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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
10th
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
7th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials is 4.0%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Toad for Oracle is 2.4%, down from 4.9% 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 Essentials4.0%
Other93.6%
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.
Mark Stocks - PeerSpot reviewer
Vice President, Director Enterprise Architecture at JE Dunn Construction
Uses trusted data to support financial forecasting and automate complex calculations through daily development workflows
The best features Toad for Oracle offers are the ability to access the database objects and see them in a very simplified manner. The simplified view helps me in my work as it makes troubleshooting easier. Toad for Oracle has positively impacted our organization because our financial forecasting data set is trusted throughout the company because of the ability for us to debug and analyze the data with Toad for Oracle. This trust in the data set has affected business decisions and efficiency by creating a completely separate data department because of the value that we saw with our data because of how we were able to organize and extract data from Oracle with Toad for Oracle.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is easy to track the reports, this is what is most valuable for me."
"The most valuable feature is SQL Search."
"I've had really good luck with this product and I've been happy with it."
"Oracle has advanced query optimization and tuning features that help improve the performance of SQL queries."
"I find Toad easy to use and I love the Workspace feature, which allows me to set up projects so that I can open SQL files applicable to what I am working on at any particular time."
"Toad for Oracle helps our developers improve code performance, and they have access to a visual hierarchy or tree for execution plans, which is very helpful for our development team."
"Toad for Oracle helps my organization save time, reduce errors, prevent downtime, and save money compared to its cost."
"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."
"Simply the best GUI software for administration is the most valuable aspect for me."
"Toad for Oracle has proven to be better than other tools since we have never experienced any crashes."
"It is stable."
 

Cons

"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."
"I would like to see the bandwidth increase allowing me to easily analyze more data."
"Sometimes it works in some areas, but in others, it doesn't. Like when you copy, you find that it's blank and doesn't copy anything. So, there are some objects that do copy, and sometimes they don't."
"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."
"There could be a tool for automated SQL query functioning."
"Query optimization is still very resource-intensive."
"Toad for Oracle does not have a particular resolution within the application."
"When all the features are shown, the performance is not good; it loads slowly and has hundreds of popups and unnecessary questions."
"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."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is about $3,500 USD per individual to buy, and then it's about 20% per year for renewal."
"Our fees are paid on an annual basis."
"In my opinion, this solution is a little expensive, but I understand that good programs cost more money."
"Toad for Oracle has a relatively high cost compared to other similar tools."
"The professional edition is about $1,000 AUD ($700 USD) and the developer version is about twice that much."
"My advice is to try to use the three-year maintenance agreement if possible."
"The pricing is okay, it's reasonable."
"There are paid and free-for-use versions of the product."
"I would rate it six, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
9%
Insurance Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Toad for Oracle?
The licensing cost for Toad for Oracle is relatively high, with their license and DPA suite totaling around five thousand dollars.
What needs improvement with Toad for Oracle?
Toad for Oracle is useful, but I believe it could be enhanced. I think Quest can consider involving AI or adding some plugin like cloud or something in Toad for Oracle. Optimizing the query or doin...
What is your primary use case for Toad for Oracle?
I'm using Toad for Oracle for administration of Oracle databases.
 

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.
899,324 professionals have used our research since 2012.