vsThe SQLiteStudio alternative for Mac
First, the thing nobody tells you: SQLiteStudio is now called Letos. It is still free, still open source, and still very good. Here is an honest comparison with FluentDB.
Updated August 2026
By Kevin Piacentini, Software Engineer & Founder of FluentDBIf you came here looking for SQLiteStudio, start with this: the project was renamed to Letos in 2026, and sqlitestudio.pl now redirects to letos.org. Same developer, same GPL license, same application. The name changed to avoid confusion with the official SQLite project, which Letos is not affiliated with. Version 4.0.1 shipped on 6 July 2026.
So the honest framing for this page is not "SQLiteStudio is dead, use us instead". It is not dead, it is free, and for a lot of people it is the right answer. FluentDB is a different kind of tool: a paid, Mac-only client with an AI co-pilot that also speaks PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Server. Below is where each one genuinely wins.
FluentDB vs Letos (formerly SQLiteStudio) at a glance
| Feature | FluentDB | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Paid, one-time from $54 | Free, GPL open source |
| Built-in AI co-pilot | Native, schema-aware, writes SQL with you | None |
| Databases supported | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server | SQLite only |
| Platforms | macOS only (Apple Silicon native) | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Encrypted SQLite | ChaCha20 and SQLCipher | SQLCipher, WxSQLite3, System.Data.SQLite |
| Interface | Native SwiftUI, built around the assistant | Qt, functional and dense |
| SQLite-specific depth | Browsing, editing, charts | ERD editor, plugins, custom JS/Python/Tcl functions |
| Export formats | CSV and JSON | SQL, CSV, HTML, XML, PDF, JSON |
| Source available | No, proprietary | Yes, GPL on GitHub |
SQLiteStudio is now Letos, and nothing else changed
Roughly evenThis trips people up, so it is worth stating plainly. The application you know as SQLiteStudio is now published as Letos. The README explains the reasoning directly: the name was changed to avoid confusion with the official SQLite project, since it is an independent application not affiliated with the SQLite authors.
It is the same codebase, still written in C++ with Qt, still GPL, still free for any use including commercial, and still with no paid edition and no telemetry. If you have SQLiteStudio installed and it works for you, the rename is not a reason to switch to anything.
Letos is free, and we are not going to spin that
Clear win: LetosLetos costs nothing, forever, for everyone, including commercial use. FluentDB is a one-time purchase starting at $54. On price there is no argument to make: free wins.
The only honest question is whether what FluentDB adds is worth $54 to you. If you open a SQLite file occasionally and Letos already does the job, the answer is probably no, and we would rather say so than waste your money.
The one thing Letos does not do at all
Clear win: FluentDBFluentDB is built around an AI co-pilot. Ask a question in plain English, watch it write SQL against your file's real schema, review the query, and run it when you are ready. Then keep going: ask it to add a filter, change a join, or explain what a statement does, and it edits the SQL in place.
You bring your own key for Anthropic or OpenAI, or run a model locally on your Mac with Ollama. By default the assistant sees your schema, not your row data.
Letos has no AI features and does not claim to. If that is not something you want in a database tool, this section is not a reason to switch.
One database engine, or four
Clear win: FluentDBLetos is a dedicated SQLite manager and nothing else. That focus is a genuine strength: it goes deeper on SQLite than we do, with an ERD editor, a plugin system, and custom functions written in JavaScript, Python, or Tcl.
FluentDB covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and SQL Server in one app. If SQLite is the only thing you touch, that breadth is worth nothing to you. If your week involves a Postgres database at work and a SQLite file in an app you are building, it means one tool instead of two.
Letos runs everywhere, FluentDB runs on Macs
Clear win: LetosLetos ships for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and offers a portable build that needs no installation. FluentDB is macOS only, built natively for Apple Silicon.
If you switch between a Mac and a Linux box, or your team is mixed, Letos is the practical choice and FluentDB is not currently an option for you.
