dbForge Data Compare for SQL Server

Quick facts

• Version: 2026.2.82, released October 16, 2026
• Developer: Devart
• Runs on: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11, Windows Server 2008 to 2025, with .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later
• Connects to: SQL Server 2000 (limited) through SQL Server 2025, SQL Server on Linux, Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance, Azure Synapse, Microsoft Fabric, Amazon RDS for SQL Server and Heroku Cloud
• Compares: tables, views and custom query results, plus native backups and scripts folders in the Professional edition
• Works as: a standalone app and an add-in for SSMS 2016 through SSMS 22
• Price: $299.95 a year for Professional (sold here), $239.95 a year for Standard, or a perpetual license from $479.95
• Trial: 30 days, full features. The download needs a free Devart account
• What we checked: on October 24, 2026 we read the version and release date on Devart's download page and revision history, priced all four licenses on the order page (Professional subscription $299.95, Standard subscription $239.95, Professional perpetual $599.95, Standard perpetual $479.95), and read the requirements and permissions in Devart's documentation. We didn't install the trial or compare our own databases.

Before you buy

• The Buy Now button here orders Professional on a yearly subscription. That's the edition with backup comparison, scripts folders and the command line. If you only compare live databases by hand, Standard does the job for $60 less, and you can switch editions on the order page.
• A subscription license stops working when it ends. The order is set to renew automatically each year. A perpetual license keeps working forever and only the updates stop, so if you'll use it for three years or more, the perpetual license costs less overall.
• The trial installer is the Compare Bundle. Devart's download page for Data Compare offers the 149.68 MB dbForge Compare Bundle installer, which puts Data Compare and Schema Compare on your PC. You'll sign in to a Devart account to download it and get a trial key in the app.
• It needs serious permissions. Plan on db_owner rights on both databases (see the FAQ below).

Row-by-row comparison with differences you can filter

dbForge Data Compare puts every compared table into one results grid, grouped into Different, Only in Source, Only in Target and Identical. For each table you get tabs with the matching row counts, a per-column change count along the bottom, full-text search across the results, and an option to hide unmodified columns so a 40-column table shows only the three columns that changed. You can filter and sort the objects and pick which columns to display.

Compare the results of a custom query

dbForge Data Compare can compare the output of a SELECT statement instead of a whole table, and Devart calls this its killer feature. Write a join across four tables on each side, give the queries a name, and the result sets are compared like any table, with the same grid and sync script. It's the way to compare aggregated data, a filtered subset, or the same data in two differently shaped databases, without creating a view on either server.

The Custom Queries Mapping dialog: a sales query against AdventureWorks2019 on the left and a differently filtered version against AdventureWorks2022 on the right, with a Validate button before mapping.

Mapping for tables that don't line up

dbForge Data Compare maps objects automatically by name, and lets you fix the ones it can't: object mapping for tables or views with different names, column mapping for renamed columns, schema mapping for different owners, and one source table mapped to two or more target tables. Tables with no primary key or unique constraint can be compared on a custom comparison key. You can include or exclude tables and columns by mask, ignore case and trailing spaces, round floats, and add a WHERE filter to limit a large table to the rows you care about.

Restore rows from a native backup (Professional)

dbForge Data Compare Professional can use a native SQL Server .bak file as the source, without restoring it first. Compare last night's backup with the live database, select only the deleted or damaged rows, and sync just those back. Devart pitches it as single-row recovery without a full database restore. The Professional edition can also compare static data stored in a version-controlled scripts folder.

Setting up a comparison with a full AdventureWorks2019 backup as the source and a live AdventureWorks2022 database as the target.

A synchronization wizard with safety options

dbForge Data Compare's Data Synchronization Wizard either runs the changes on the target or saves a T-SQL script to review or hand to a colleague. You can migrate one record, a group of records or every difference, flip the sync direction, and read warnings about possible problems before anything runs. The options include backing up the target database first (full or differential, with compression), using a single transaction, setting the isolation level to SERIALIZABLE, and disabling foreign keys, check constraints and DML triggers for the duration of the sync.

The Options page of the Data Synchronization Wizard: a backup of the target before syncing, a single transaction with SERIALIZABLE isolation, and switches to disable DML triggers and foreign keys.

Reports in Excel, HTML and CSV

dbForge Data Compare exports the comparison as an Excel, HTML or CSV report, for all objects, only those with differences, or only the ones selected for sync. You can include the actual data records, the number of differences per column, and the compare and sync options used, which turns a comparison into evidence you can hand to an analyst or attach to a change ticket.

The Comparison Report dialog, with the CSV, Excel and HTML tabs and options to include actual data records and per-column difference counts.

Command line and scheduled jobs (Professional)

dbForge Data Compare Professional turns any comparison you set up in the GUI into a command line, saved as a .bat file, which you can run from Command Prompt or PowerShell, schedule with Windows Task Scheduler, or call from a CI/CD pipeline. The command-line tool can produce a report and a sync script, or run the sync, and returns the status so a script can check it. Standard can save projects for rerunning, but not run them from the command line.

