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IDERA ER/Studio vs Toad Data Modeler 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

IDERA ER/Studio
Ranking in Database Development and Management
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Architecture Management (7th)
Toad Data Modeler
Ranking in Database Development and Management
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of IDERA ER/Studio is 3.0%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Toad Data Modeler is 3.6%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Development and Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IDERA ER/Studio3.0%
Toad Data Modeler3.6%
Other93.4%
Database Development and Management
 

Featured Reviews

Aaron Cutshall - PeerSpot reviewer
Used for data modeling and has a scripting language to write your own scripts
The solution has streamlined our data modeling processes quite a bit. It's a central focus in our data modeling and data cataloging efforts. The tool's reverse engineering capability to bring in existing database structures and create models from them has benefitted our data architecture needs. With the tool's data dictionary capability, we're able to maintain consistency in our models, name use, and actual data domains. The solution's reverse engineering helps with understanding legacy databases. In fact, I've been asked to reverse-engineer several more legacy databases so that we can have them modeled and cataloged. The solution is deployed on the cloud server, but it’s only within our network. The solution has a lot of capabilities. I like the fact that it has a scripting language that allows you to automate and write your own scripts. I think that's been a big bonus for us. I highly recommend the solution because of its capability for logical models, where you can put your business definitions and logic. While less expensive, some other tools can't do that. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
JamesBlack - PeerSpot reviewer
A scalable and stable product that is easy to deploy and provides excellent features
The Oracle side of things was very popular. The admin features for Oracle were great. It would be a really good thing if we had a similar functionality to SQL Server. The product is not too bad with maintenance. MySQL would be better than Toad. I always recommend the product to others. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It was a very good tool at the time since it was complete."
"We have been able to quickly create models for our enterprise-wide databases, even when some of them are third-party databases."
"My overall rating for the solution is ten out of ten."
"It's easy to model and has a user-friendly interface. I like the team portal because, once we upload, the entire team can see the model."
"One of the valuable features is inheritance when joining tables. When setting up RI and domains and rules, ER/Studio does a lot of the grunt, boilerplate code that would otherwise have to be hand-coded."
"The most valuable features are... those that enable me to represent the database to the development community and the business users."
"We can track changes to our data models and tie those changes back to specific tasks or efforts that we identify."
"The interface is really simple to use and it allows me to pick and choose which tables I want to reverse engineer."
"The feature I really like is the graphical part, especially the control of the relationships."
"I found all features valuable and necessary in Toad Data Modeler, particularly how good the solution is for modeling, database schema generation, and database re-engineering. I also found Toad Data Modeler straightforward to use."
"Auto-complete is the best feature of the solution."
"It is not feasible for small businesses. It is not used in a small company."
 

Cons

"Whenever there is a new version, there are a lot of release notes on the technical side of it, but I would like to be told why are we doing the upgrade... What I would like to really see is how this benefits us from the business point of view. What are the real benefits that the user gets? I want some kind of way white paper. The release notes describe the technical enhancements but, from the layman's point of view, if someone asks me what are the business benefits of this upgrade, I don't have any documentation to explain it to the business."
"The visual presentation is a little too colorful and seems that it is dumbed down."
"I cannot evaluate any areas for improvement at this time."
"When building the relationships there should be a little more flexibility."
"I would like to see better documentation/help for the Data Architect tool. Creation of tutorials would be nice, as there are some features which are not as clearly defined as they should be."
"The only thing I had an issue with was licensing, and the support was very good."
"Tech support is a sticking point with me. I am really disappointed in the tech support. We pay for the Platinum level. It takes hours to get a response."
"We did have a big issue when we upgraded to the 2016 version. The Team Server portion never did quite install correctly, and/or the database was corrupted, and we never figured it out."
"The product should provide better debugging features."
"What could be improved in Toad Data Modeler is stability and the complex setup."
"When updating a model after generating a schema, if only a few tables are imported, the tool assumes you want to delete the rest, which is cumbersome."
"Many users don't know how to add licensing to Toad, or where it is shown, so they could make that easier."
"It is not feasible for small businesses. It is not used in a small company."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is bad and ten is good, I would rate the licensing cost as a seven or eight. It's not too expensive for us."
"As an individual user, the renewal is a little costly."
"I use the product's trial version."
"The solution’s pricing is high."
"I feel the product's pricing is a good value."
"It is priced fairly. It's around the same as erwin and other competitors' costs."
"The process of licensing could be much simpler, from our experience."
"The setup cost may have been around $1500 to $2000."
"Price-wise, the lesser it is, the better it is for me, especially in Egypt. I think that the licensing cost ranges from 1,000 to 9,000. Also, it includes maintenance and support for a year."
"Though I'm not involved in the licensing for Toad Data Modeler, I believe it's per user and not cheap."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Energy/Utilities Company
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
8%
Government
13%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise25
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IDERA ER Studio?
In terms of pricing, ER/Studio is slightly more expensive compared to Erwin, by about five to ten percent.
What is your primary use case for IDERA ER Studio?
I have been working with data modeling tools. Personally, I have been working with Erwin for many years now. ER/Studio is something I am currently trying to evaluate for acquiring it for our organi...
What advice do you have for others considering IDERA ER Studio?
I would strongly recommend ER/Studio for large teams. Erwin is a very stable product, but for smaller teams, it's okay. If I had to rate ER/Studio, I would give it nine out of ten because the absen...
What do you like most about Toad Data Modeler?
Auto-complete is the best feature of the solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Toad Data Modeler?
Considering its functionality, I would rate its pricing as a seven out of ten. It could be cheaper yet is still pretty good.
What needs improvement with Toad Data Modeler?
1) When updating a model after generating a schema, if only a few tables are imported, the tool assumes you want to delete the rest. If you have a large model, you repeatedly have to clarify that y...
 

Also Known As

IDERA ER Studio, ER/Studio, ER/Studio Enterprise Team Edition
Toad
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Newmont Mining, Entrust, Accolade, TalkTalk, Catalina, Protective Life, NTT Data, dir systèmes, Microsoft; American Express, Astellas Pharma, AstraZeneca, Coriant, Fedex, GlaxoSmithKline, PepsiCo, Prudential, Wells Fargo
Zions Bancorporation
Find out what your peers are saying about IDERA ER/Studio vs. Toad Data Modeler and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
866,218 professionals have used our research since 2012.