Postgres.app vs PostgresGUI: server or client?

Ghazi · July 28, 2026

The names are close, but the apps do different jobs. Postgres.app runs a PostgreSQL server on your Mac. PostgresGUI connects to a PostgreSQL server so you can browse tables, run SQL, edit rows, and inspect results.

AppMain jobUse it when
Postgres.appRun PostgreSQL locally on macOSYou need a local database server
PostgresGUIConnect to and work with PostgreSQLYou need a visual database client

What Postgres.app installs

Postgres.app packages PostgreSQL as a normal Mac application. Start the app and initialize a server, and PostgreSQL runs locally. It also includes command-line tools such as psql, createdb, and pg_dump.

Choose it when your application needs a local PostgreSQL server and you do not want to manage a Homebrew service or a manual installer.

What PostgresGUI does

PostgresGUI is a database client. It does not install or run the PostgreSQL server. It connects to a server that already exists: Postgres.app, Docker, a Homebrew installation, a remote machine, or a cloud provider.

  • Browse schemas, tables, and rows.
  • Run SQL and inspect the result in a grid.
  • Edit rows when your database role allows it.
  • View JSON and export results as CSV.
  • Connect through SSL or an SSH tunnel.

Using both together

This is the common local setup:

  1. Install Postgres.app and initialize the local server.
  2. Open PostgresGUI and add a new connection.
  3. Connect to localhost on port 5432 using the database and role created by Postgres.app.
  4. Browse tables or run SQL in PostgresGUI.

Postgres.app's exact default database and authentication settings depend on the server you initialized. Use the values shown in Postgres.app rather than guessing.

What if the database is already in the cloud?

You do not need a local server just to connect to Supabase, Neon, Railway, Render, RDS, or another hosted PostgreSQL database. Copy the provider's PostgreSQL connection string into PostgresGUI.

Keep Postgres.app only if you also want a local database for development or testing.

Which one should you download?

  • Download Postgres.app when you need to run PostgreSQL locally.
  • Download PostgresGUI when you need to inspect and query a PostgreSQL database.
  • Download both when you want a local server and a native visual client.

Need the terminal client instead? See how to install psql on Mac. Comparing visual clients? Read the PostgreSQL client guide.