Price
SQL Data Compare lists US$ 327 per user for a 1-year subscription (1–4 users), with volume tiers and longer terms through sales; the Pro edition is part of SQL Toolbelt Essentials. (red-gate.com, 30/10/2026)
dbSlice Desktop is US$ 89.99 (launch price; regular US$ 149.99) and the Windows Server edition US$ 199 (launch price; regular US$ 299): perpetual use of the last eligible version, 12 months of updates and support, optional maintenance after year one, 14-day money-back guarantee.
Side by side
| dbSlice | Redgate SQL Data Compare (as of 30/10/2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Engines | SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL, MariaDB, Firebird, SQLite, InterSystems Caché/IRIS | SQL Server, Azure SQL, SQL Server on Amazon RDS |
| Compare across different engines | Yes | No |
| Compare from backups or source-control scripts | No | Yes |
| Keep the target in sync on a schedule | Upsert, insert-new, update-only, incremental | Check with the vendor |
| Mask data while copying | Yes | Check with the vendor |
| Send rows to Kafka / REST | Yes | No |
| Licensing | Perpetual + optional maintenance | Yearly subscription per user |
| Entry price | US$ 89.99 (launch price) | US$ 327 per user per year |
When SQL Data Compare is the better choice
- Everything you run is SQL Server and you want a tool built only for it.
- You compare against backups or scripts in source control, not only live databases.
- Your team already uses other Redgate tools.
When dbSlice fits better
- You compare or sync between different engines: SQL Server to PostgreSQL, Oracle to SQL Server, MySQL to PostgreSQL and so on.
- You need the copy to stay up to date until a cutover, with nightly jobs from the CLI or Windows Task Scheduler.
- You prefer a perpetual license, or need masked copies for test environments.
- Running in production for more than six years in mission-critical environments, across multiple data centers and on-premises, with SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Aurora and InterSystems Caché/IRIS.
Using both
A SQL Server team can keep SQL Data Compare for releases between SQL Server environments and use dbSlice for the copies that leave SQL Server: a PostgreSQL reporting database, a migration to another engine, or masked staging copies.
FAQ
Can dbSlice compare two SQL Server databases?
Yes: Record Diff compares two tables key by key on any pair of supported engines, SQL Server to SQL Server included.
Does dbSlice generate a deployment script like SQL Data Compare?
No. It lists the keys that differ (missing, extra, changed) and you fix them by running a sync mode. It does not generate a deployment or change script.
Is there a free version?
Yes, on the Microsoft Store; writing to a target needs a Desktop or Server license.
Also comparing Full Convert? →
Sync SQL Server to PostgreSQL →
Redgate and SQL Data Compare are trademarks of their owner. dbSlice is not affiliated with Redgate. Competitor information comes from its public website on the date shown and may have changed.