When comparing DbVisualizer vs SchemaSpy, the Slant community recommends DbVisualizer for most people. In the question“What are the best relational database design and modelling tools?” DbVisualizer is ranked 5th while SchemaSpy is ranked 6th. The most important reason people chose DbVisualizer is:
This is a good and stable tool with really good and useful functionality: import/export, SSH tunnelling, fast searching, duplication, DDL visualization etc. If you are a professional, don't complain about the pricing. If you're an amateur, maybe this isn't for you.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Professional tool
This is a good and stable tool with really good and useful functionality: import/export, SSH tunnelling, fast searching, duplication, DDL visualization etc. If you are a professional, don't complain about the pricing. If you're an amateur, maybe this isn't for you.
Pro Duplicate row button
Makes it really easy to stub out example data while developing, just change the values with unique constraints and you have extra data ready to go.
Pro Wildcard finder
Has a search box that will highlight any matching row, regardless of what field is matched (spans multiple columns).
Pro In-line editing
Allows you to edit and save db rows through a spread-sheet like editor.
Pro Entity Relationship Digramming for nearly any JDBC-compliant database
SchemaSpy can analyze database metadata in order to reverse engineer ER (Entity Relationship) diagrams for any JDBC-compliant database which includes Oracle, MySQL, Sql-Server and Postgres among others.
Pro Has a GUI option available
SchemaSpy is a CLI tool. For people who prefer GUI-based tools there's one available from a different maintainer which stands on top of the CLI version.
Cons
Con Expensive
License for the full product is costly.
Con Does not work with schema dumpfiles
SchemaSpy has no methods for dealing with when you only have a schema generated via something like (mysqldump --no-data [options] >schema-only_dump.sql
) , and do not currently have access to a live database to connect with.
Con GUI option is a separate download by a different maintainer
Since the GUI version is from a different maintainer, it may be abandoned and eventually break if SchemaSpy development continues beyond that. Or it may implement new features much later than the CLI version.
Con Project may be dead or dying
The codebase on sourceforge hasn't seen an update since 2010.