IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server vs IDERA SQL Doctor vs Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials comparison

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server and IDERA SQL Doctor are both solutions in the Database Development and Management category. IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server is ranked #12, while IDERA SQL Doctor is ranked #27. IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server holds a 3.2% mindshare in DDM, compared to IDERA SQL Doctor’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IDERA SQL Doctor users who would recommend it.

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manage...

Read 9 IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server reviews

1,308 Views
1,007 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

IDERA SQL Doctor

Read 1 IDERA SQL Doctor review

318 Views
318 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essent...

Read 2 Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials reviews

1,446 Views
1,403 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manage...

IDERA SQL Doctor

Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essent...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server, IDERA SQL Doctor, and Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Nutanix, Quest Software, Oracle and others in Database Development and Management.

To learn more, read our detailed Database Development and Management Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

January 2026

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Helped 881,733 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server is 3.2%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IDERA SQL Doctor is 1.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials is 4.5%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database Development and Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials	4.5%
IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server	3.2%
IDERA SQL Doctor	1.5%
Other	90.8%

Database Development and Management

Featured Reviews

reviewer2317098

Assistant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Offers effective monitoring of resources but lacks the ability to connect to an AWS instance and write custom queries.

We use it mainly for monitoring, including CPU, memory, and disk space, and for troubleshooting purposes We've set up alerts to notify us when performance deviates from the baseline we've configured for each resource. So, whenever that happens, we get an alert and can investigate immediately. So,…

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Menoj Roekalea

DBA Consultant at Brocacef

By capturing performance issues when they happen, we do not miss crucial data

* Indexing and locking analyses * The ability to generate optimize scripts. * The prioritized recommendations are nice to have. Furthermore, you can have multiple scans archived when comparing the tracing from a baseline perspective. Two scans can give us insights concerning the difference between a good and a bad situation.

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ChristopherSmith1

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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Memory and CPU utilization features are good."

"The best part of SQL DM is the ability to customize alerts and counters. This allows our team to find an issue then alert on the issue at a granular level."

"The most valuable features are disk space projections for planning, and also the Snapshotting ability, to look back in time, to see what was going on the server at a particular time. It's basically the output of an sp_who2."

"We're able to diagnose issues prior to their actually becoming issues. Without the alerting, we wouldn't have a clue as to what was going to happen. With the alerting, it gives us a heads-up that a specific threshold has been met, and we need to take specific action."

"Monitors and alerts on our mission critical instances in real-time on a 24/7 basis."

"The ability to go back and look at historical data is the most valuable feature."

"SQL DM made troubleshooting much easier and allowed multiple people to look into an issue with confidence."

"You can have multiple scans archived when comparing the tracing from a baseline perspective. Two scans can give us insights concerning the difference between a good and a bad situation."

"It is easy to track the reports, this is what is most valuable for me."

"The most valuable feature is SQL Search."

Cons

"They can improve checking the status of the CPU, memory, and IO utilization from each task."

"I would absolutely love to create customized dashboards but, unfortunately, they don't provide me the information that I need to create the report. The report I need is the detail or the transaction detail that's happening on those Snapshots. I'd like to be able to go back through time and search for things. I don't have that functionality, which is very disappointing. That's pretty bad and frustrating because I could query it and find out so much information about what's hitting my environment and when, but instead, they want control over it and to not give me that information. So it's encrypted. I can't pull it out and that is really bothersome."

"I'm going to do an upgrade which may resolve my issues, but one area for improvement is its ability to handle the amount of data that we collect with it. We're likely one of the largest installations, with over 300 servers being collected with this product, and sometimes there are gaps. That would really be my only concern, in terms of how the data is collected and stored, for consistency."

"We don't find that it helps us with performance monitoring and diagnostics. We find that SentryOne does that better. Also, in terms of alerts, we had to customize them dramatically so that we didn't get alerted on every little thing."

"One thing I'd like to see is the ability to view the execution plan and have the system automatically recommend potential query optimizations, especially at the query level."

"It would helpful if SQL DM could mark when changes are made within the program."

"The initial setup gives too many user rights to the server, so you have to put a user that is part administrator's group - that's the preferred way - on each server, which is kind of a risk. You want to do least privilege and you're not doing that."

"SQL Doctor should be improved in Availability Groups, mirroring, and clustering analyses. We mostly see index and query plan analyses. It should be broader than this."

