# DrawSQL review (2026): is the free plan enough?

> Browser-based database schema diagrams for dev teams

Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA.

DrawSQL is an online editor for database schema diagrams. A schema can be built on the canvas or imported from SQL, then grouped, annotated, versioned and edited together with teammates. It supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server and MariaDB and exports SQL, Laravel migrations, JSON and images.

- **Category:** Whiteboards & Mind Maps
- **Made by:** DrawSQL (since 2018)
- **Website:** https://drawsql.app
- **Runs on:** Web
- **Who should skip it:** Skip it if the schema is private and you won't pay: free diagrams are public.
- **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026

## Pricing

As of Nov 13, 2026, DrawSQL has a free plan, and paid plans start at $19 per month for 1 user, billed monthly ($171 billed yearly).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Unlimited public diagrams of up to 15 tables, with SQL import and the full visual editor.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | Unlimited public diagrams, up to 15 tables each; no private diagrams. |
| Starter | $19 per month for 1 user, billed monthly ($171 billed yearly) | 10 private diagrams, 50 tables per diagram, API access and 500 DrawSQL AI credits a month. |
| Growth | $59 per month for up to 5 users, billed monthly ($531 billed yearly) | Unlimited private diagrams, 100 tables per diagram and real-time multiplayer editing. |
| Large | $179 per month for up to 25 users, billed monthly ($1,790 billed yearly) | Everything in Growth with unlimited tables per diagram. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited users, SSO and SAML, audit trail and priority support; sold through sales. |

Read from https://drawsql.app/pricing on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with DrawSQL before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Yearly billing saves 2 to 3 months** (Annual discount): Starter and Growth are $171 and $531 a year (3 months free), and Large is $1,790 a year (2 months free). Source: https://drawsql.app/pricing
- **Discounts for students and educators** (Education): The pricing FAQ says discounted plans exist for students and educators, and free access for established open-source projects. Source: https://drawsql.app/pricing

## Key features

- **Import from SQL:** Pasting CREATE TABLE statements renders a diagram with tables, columns and foreign keys.
- **Export:** Diagrams export as SQL for MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQL Server, as Laravel migrations, as JSON and as images.
- **Real-time multiplayer:** Several people can edit one live diagram together; this starts on the Growth plan.
- **Groups and notes:** Tables can be grouped by domain and annotated with sticky notes to keep large schemas readable.
- **AI review with a diff:** DrawSQL AI reviews, generates and renames parts of a schema; paid plans include 500 credits a month.
- **Templates and version history:** Over 200 schema templates are provided, and paid plans keep earlier versions of a diagram.

## Good for

- Dev teams reviewing schema changes on a shared live diagram
- Laravel, Rails or Django projects that want a schema picture
- Solo developers who need a few private diagrams

## Worth knowing

- This is a database diagramming tool, not a general whiteboard.
- Free diagrams are public and capped at 15 tables; private diagrams need a paid plan.
- The Starter plan is for one user; real-time collaboration starts at Growth with up to 5 users.
- The pricing FAQ lists MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server and MariaDB as supported databases.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 1.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. DrawSQL is a visual editor for database schemas that imports SQL and has an AI review. The free plan only makes public diagrams of up to 15 tables, so anything private starts at $19 a month, which is well above what other whiteboard tools charge.

- **Value for money: D.** Private diagrams start at $19 a month for 1 user, or $171 a year, against $8.25 in the middle for whiteboard tools. Growth is $59 for up to 5 users.
- **Free plan and trial: C.** Free gives unlimited diagrams of up to 15 tables with SQL import and the full editor, but every free diagram is public. There is no trial on record.
- **Features: C.** SQL import, export, notes, groups, version history and an AI review with a diff. The listing names the gaps: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server and MariaDB only, and nothing beyond database diagrams.
- **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. A web app where the work is building the schema itself.
- **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, with a Laravel integration and API access on paid plans. No desktop or phone app.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from DrawSQL's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among whiteboard and mind map tools

- DrawSQL's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 2 of the 98 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, and level with 5.
- It stands best on free plan and trial (C, above 10 of 98) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
- Its paid plans start at $19 a month, against a middle price of $8 for the category: 59 of the 69 others that charge start lower.
- On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 59 tools score higher and cost less.

The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/whiteboards

## Keep it, or make your own?

**Keep it.** The plain part of DrawSQL you could make: templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 91 of the 98 other whiteboard and mind map tools grade higher. It costs $228 a year.

- You could make: Templates: an app builder makes this well.
- You could not: A diagram editor.
- You could not: Several people working in it at the same moment.
- You could not: It plugs into other products, Laravel among them, and has an API.
- You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.

A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it.

## Works with

Laravel

**Tags:** Diagrams, Templates, Real-time collaboration, AI features, Public API

## Alternatives

- [dbdiagram.io](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dbdiagram-io): Draw database ER diagrams by writing DBML code. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dbdiagram-io-vs-drawsql)
- [Eraser](https://toolgpa.com/tools/eraser): AI diagramming and docs canvas for engineering teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/drawsql-vs-eraser)
- [PlantUML](https://toolgpa.com/tools/plantuml): Draw UML and other diagrams from plain-text descriptions. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/drawsql-vs-plantuml)
- [Visual Paradigm](https://toolgpa.com/tools/visual-paradigm): Desktop and online modeling suite for UML, BPMN and architecture. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/drawsql-vs-visual-paradigm)
- [Lucidchart](https://toolgpa.com/tools/lucidchart): Browser-based diagramming for flowcharts, org charts and systems. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/drawsql-vs-lucidchart)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026:

- https://drawsql.app/pricing
- https://drawsql.app/about
- https://drawsql.app/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/drawsql
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).