PgDesigner vs pgModeler

Feature comparison

Feature	PgDesigner	pgModeler
PostgreSQL version	PG18 full spec	PG18 initial (2.0, temporal keys)
UI	Browser-based	Qt desktop
Git-friendly diffs	Yes (single-line XML)	Plus only (split model, Git plugin)
Diff/ALTER engine	Yes	Plus only
Hazard detection	Yes (10 hazard codes)	No
Schema lint	69 rules, 15 autofix	Model validation and fix tool
Sample data generator	Yes (30+ heuristics)	No
Reverse engineering	Yes (pg_catalog)	Plus only
Import PDD/DBS/DM2	Yes	No
Views/functions diff	Planned (Phase 2)	Plus only
SSH tunneling	No	Plus only
Plugin system	No	Yes
CLI	Yes (single binary)	Yes (requires Qt)

Pricing

	PgDesigner	pgModeler
Individual	Free (Apache-2.0)	Plus: $65.90 / 6 months, $123.74 / 12 months (1 seat, 1 platform)
Team	Free	Plus perpetual: $425.58 (2 seats, 1 platform)
Free tier	Everything, Apache-2.0	Community: modeling and SQL generation, build from source (GPLv3)
Binaries	GitHub Releases, Homebrew (public)	Plus download only

Where pgModeler is stronger

• Maturity — 19 years of development, battle-tested in production at scale
• Views and functions diff — pgModeler Plus diffs views, functions, triggers. PgDesigner has this planned for Phase 2
• Plugin system — custom extensions without modifying core code
• SSH tunneling — connect to remote databases through SSH (Plus edition)
• Database administration — built-in SQL execution and data browsing (Plus edition)
• Large models — multi-scene canvases and attribute collapsing for big schemas

Where PgDesigner is stronger

• Hazard detection — 10 hazard codes (DELETES_DATA, TABLE_REWRITE, TABLE_RECREATE, COLUMN_RECREATE, TYPE_RECREATE, BACKFILL_REQUIRED, ENUM_ADD_VALUE, UNNAMED_CONSTRAINT, DETACH_PARTITION, REATTACH_PARTITION) warn you before risky ALTER statements
• 69 lint rules with autofix — vs basic validation in pgModeler
• Diff and import for free — in pgModeler 2.0, database import and model diff moved to the paid Plus edition. In PgDesigner they are part of the open-source build and the CLI
• Git-friendly by default — single-line diffs in the free version. pgModeler's split model and Git plugin are Plus-only
• Sample data generator — FK-aware, 30+ name heuristics, reproducible with seed
• Import from 5 sources — MicroOLAP .pdd, DbSchema .dbs, Toad .dm2, SQL, live DB
• Browser UI from a single binary — no Qt runtime; the same UI on macOS, Linux and Windows
• Price — free and open source (Apache-2.0), signed binaries included, vs $65.90 per 6 months for pgModeler Plus
• Zero-dependency binary — single static binary vs Qt dependency chain

Honest assessment

pgModeler is the more mature tool. If you need views/functions diff, SSH tunneling, or a plugin system today — pgModeler Plus is the better choice. PgDesigner's strengths are in the DBA-focused workflow: hazard detection, deep linting, sample data generation, and a git-native format. If your team reviews schema changes in PRs, PgDesigner fits that workflow better.