I kept pgAdmin open “just for one query.”
Activity Monitor said a few hundred MB.
Then Redis Insight. Then Compass.
Fan on. Still no real work done.
That is a stack tax. Three heavy apps for one backend.
I built RowDex as one native Tauri app instead.
Then we put the size numbers next to the tools people already use.
Live table: rowdex.app/compare
The uncomfortable number
DataGrip’s Apple Silicon installer is 970 MB.
RowDex is under 50 MB.
970 MB is the download size (official JetBrains file).
RAM is a different number — often 1 GB+ while it runs.
You should not need that to run SELECT 1.
How we measured (Sept 2026)
- Installer → official Apple Silicon macOS download
- Idle RAM → app open, no query
- In use → one connection open
RowDex idle RAM is our published figure: under 60 MB.
Other RAM figures are typical for that stack. Not a lab race on one Mac.
| Client | Install | Idle RAM | Stack |
|---|---|---|---|
| RowDex | < 50 MB | < 60 MB | Tauri |
| TablePlus | 133 MB | 100–180 MB | Native |
| DBeaver | 118 MB | 400–700 MB | Java |
| Compass | 167 MB | 300–450 MB | Electron |
| pgAdmin | 222 MB | 250–400 MB | Electron |
| DataGrip | 970 MB | 700 MB–1.5 GB | IntelliJ |
The RAM follows the stack. Electron and Java are heavy. Tauri is not.
RowDex is the lightest install and the lowest idle RAM on that list.
Why this matters
If you keep 3 clients open, you pay RAM three times.
One light app is enough for daily database work.
Try it: https://www.rowdex.app
macOS, Windows, Linux. Basic is free.
Question
What is eating your RAM right now — pgAdmin, DBeaver, or DataGrip?
Drop it in the comments.
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