Our verdict: Navicat Premium Lite brings Navicat's polished, native interface to a free edition that connects to most popular SQL and NoSQL databases. It covers daily work: browsing and editing data, designing objects, writing queries and text-based import/export. Data transfer, synchronization, modeling, backups and automation stay in the paid Navicat Premium.
About Navicat Premium Lite
Navicat Premium Lite is a free version of Navicat from PremiumSoft. One app connects to MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite, MariaDB, Snowflake, MongoDB and Redis, including cloud services such as Amazon RDS, Azure SQL Database and Google Cloud SQL. It includes the object designer, data editors with grid, tree and JSON views, a query editor with code completion and snippets, and import/export for TXT, CSV, XML and JSON.
Premium Lite may be used for commercial and non-commercial work, but each organization is limited to five free Premium Lite users. Connections can be secured with SSH tunnels and SSL, and Navicat's cloud collaboration can sync connection settings and queries. Features such as the visual query builder, data transfer and synchronization, data modeling, scheduled automation and backup tools are part of the paid Navicat Premium.
What it does well
- Many databases in one app. Connects to MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite, MariaDB, MongoDB and Redis.
- Data editors. Views and edits records in grid, tree and JSON views.
- Object designer. Creates and changes tables and other database objects in tabbed dialogs.
- Query editor. Syntax highlighting, code completion and code snippets.
- Text import and export. Moves data in and out as TXT, CSV, XML or JSON.
Who it is for
Good fit
Developers and small teams who want a polished commercial-grade client for everyday SQL and NoSQL work at no cost.
Look elsewhere
Users who need data sync, modeling, backups or scheduled jobs, and organizations with more than five users.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free for commercial and non-commercial use
- Native, polished interface with dark mode
- SQL and NoSQL databases in one app
- SSH tunnel and SSL connections
Cons
- Free use is limited to five users per organization
- No data transfer, sync, modeling or backup tools in Lite
- Import and export are limited to text formats
How to install Navicat Premium Lite
The button downloads the English 64-bit installer of Navicat Premium Lite 18 from Navicat's server. Other Navicat downloads on the site are trials of paid editions, so pick Premium Lite if you want the free version. Use SSH tunneling in the connection settings to reach databases on remote servers.
Questions about Navicat Premium Lite
Is Navicat Premium Lite free?
Yes. Navicat Premium Lite is a free edition that can be used commercially, with a maximum of five users per organization. Advanced features require the paid Navicat Premium.
What is missing in Navicat Premium Lite?
Lite covers core tasks: data editing, object design, queries and text import/export. The visual query builder, data transfer and synchronization, modeling, BI, automation and backup tools are in Navicat Premium.
Which databases does Navicat Premium Lite support?
MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, SQLite, MariaDB, Snowflake, MongoDB and Redis, plus their cloud versions on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and others.
