Base 3

SQLite is where Mac apps keep their data, so sooner or later you want to open one of those files and look. Base is the native answer: a document-style app that opens a .sqlite file, shows the tables, lets you sort and edit rows directly, alter the schema, and run SQL with proper highlighting and exportable results. It has been maintained by the same small UK developer for well over a decade, which shows in how little it tries to be.

That narrowness is the trade. Base does SQLite and stops there. If your week involves Postgres in one window and MySQL in another, a general client is the better buy even at a higher price, because you will not want two apps.

Payment is straightforward and the terms around it are not. £29.99 unlocks the full app; the page says nothing about how long updates last, and the jump from Base 2 to Base 3 was a paid one. Treat the price as buying this version well rather than buying forever.

Two hard gates before you spend anything: Base 3 needs macOS 15 Sequoia, and the price is in pounds, so check what your card is actually charged. If you open a database twice a year, the free DB Browser for SQLite will do the job.