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Vanna alternatives

Updated

Vanna, the open-source Python text-to-SQL framework, was archived on 29 March 2026: its repository is read-only and gets no more updates source. The right replacement depends on what you used it for.

Checked on 4 November 2026 against each product's own docs, code and pricing; claims link to their source. SayQL is ours, and we say where others fit better. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@azenvoc.com.

If you embedded text-to-SQL in your own app

Vanna was mostly used as a library: a chat box in a product you build, for your own users.

  • MCP Toolbox for Databases (Google, open source, Apache 2.0) source. A server you run that gives agents tools for 51 sources source. You can fix the SQL of each tool so the agent only fills in parameters source, and fill parameters from the user's sign-in token to scope rows per user source. It doesn't write SQL itself: your agent does. See SayQL vs MCP Toolbox.
  • Keep Vanna, or a maintained fork. The MIT licence lets you keep running and changing it source. You take on its maintenance, including security fixes.

If your team used it to ask about your own databases

  • SayQL (open source, Apache 2.0). A desktop app: ask in plain English and the SQL appears as you type, or let Claude Code, Cursor and other agents query through its MCP server. AI apps get your schema and counts by default, not rows; columns marked never send never reach the AI; every AI query is read-only and logged. A self-hosted team server adds shared connections and per-agent keys. See SayQL vs Vanna.
  • Chat2DB. A database client with AI chat, charts and an MCP server, for 40+ databases source. Its SQL tool returns up to 200 rows to the model by default source, and Community is source-available from 5.3.0 source. See SayQL vs Chat2DB.

If you want a full database tool with AI

  • DBeaver. More than 100 databases source, with AI chat and SQL generation; the AI gets table and column names by default source. Community is open source; more AI providers and its MCP server are in paid editions source. See SayQL vs DBeaver.
  • DataGrip. JetBrains' database IDE with AI Assistant, agents and a built-in MCP server source; agents get a sample of query rows when allowed source. Free for non-commercial use source. See SayQL vs DataGrip.

What you give up from Vanna

Vanna could get more accurate by training on question–SQL pairs and saving successful queries source. None of the tools above do that the same way. SayQL's nearest equivalent is database notes: facts about your schema, such as what a status code means, that you approve and SayQL keeps true as the schema changes.

Questions

Is Vanna still maintained?

No. The vanna-ai/vanna repository was archived on 29 March 2026 and is read-only; its last release was 2.0.2 on 2 February 2026. source

Which Vanna alternative keeps my data away from the AI?

SayQL gives AI apps your schema and counts by default, not rows, and refuses any query that could read a column you marked never send. Vanna 2.0 sends up to 1,000 characters of each result to the model. source

Is there a Vanna alternative with an MCP server?

Yes: SayQL, MCP Toolbox for Databases, Chat2DB and DataGrip each have one; DBeaver's is in its paid editions. Vanna has no official MCP server. source

All five tools side by side: How SayQL compares.

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