JetBrains made DataGrip free for non-commercial use in October. If you’re learning, working on open source, or building hobby projects, you can now use one of the better database tools out there without paying for it. This is genuinely good news.
I’ve never been sold on JetBrains’ strategy of shipping a separate IDE for every language. Many developers share this frustration, preferring unified editors like VS Code that handle multiple languages through extensions. But database tools are fundamentally different. A unified database client that works seamlessly across all your systems genuinely impacts productivity. Having quality tools like this freely available matters.
Why Database Tools Matter
Modern development means juggling multiple database systems, each with distinct characteristics and conventions. PostgreSQL handles schemas one way, MySQL uses its own SQL dialect, MongoDB operates with documents instead of tables, and Redis thinks in key-value pairs. Each system demands its own mental model, and you need tooling that navigates these differences without constant context switching.
Most database tools force an uncomfortable choice. You either use database-specific clients and constantly switch between applications, or struggle with clunky web admin panels that feel like they’re working against you. DataGrip solves this by supporting dozens of database systems from traditional relational databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL to NoSQL solutions like MongoDB and Cassandra, all within a single, consistent interface with intelligent autocomplete and proper tooling.
What You Get
The free tier covers learning, open source contributions, content creation, and hobby projects. You’ll need DataGrip 2025.2.4 or newer, and the license renews annually as long as you qualify. Commercial work requires a paid license. If you’re getting paid for the project or building something with commercial intent, you’ll need to purchase a subscription.
There’s one trade-off worth noting. You must accept anonymous telemetry collection, and future updates will include “detailed code-related data collection.” For non-commercial projects, this is likely a reasonable exchange for access to professional-grade database tooling.