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Seaquel vs Azure Data Studio

A sourced comparison of Seaquel and Azure Data Studio, which Microsoft retired on 28 February 2026: what ADS did, what Seaquel can and can't replace, and when VS Code is the better move.

Choose Seaquel if

  • You want a standalone desktop app on macOS or Linux, not an editor with an extension on top.
  • SQL Server is one of several databases you use. PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite and DuckDB are built in, with no extensions to find.
  • You connect with SQL logins, your scripts don't depend on GO, and you mostly write queries and read results.
  • You want an ERD viewer, dashboards and a workflow canvas in the same app.

Choose Azure Data Studio if

  • You need Windows authentication or Microsoft Entra ID. Seaquel connects with SQL logins only. ADS's successor, VS Code with the MSSQL extension, supports both.
  • Your scripts use GO batch separators. Seaquel doesn't split on GO yet.
  • You relied on notebooks, schema compare, DACPAC deployment or the profiler. The MSSQL extension carries all of them forward, and Seaquel has none.
  • You browse and edit stored procedures and functions. Seaquel's object tree shows schemas, tables and views only.
  • You want your connections, groups and key bindings to come across in one step. The MSSQL extension ships an ADS migration toolkit, and Seaquel can't read ADS connections.
At a glance
Seaquel
Azure Data Studio
Free tier
Free for personal use
Everything, with no updates or security fixes since retirement
Paid
Annual Individual or Business license
Free, but retired on 28 February 2026
License
MIT source; official builds need a license for work
Free; source on GitHub, repository archived
Engines
6
~4
Linux
Full
Full

Azure Data Studio was retired on 28 February 2026. Microsoft announced it a year earlier, and since the cutoff ADS hasn’t had an update or a security fix. The GitHub repository was archived the same day.

If you’re on Windows you have SSMS. On a Mac or Linux you don’t, because SSMS is still Windows-only. That’s the gap ADS filled, and the reason this page exists.

Try Microsoft’s replacement first

Microsoft points ADS users to Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, and it’s better than a lot of posts about the retirement suggest. Query plans, notebooks, schema compare, DACPAC, a profiler, backup and restore, a table designer, Copilot. There’s also a migration toolkit that brings your connections, groups and key bindings across. It’s free, and it runs on all three platforms.

If SQL Server is your whole job, start there. I’d rather tell you that than have you find out a week in.

What Seaquel doesn’t do for SQL Server yet

These are the gaps you’d hit coming from ADS, as of the date at the bottom of this page:

  • SQL logins only. No Windows authentication, no Kerberos, no Entra ID.
  • No GO. Scripts that use it as a batch separator need splitting by hand.
  • Tables and views only in the object tree. Stored procedures and functions aren’t listed, though EXEC runs like any other query.
  • One result set per batch. If a procedure returns three, you see the first.
  • No notebooks, schema compare or DACPAC.
  • No ADS importer. You add your servers again.

If any of those is part of your normal day, Seaquel isn’t the replacement.

Where Seaquel fits

ADS was also a general database client for a lot of people. SQL Server at work, Postgres for a side project, SQLite somewhere in between, all in one app with a couple of extensions. That’s the part VS Code doesn’t really rebuild. Each engine is now its own extension, and as of September 2026 Microsoft still lists the MySQL one as pending.

Seaquel is a standalone desktop app with SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite and DuckDB built in. It reads SQL Server’s execution plans, has an ERD viewer and dashboards, and builds macOS, Windows and Linux from the same release. The source is MIT.

If you connect with SQL logins, your scripts don’t lean on GO, and SQL Server is one of several databases you use, it’s worth a try. Otherwise use VS Code.

Seaquel vs Azure Data Studio, feature by feature

Every row links to the source it was checked against. Last verified 25 September 2026.

Feature
Seaquel
Azure Data Studio
Still maintained

No updates or security fixes since 28 February 2026. The GitHub repository was archived the same day.

Price
Free for personal use; annual license for commercial use
Free

Its official successor, VS Code with the MSSQL extension, is also free.

Runs on macOS and Linux

SSMS, Microsoft's other desktop tool for SQL Server, runs on Windows only.

