers and teams who need to understand or document a database without drawing the diagram manually, and it works with both public and private repositories.

The interface supports panning, zooming and filtering so even complex schemas stay readable, and it reverse-engineers diagrams directly from your schema with little setup. Repository topics list PostgreSQL, Prisma, Ruby on Rails, tbls and SQL as input sources, with React Flow used for rendering. A command-line package is published for generating diagrams locally, and the project provides documentation and a roadmap.

Liam is written in TypeScript and licensed under Apache-2.0. You can run the CLI yourself, and the project's website also offers a hosted way to view diagrams. It suits engineering teams who want schema documentation that stays in sync with the code.

Key features

  • Interactive ER diagrams from existing schemas
  • Panning, zooming and filtering
  • Reverse engineering with minimal setup
  • Works with PostgreSQL, Prisma and Rails schemas
  • Command-line package for local use
  • Open-source TypeScript codebase

Pricing: Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license.

Read more about Liam ERDWebsite GitHub

erwin Data Modeler alternatives: questions

What is the best open-source alternative to erwin Data Modeler?
drawDB is the top-ranked open-source alternative to erwin Data Modeler on Enlisted: A free browser-based editor for drawing database entity-relationship diagrams and generating SQL, with import and export of scripts and no account required. Other strong options are ChartDB and Liam ERD.
Are these erwin Data Modeler alternatives free?
All 3 are open source, so the code is free to use under its licence, and 3 of them can be self-hosted on your own server. 3 also offer a paid or managed cloud version if you'd rather not host it yourself.
How is this list of erwin Data Modeler alternatives ranked?
By a score built from GitHub stars, star growth over the last 30 days and how recently the code changed. 3 of these projects shipped code in the last 30 days. Data is refreshed daily, and nobody can pay to move up.

People also look for alternatives to…

View all