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Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials vs Toad for Oracle comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 23, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essent...
Ranking in Database Development and Management
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Toad for Oracle
Ranking in Database Development and Management
5th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials is 4.1%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Toad for Oracle is 2.4%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Development and Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Toad for Oracle2.4%
Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials4.1%
Other93.5%
Database Development and Management
 

Featured Reviews

CS
Director, Enterprise Data Management at Glatfelter Insurance Group
SQL Search and change automation functionality help us manage our code repository and databases
The biggest problem with the Redgate SQL Toolbelt is just how heavy it is; it seems to take a lot of resources. It takes a lot of memory and a lot of processing power to run, and that tends to slow things down a bit. Making it a little more lightweight while still doing the same thing, as much as possible, is what we would like to see in the future. I've noticed that Microsoft SSMS runs much quicker without RedGate installed than it does with it installed. From bootup of the app to opening query windows and connections, SSMS is quicker without Redgate than with, by a significant margin. The other area for improvement is regarding licensing. Every month or two my SSMS loses it's redgate license key and I need to re-enter the key to continue using Red Gate, even though the license is annual.
Philemon Olusegun - PeerSpot reviewer
Qhse Manager at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Tool has transformed debugging of massive datasets and has improved data migration workflows
I think Toad for Oracle should create an academy for training youngsters on how to code and debug using the Oracle PL/SQL extension plugin and make it more intuitive, probably using gamification, because people learn differently. Some are kinesthetic learners, some are audio learners, some are visual learners, and some are audio-visual learners. Having a gamification aspect on Toad for Oracle where it explains how to code, debug, and gives young starters or new starters confidence and understanding of what to do and how to do it would help ensure that those wanting to get into coding have that flair, making them able to engage with using it effectively.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable feature is SQL Search."
"I've had really good luck with this product and I've been happy with it."
"It is easy to track the reports, this is what is most valuable for me."
"I haven't seen any issues with scalability. We have about 1000 people on our IT team who use the solution."
"The schema browser is the most valuable feature. The way it presents the objects in our database."
"For Oracle developers, this solution is a must."
"Toad for Oracle makes the day-to-day actions easy and reduces some manual work for me."
"One of the most valuable features of Toad for Oracle is its ability to manage sessions by killing those that are hung or blocking other sessions."
"We use many features in Toad for Oracle, including writing stored procedures, querying large tables, and performance tuning."
"Toad has a lot of features that are very useful, fast, and well developed."
"It is stable."
 

Cons

"I would like to see the bandwidth increase allowing me to easily analyze more data."
"The biggest problem with the Redgate SQL Toolbelt is just how heavy it is; it seems to take a lot of resources."
"Redgate SQL Toolbelt is a reliable solution, but it occasionally hangs when I generate a report with more than two gigabytes of data."
"When you process many records (in the range of more than 20 million at a time) the product just hangs without any warning."
"I'd like reporting to be more available. If it was a feature that was already installed, more people would take advantage of it."
"The learning curve is steep for beginners, and the infrastructure is a bit complex."
"There could be a tool for automated SQL query functioning."
"An area where the solution could use some improvement is in terms of user-friendliness. During the initial setup phase, the solution was not very intuitive when attempting to establish connections."
"Improvement wise, for the user it should show the minimum features on the screen and not all the features. Toad has a lot of features, but most users will use only 5 or 10 based on their role. Nobody needs all the features, and they should provide the option to choose only the required features. Only minimum requirements should be enabled by default. When all the features are shown, the performance is not good; it loads slowly and has hundreds of popups and unnecessary questions."
"No financial benefit has been observed after implementing Toad for Oracle because SQL editors are free, and many free tools are available, while Toad for Oracle is a paid solution."
"Once in a while, I may encounter a memory exception and have to abort the application. On a few occasions, the file that stores the saved connections for the New Connection window will become corrupt and I will lose all of my saved connections. I am not sure if that is a Windows or TOAD issue, but it has happened to all of my developers at some point or another."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our fees are paid on an annual basis."
"The cost is about $3,500 USD per individual to buy, and then it's about 20% per year for renewal."
"My advice is to try to use the three-year maintenance agreement if possible."
"In my opinion, this solution is a little expensive, but I understand that good programs cost more money."
"The professional edition is about $1,000 AUD ($700 USD) and the developer version is about twice that much."
"There are paid and free-for-use versions of the product."
"The pricing is okay, it's reasonable."
"The product's pricing is just right because if it were slightly higher, it would not have been as widely adopted as it currently is in our organization."
"Toad for Oracle has a relatively high cost compared to other similar tools."
"I would rate it six, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Insurance Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Toad for Oracle?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Toad for Oracle is that the logistics team in our bank follows this, and it is a commercial product.
What needs improvement with Toad for Oracle?
Toad for Oracle could be improved by offering deeper support for Oracle Cloud or hybrid databases, as it is a mature tool. The learning curve is steep for beginners, and the infrastructure is a bit...
What is your primary use case for Toad for Oracle?
My main use case for Toad for Oracle is as a tool for Oracle application development. It is a GUI-based tool that we use for managing, developing, querying, monitoring, and administering Oracle dat...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Thinger.fi, Churchill College Univeristy of Cambridge, Margin Business Solutions Ltd., 4Penny.net, Sportinginsider.net, Lockheed Martin, Phillip Securities Pte Ltd, Nmbrs
intel, ebay, uber, mars, microsoft
Find out what your peers are saying about Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials vs. Toad for Oracle and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
906,887 professionals have used our research since 2012.