Azure Data Studio is retired. Here is the sharper alternative.
Mongrel is an Azure Data Studio alternative for SQL Server work: typed T-SQL over a pure-Rust TDS driver, estimated and actual XML showplans, DMV-based monitoring, and full schema and record tooling, native on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Microsoft announced the Azure Data Studio retirement in February 2025 and the app retired on February 28, 2026; Mongrel covers its SQL Server surface natively and goes far beyond it with 30+ database engines, terminals, containers, and an API client.
Windows x64 and ARM64 · macOS Apple silicon · Linux x86-64
// Why you are here
Retirement is a forcing function. Pick the tool with a future.
Azure Data Studio filled a real gap: a cross-platform, database-first surface for SQL Server. Microsoft's suggested migration, the VS Code MSSQL extension, covers the editor basics but leaves the workbench idea behind. Mongrel is built around that idea: the query surface ADS users relied on, plus the databases, terminals, containers, and clusters that real data work touches, in one app that is actively developed and commercially supported.
// What ships
What you get with Mongrel instead.
Native on every desktop
A Tauri desktop app with a Rust backend for Windows x64 and ARM64, macOS Apple silicon, and Linux x86-64; no Electron shell, no retirement notice coming.
The SQL Server surface
Pure-Rust TDS with encrypted transport and SQL authentication, typed T-SQL with exact values, replayable paging, and cancellation.
Showplans
Estimated and actual XML showplans for SQL Server, rendered in the same workbench where you write and run the query.
DMV monitoring
Instance, database, and session overview with DMV-based profiling, plus gated user and role administration with secret-redacted plans.
30+ database engines
PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, Redis, Oracle, ClickHouse, and more; Azure Data Studio's plugin ambitions, shipped as signed first-party plugins.
The systems around the data
SSH terminals and tunnels, SFTP/SCP, Docker, Podman, Kubernetes, and an API client, in the same app as your queries.
// Side by side
Mongrel vs Azure Data Studio, feature for feature.
| Capability | Mongrel | Azure Data Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Product status | Actively developed commercial product | Retired by Microsoft on February 28, 2026; no further updates or security fixes |
| Platforms | Windows x64 and ARM64, macOS Apple silicon, Linux x86-64 | Windows, macOS, and Linux builds, now frozen |
| SQL Server depth | Typed T-SQL, estimated and actual XML showplans, DMV monitoring | T-SQL editor with IntelliSense and query-plan viewers |
| Other databases | 30+ engines through built-in drivers and signed first-party plugins | SQL Server family first, with a smaller extension ecosystem |
| Notebooks | Not a notebook tool; focused on the workbench surface | Jupyter-style notebooks, a genuine ADS strength |
| Price and license | Commercial; annual plans from $99/year with a free 7-day trial | Was free and open source |
// Honest tradeoffs
Where Azure Data Studio still has the edge.
ADS was free and open source, its Jupyter-style notebooks had no real equivalent, and its VS Code lineage made it familiar on day one. Mongrel is commercial, has no notebooks, and asks you to recreate your connections manually. In exchange you get an actively developed product, a deeper SQL Server surface with XML showplans and DMV monitoring, and a workbench that extends well past the database editor.
// FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Is Azure Data Studio discontinued?
Yes. Microsoft announced the retirement on February 6, 2025, and Azure Data Studio retired on February 28, 2026. It no longer receives updates or security fixes, so continuing to run it against production databases is a risk decision, not a habit.
What does Microsoft recommend instead of Azure Data Studio?
Microsoft points users to Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension. Mongrel is a standalone native alternative for people who want a dedicated database workbench rather than an editor extension.
Does Mongrel support SQL Server on macOS and Linux?
Yes. Mongrel's SQL Server plugin is a pure-Rust TDS driver that runs identically on Windows x64 and ARM64, macOS Apple silicon, and Linux x86-64, with encrypted transport, typed T-SQL, showplans, and DMV monitoring.
Does Mongrel have notebooks like Azure Data Studio?
No. ADS notebooks were a genuine strength, and Mongrel does not replicate them. Mongrel focuses on the query, plan, record, schema, and monitoring surfaces, plus the terminals, containers, and clusters around the database.
Can Mongrel import Azure Data Studio connections?
There is no ADS connection importer today. Connections are quick to recreate: host, credentials, and optional SSH tunnel, with secrets stored in the OS keychain and stripped from exports by default.
Related guides and comparisons
The workbench ADS pointed at, fully built.
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