Native Mac app versus a cross-platform Qt app
Clear win: FluentDBThis is the trade that comes with running everywhere. Letos uses Qt, which is what lets one codebase serve three operating systems, and the interface is dense and functional rather than polished. FluentDB is SwiftUI, so it behaves the way a Mac app is supposed to behave.
This is genuinely subjective. Plenty of people prefer a dense, information-first interface and find modern Mac apps too sparse. Try both, they are both easy to install.
Pricing, side by side
There is not much of a table to build here, because Letos is free. We are including it anyway so the comparison is complete rather than flattering.
| FluentDB | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Basic $54 1 Mac, one-time | Letos Free GPL, no paid edition Better value Free, for any use including commercial |
| Multiple machines | Pro $76 Up to 3 Macs, one-time | Letos Free Install anywhere Better value No license to buy at all |
| Future updates | Lifetime updates $84 Optional, one-time, forever | Letos Free Open source releases Better value Every release is free |
Letos is GPL-licensed and free for all use, with no paid tier. FluentDB is a one-time license with a year of updates included and an optional lifetime-updates add-on. FluentDB prices from our pricing page; Letos terms from letos.org, checked August 2026.
The honest trade-off
Why developers pick FluentDB
- An AI co-pilot that reads your SQLite schema and writes real SQL against your actual tables.
- One app for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, and SQLite, instead of a separate tool per engine.
- A native SwiftUI Mac app rather than a cross-platform Qt interface.
- Charts built straight from a query, without exporting to a spreadsheet first.
- Opens ChaCha20 and SQLCipher encrypted SQLite files.
Where Letos still leads
- Completely free and open source under the GPL, including for commercial use, with no telemetry.
- Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with a portable build that needs no installation.
- Goes deeper on SQLite: an ERD editor, a plugin system, and custom functions in JavaScript, Python, or Tcl.
- Exports to more formats: SQL, CSV, HTML, XML, PDF, and JSON.
- Supports three encrypted SQLite variants: SQLCipher, WxSQLite3, and System.Data.SQLite.
When Letos is the better choice
Often, honestly. Letos is the better pick if you only work with SQLite, if you are on Windows or Linux, if you want open source software you can read and modify, or if you simply do not want to pay for a database client. It is a mature, actively maintained project with a feature set that goes deeper on SQLite than ours does, and it costs nothing.
FluentDB is worth paying for if you are on a Mac, you work across more than one database engine, and you want an assistant that writes and refines SQL with you. That is a narrower case than "everyone who opens a .sqlite file", and we would rather be clear about it.
Frequently asked questions
Is SQLiteStudio still available?
Yes. It was renamed to Letos in 2026 and is still actively maintained, free, and open source under the GPL. The old sqlitestudio.pl domain now redirects to letos.org. Version 4.0.1 was released on 6 July 2026.
Why was SQLiteStudio renamed to Letos?
To avoid confusion with the official SQLite project. Letos is an independent application and is not affiliated with the SQLite authors, so the project changed its name to make that clear.
Is FluentDB a good SQLiteStudio alternative?
It depends on what you need. FluentDB adds an AI co-pilot, a native macOS interface, and support for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Server alongside SQLite. But it is Mac-only and costs from $54, while Letos is free and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. If you only use SQLite and want free software, Letos is the better choice.
Does Letos have AI features?
No. Letos does not include an AI assistant. FluentDB is built around one: you ask in plain English and it writes SQL against your real schema, which you can review before it runs.
Can both open encrypted SQLite databases?
Yes. Letos supports SQLCipher, WxSQLite3, and System.Data.SQLite encrypted databases. FluentDB opens ChaCha20 and SQLCipher encrypted files. Neither has a clear advantage here.
Is FluentDB open source?
No. FluentDB is proprietary software with a one-time license. Letos is GPL-licensed and its source is on GitHub, so if open source matters to you, that is a real point in its favour.
Try FluentDB on your Mac
If you want an AI co-pilot and more than just SQLite, try FluentDB. One-time from $54, 14-day refund. If Letos already does what you need, keep using it.