Comparison
Inlet vs DB Browser for SQLite
DB Browser for SQLite is a free, open-source, cross-platform editor for SQLite and SQLCipher files, built with Qt. Inlet is a free native Mac app that opens SQLite files alongside PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and MongoDB; it’s new and has no SQLCipher support.
Updated 9 October 2026
In short
DB Browser for SQLite (DB4S) is a free, open-source tool for creating, searching and editing SQLite database files, including encrypted SQLCipher files. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, is built with Qt, and has been on GitHub since 2014. Its latest stable release is 3.13.1, from October 2024.
Inlet is a free native Mac app that opens and creates SQLite files, and also connects to PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and MongoDB. It’s new (version 0.1) and needs macOS 26 Tahoe or later. As a DB Browser for SQLite alternative for Mac, Inlet suits you if SQLite is one of several databases you work with. If you need SQLCipher, plotting or Windows and Linux, DB4S is the better fit.
At a glance
As of October 2026, from sqlitebrowser.org and the project’s GitHub repository.
| Inlet | DB Browser for SQLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free: no account, no trial | Free |
| Licence | Free to use | Open source: Mozilla Public License 2.0 and GPL 3 or later |
| Platforms | macOS 26 Tahoe or later (Apple silicon and Intel) | Windows, macOS (universal build), Linux |
| Built with | Swift (SwiftUI and AppKit) | C++ and Qt |
| Engines | SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB | SQLite, SQLCipher |
| Encrypted databases | No SQLCipher support | Creates and opens SQLCipher files |
| Import and export | CSV import; CSV, JSON, SQL INSERT and Excel (.xlsx) export | CSV and text import and export; JSON export; SQL dump import and export |
| Charts | None | Simple plots from table or query data |
| Latest release | 0.1 | 3.13.1 (October 2024), plus nightly builds |
Where DB Browser for SQLite is stronger
- SQLCipher. DB4S creates, opens and manages encrypted SQLCipher databases. Inlet works with plain SQLite files only.
- Windows and Linux. DB4S runs on Windows (including ARM64), macOS and Linux, with portable and packaged builds. Inlet is Mac-only and needs macOS 26.
- Open source. The code is on GitHub under the MPL 2.0 and GPL 3. Inlet isn’t open source.
- SQLite-specific tools. Compact a database file, plot simple graphs from a table or query, import and export whole SQL dumps, and read a log of every SQL statement the app has run.
- Track record. DB4S, previously known as SQLite Database Browser, has been developed on GitHub since 2014. Inlet is at version 0.1.
Where Inlet is stronger
- More than SQLite. The same app connects to PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and MongoDB, with the same grid and query editor. DB4S works only with SQLite and SQLCipher files.
- A native Mac app. Inlet is written in Swift with SwiftUI and AppKit. DB4S uses Qt, a cross-platform toolkit.
- Excel export. Inlet exports to Excel (.xlsx) as well as CSV, JSON and SQL
INSERTstatements. DB4S exports CSV, JSON and SQL, but not Excel. - Optional AI help. With your own Anthropic API key, Ask Claude (⌘L) writes SQL and fixes a failed statement. It sends the schema and the SQL or error, never rows, and Preview shows the exact request first.
- A sample to learn on. Inlet includes a sample SQLite database (a music store), so you can try queries without finding a file first.
Moving from DB Browser for SQLite
There’s nothing to import: a SQLite database is a file, and Inlet opens it directly.
- If DB4S has unsaved changes to the file, save or discard them first. SQLite lets only one connection write at a time.
- Open the file in Inlet.
- Tag it with an environment (local, development, staging or production) if you like; a production tag makes Inlet open it read-only.
Encrypted SQLCipher files won’t open in Inlet. Keep DB4S for those, or decrypt a copy first.
Which to choose
Choose DB Browser for SQLite if you work with SQLCipher, need Windows or Linux, want plotting or SQL dumps, or prefer open-source software. It’s free and has years of use behind it.
Choose Inlet if you’re on macOS 26 and SQLite is one of several databases you use, so one app covers your SQLite files and your PostgreSQL, MySQL or MongoDB servers, or if you want Excel export and optional AI help. Both are free, and both read the same files.