Schemity is database design software you install locally, so installation is a normal app download for your operating system. No account and no internet connection are required to run it.

How do I download and install Schemity?

Get the installer for your platform from the Schemity website:

  • macOS - a .dmg for Apple Silicon or Intel. Drag Schemity into your Applications folder.
  • Windows - a .msi installer for Windows 10/11 (x64).
  • Linux - a .deb package for the Ubuntu and Debian family.

Once installed, Schemity keeps itself up to date through its built-in updater, so you only download an installer the first time.

There is also a free web version that runs in the browser if you just want to try designing without installing anything.

What happens on first launch?

Schemity opens to the Diagram Manager. A default workspace is created for you, with a ready-made Sample Blog Diagram in it, so you have something to open and explore right away.

  • Workspace (left) lists your workspaces. A branch icon marks one whose folder is inside a Git repository. Use + to create a workspace, and the icon beside it to import an existing folder.
  • Diagram (right) lists the diagrams in the selected workspace. Under each name is what it is connected to: host : database for a live database, or Offline ERD for a design-only diagram. Use + to create a diagram, the icon beside it to import one, and the folder icon to open the workspace folder.
  • Bottom bar shows your version and license status (Trial during the trial), the interface language, and the light/dark theme switch.

The Schemity Diagram Manager: workspaces on the left, and on the right the diagrams in the selected workspace, one connected to a local PostgreSQL database and three marked Offline ERD

Because Schemity runs air-gapped, nothing phones home - you can run it on a machine that has never touched the internet. If your operating system warns about an app from an outside developer, allow it the way you would any signed desktop application.

What is the difference between the free and licensed versions?

Schemity is a one-time purchase, not a subscription:

  • Two-week trial - the desktop app with every feature unlocked, no credit card. Image exports carry a small watermark.
  • After the trial, and Schemity Lite in the browser - design schemas with no database behind them: entities, relationships, and constraints.
  • Licensed desktop (one-time) - keeps everything the trial had: live database connections, importing SQL, impact analysis, lint, context views, the MCP server for AI agents, generating and applying migrations, and watermark-free exports.

You enter your license key once to activate; the check is local, with no recurring seat verification.

Can I use Schemity in Japanese or Chinese?

Yes. The interface is available in English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese. Pick a language from the globe dropdown on the diagram list or in the diagram footer. It applies immediately, with no restart, and Schemity remembers it next time. English is the default.

Only the interface changes. What Schemity generates stays in English: SQL, migrations, and the data dictionary. That way an export diffs the same whoever made it. Your own entity, field, and legend names are never translated.

Next

Once installed, continue to Create a Workspace.