What is Postgres.app used for?

Postgres.app is a native macOS application that bundles PostgreSQL with common extensions and a simple interface for starting and stopping local servers. It is a good fit for running a local development database on a Mac and testing against several PostgreSQL versions.

Is Postgres.app open source?

Yes. Postgres.app is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at PostgresApp/PostgresApp.

Is Postgres.app free?

Yes. Postgres.app is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

What are some alternatives to Postgres.app?

Similar open-source tools in the Databases category include TimescaleDB, PostgreSQL and Citus. SaaS products in the same category include EDB Postgres AI, Instaclustr and Aerospike.

Is Postgres.app actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Postgres.app was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.9.6, published on 13 August 2026. The project has 7.8k stars on GitHub.

Postgres.app: open-source databases

About Postgres.app

Postgres.app is a Mac application for running PostgreSQL locally. It bundles PostgreSQL together with everything needed to get started and includes a small graphical interface for starting and stopping database servers.

Several PostgreSQL versions can run at the same time. The app ships with extensions including PostGIS, pgrouting, wal2json, pldebugger and pgvector, with availability depending on the PostgreSQL version, plus the PL/v8 and PLjs language extensions. Binaries and command-line tools are placed inside the application bundle, and documentation is available on the project website and from a menu item in the app.

The user interface is written in Swift, while the PostgreSQL binaries are built separately on different macOS versions for compatibility. Releases are downloaded from the website, with older versions and pre-releases on GitHub. The repository lists a licence of other, so check its terms for redistribution.

Key features

PostgreSQL bundled in a native Mac app
Simple GUI to start and stop servers
Multiple PostgreSQL versions side by side
PostGIS and pgvector extensions included
Command-line tools bundled

Good fit for

→Running a local development database on a Mac
→Testing against several PostgreSQL versions

Built with: Makefile; PostgreSQL
Tags: postgresql; macos; database; postgis; pgvector; swift; developer-tools; local-development

Postgres.app: questions and answers

What is Postgres.app used for?: Postgres.app is a native macOS application that bundles PostgreSQL with common extensions and a simple interface for starting and stopping local servers. It is a good fit for running a local development database on a Mac and testing against several PostgreSQL versions.
Is Postgres.app open source?: Yes. Postgres.app is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at PostgresApp/PostgresApp.
Is Postgres.app free?: Yes. Postgres.app is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
What are some alternatives to Postgres.app?: Similar open-source tools in the Databases category include TimescaleDB, PostgreSQL and Citus. SaaS products in the same category include EDB Postgres AI, Instaclustr and Aerospike.
Is Postgres.app actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Postgres.app was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.9.6, published on 13 August 2026. The project has 7.8k stars on GitHub.