SQL Server login
Windows authentication (Kerberos on macOS and Linux)
Microsoft Entra ID sign-in

If your Azure SQL database only accepts Entra ID logins, Seaquel can't connect to it.

GO batch separator in scripts

A script saved from ADS that relies on GO needs editing before it runs in Seaquel.

Browse stored procedures and functions

Seaquel's SQL Server object tree covers schemas, tables and views. EXEC still runs as a normal query.

Multiple result sets from one batch
First result set only
Graphical execution plans

Seaquel reads SQL Server's estimated and actual XML plans.

Charts from query results
Dashboards
Chart viewer and insight widgets
Notebooks
Jupyter, with SQL and Python kernels
Schema compare and DACPAC
ERD viewer

Microsoft lists database diagrams as an SSMS-only feature.

Other engines
PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, DuckDB built in
PostgreSQL and MySQL via extensions

After the retirement these became separate VS Code extensions. As of September 2026 Microsoft still lists the MySQL one as pending.

Runtime
Rust and WebView (Tauri)
Electron (a VS Code fork) with the .NET SQL Tools Service

Where Azure Data Studio is better

Reasons to pick Azure Data Studio over Seaquel.

It was built for SQL Server, and Seaquel wasn't

ADS ran on Microsoft's own SQL Tools Service and SqlClient driver, so Windows authentication, Kerberos on a Mac, Entra ID, GO separators and multiple result sets all just worked. Seaquel talks to SQL Server over a general-purpose driver with SQL logins only, and those gaps show up quickly if SQL Server is your whole job.

Its successor is free, maintained and good

VS Code with the MSSQL extension carries forward query plans, notebooks, schema compare, DACPAC, the profiler, backup and restore, a table designer and flat-file import. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and costs nothing. For most people leaving ADS, it's the obvious next step.

Your setup comes across in one step

The MSSQL extension ships an ADS migration toolkit that brings over saved connections, connection groups, settings and key bindings. Seaquel can't read ADS connections at all, so you'd be entering each server again by hand.

Notebooks

ADS notebooks were plain .ipynb files mixing T-SQL, Markdown and Python. They open in VS Code's SQL notebooks. Seaquel has no notebook support, so a runbook written as a notebook has nowhere to go here.

Database projects and deployment

Schema compare, SQL database projects and DACPAC or BACPAC import and export are how many teams move SQL Server schemas between environments. All of it carries over to VS Code, and Seaquel doesn't attempt any of it.

What about speed and memory?

Neither Azure Data Studio nor I publish benchmark numbers, and the figures you'll find in comparison articles never say how they were measured. I'd rather not add to that. I'm testing both apps on the same machine, and the numbers will show up here with the versions, the hardware and the method.

Common questions

When was Azure Data Studio retired?

Microsoft announced the retirement on 6 February 2025, and it took effect on 28 February 2026. Since then ADS has had no updates, security patches or maintenance, and the GitHub repository is archived and read-only.

Does Azure Data Studio still work?

An existing install still opens and connects. It just won't be patched again. On a work machine, running an unpatched database client with saved production credentials is the part to worry about, not whether it launches.

What does Microsoft recommend instead?

Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, for day-to-day SQL work on Windows, macOS and Linux. For SQL Server Agent jobs and deeper administration it points to SSMS, which runs on Windows only.

Can Seaquel import my Azure Data Studio connections?

No. Seaquel imports saved connections from TablePlus and DBeaver, but not from ADS. You'll need to add your servers again. The MSSQL extension for VS Code can import them directly.

Can Seaquel connect to Azure SQL Database?

Yes, with a SQL login over an encrypted connection. It can't sign in with Microsoft Entra ID, so a database configured for Entra-only authentication is out of reach for now.

Should I use Seaquel instead of Azure Data Studio?

If SQL Server is most of your work and you rely on Windows auth, Entra ID, GO scripts or notebooks, use VS Code with the MSSQL extension. Seaquel makes sense if SQL Server is one engine among several, you use SQL logins, and you'd rather have a standalone app than an editor with extensions.

How this page is kept honest

Everything above about Azure Data Studio was checked against their own pages on 25 September 2026. Prices and platform support move around. If something here is out of date, tell me and I'll fix it.

Sources

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