A comparison run from the command prompt (version 2025.2.91, installed from the Compare Bundle) with its summary of identical, different and one-sided rows, next to the dialog that builds the .bat file.

Inside SSMS, plus an AI Assistant

dbForge Data Compare installs as an add-in for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS 2016 through SSMS 22) in both editions, so you can start a comparison from the database you're already working in. Recent versions also include dbForge AI Assistant, a chat panel that writes, explains, optimizes and troubleshoots SQL. The September 2026 release added file attachments, model selection and a free Express edition of the assistant. It's a helper for writing queries, not part of the comparison engine.

Where it falls short

• Very large comparisons are heavy. Data Compare caches the compared data locally, so a big table means a lot of network traffic and local disk. Devart's own revision history fixed a case of running out of memory with a large number of different rows in August 2026 (version 2026.1.112).
• New data types can trip it up. Version 2026.1.77 (June 2026) fixed an "Unknown type 'json'" error during data comparison, a reminder that newly added SQL Server data types can need a product update before they compare. Keep it updated if you're on SQL Server 2025.
• Encrypted objects can't be synchronized if they're encrypted in the source, and comparing them needs the sysadmin role, according to Devart's documentation.
• Too few permissions fail quietly. Without the right rights, the documentation warns that some objects may be missing from the results and syncs may fail or give unexpected results.
• Settings on recreated views can be lost. One long-time user found that the custom key on a view wasn't kept after the view was dropped and recreated (see below).

Sheldon Hull, on his blog (February 2017)

Sheldon Hull, a member of Redgate's Friend of Redgate program, wrote up Devart's tool next to Redgate SQL Data Compare after a large job. It's an older version, but the strengths and weaknesses he points out are still the ones the product is built around:

"Having just completed some very large data comparisons on views, generating over 15GB of network traffic in last few days, I've been really impressed with the usability and output from Devart DbForge Data Compare. The performance seems great."

On the reports: "They provide a fantastic option of outputting a diff report not only in CSV but in XLS format. The formatted report is much more usable than the CSV I get from RG Data compare because they format, and apply bold to the _S and _T cells that actually have a difference, enabling a much easier review process to find the diffs."

His overall view of Devart versus Redgate: "As a general rule, I'd say the Devart tools feel less “refined” in some areas, but then offer some really nice usability features that RG hasn't yet implemented."

And a complaint: "If I setup a comparison on a view with custom key (due to no index on the view), and I drop and recreate the view for a new definition, the comparison options are not persisted (for example the custom key)." He also asked for an estimate of the local storage and network transfer a comparison will need, "since table size has a direct impact on the compare due to local caching of the data".

Review sites

Software Advice and Capterra list dbForge Data Compare for SQL Server at 4.8 out of 5, but from only 4 reviews. On G2 the product is reviewed as part of the dbForge Compare Bundle for SQL Server, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 7 reviews. Reviewers there praise how quickly it compares and generates scripts, and the price compared with Redgate. The complaints are that it's Windows-only and that large comparisons and reports can be slow to open. These are small samples, so treat them as a hint, not a verdict.

dbForge Data Compare vs Redgate SQL Data Compare

Both compare and sync SQL Server table data, with backups, scripts folders and a command line. Redgate's tool is the long-time standard in many DBA teams and is usually sold within Redgate's larger toolbelts. dbForge Data Compare covers the same ground for less money, adds custom query comparison and Excel reports, and has a Standard edition for teams that don't need backups or automation. Hull's 2017 verdict still sums up the trade: Devart is a bit less polished in places, with some features Redgate didn't have.

dbForge Data Compare vs dbForge Schema Compare and the Compare Bundle

Data Compare compares rows. Schema Compare compares structure: tables, columns, procedures, views, indexes and permissions. Most database deployments need both, in that order: schema first, then reference data. Devart's product page lists the dbForge Compare Bundle for SQL Server, with both tools, from $299.95 a year, the same price as Data Compare Professional alone. If you'd ever compare schemas, check the bundle's editions before buying Data Compare on its own.

Conclusion

dbForge Data Compare for SQL Server is worth the money if moving or repairing table data between SQL Server environments is a regular part of your job. The one reason to buy it is the combination of a clear row-level diff with a reviewable sync script, plus, in Professional, row recovery straight from a backup file and comparisons that run on a schedule. It's noticeably cheaper than Redgate's equivalent and covers the same core work.

The main reason not to buy it on its own is that it only does data. If you also deploy schema changes, look at the Compare Bundle, which Devart lists from the same $299.95 a year. And if you'll keep it for years, the perpetual license beats the subscription the Buy Now button orders. Run the 30-day trial against a copy of your largest table first: that's where the complaints about memory and speed come from.

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