"The biggest problem with the Redgate SQL Toolbelt is just how heavy it is; it seems to take a lot of resources."

"I would like to see the bandwidth increase allowing me to easily analyze more data."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We were upgraded to Premium Support without their actually asking us, when we were quoted. Then I asked for Standard Support and that they had to re-quote us that. But they don't do that by default. They upcharge you by default, which I didn't think was very nice, without even asking."

"The pricing is reasonable, it's comparable with the competitors."

Information not available

"Our fees are paid on an annual basis."

"The cost is about $3,500 USD per individual to buy, and then it's about 20% per year for renewal."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

Healthcare Company

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

10%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	4

No data available

Comparisons

SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 13% of the time

SQL Sentry vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 10% of the time

Spotlight vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 10% of the time

SCOM vs IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

Compared 10% of the time

More IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server Competitors

Aqua Data Studio vs IDERA SQL Doctor

Compared 44% of the time

SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer vs IDERA SQL Doctor

Compared 31% of the time

More IDERA SQL Doctor Competitors

Spotlight vs Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials

Compared 8% of the time

IDERA DB Change Manager vs Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials

Compared 8% of the time

Foglight for Databases vs Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials

Compared 6% of the time

Toad for Oracle vs Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials

Compared 6% of the time

dbForge SQL Tools vs Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials

Compared 6% of the time

More Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server

January 2026

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server report

Download IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

January 2026

Download IDERA SQL Doctor product report

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

January 2026

Download Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials product report

Also Known As

IDERA SQL DM, IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager

No data available

Overview

SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL Server helps database administrators to find and fix SQL Server performance problems in physical, virtual, and cloud environments. Unlike its competition, it provides effective scalability, advanced SQL query analysis and optimization, prescriptive analysis with corrective SQL scripts, powerful automated alert responses, broad PowerShell integration, complete customization, and extensive support for current and legacy SQL Server and Windows.

IDERA

SQL Doctor helps database administrators to tune SQL Server performance, security, and disaster recovery via expert recommendations in physical, virtual, and cloud environments - including managed cloud databases. Unlike its competitors, it provides display health of all SQL Servers, generation of ready-to-run SQL scripts to optimize and undo optimization, limiting of analysis to specified databases, applications, and performance categories, and real-time, as-needed, and scheduled checkups.

IDERA

Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials offers essential tools for optimizing, managing, and deploying SQL Server databases efficiently, ideal for professionals seeking reliable database solutions.

Designed for database professionals, Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials streamlines SQL Server database management with a suite of integrated tools. It simplifies complex tasks, increases productivity, and helps maintain consistency across deployments. By automating repetitive tasks, it allows users to focus on critical areas, promoting a more efficient workflow. Its integration with existing systems ensures a smooth transition and compatibility with current technologies.

What are the most important features?

SQL Compare: Compares and synchronizes database schemas to keep environments in sync.
SQL Data Compare: Matches data across databases to ensure data integrity.
SQL Source Control: Integrates with version control systems to track database changes.
SQL Prompt: Provides code suggestions for faster and more accurate query writing.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Time Savings: Automates repetitive tasks, reducing manual effort.
Enhanced Accuracy: Minimizes risk of errors with reliable comparison and synchronization.
Scalability: Supports growth with seamless integration with version control systems.
Increased Productivity: Boosts development speed by offering efficient code suggestions.

Industries implementing Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials often experience increased efficiency in database management. For example, financial services use it for precise data handling, while healthcare leverages its data integrity features to ensure accurate patient records, improving both the security and reliability of their IT infrastructure.

Redgate

Sample Customers

Padnos, University of Notre Dame, D4, Infeon Technologies, Chevron, LC Waikiki, Sisters of Saint Francis Health Services, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, CVE, Colorado State University, St. Charles, Chaucer PLC, 1-800-Flowers, Ancoris, Money Management, National Opinion Research Center, California Department of Health, Plexus; Aviva, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, CBS, Comcast, Google, Merck, Regions Financial, Schneider Electric, Tata Consultancy Services, Verizon Communications, Zurich Financial Services

Lake IT; ArcelorMittal; Canadian Natural Resources; Capital One Financial; Comcast; Dollar General; Pfizer Inc.; SCANA; Tata Consultancy Services; United Technologies; Xerox; Boostability; Daycoval; Exelon Corporation; Methodist Hospitals of Dallas Inc.; A-Tex A/S; University of California, Irvine; American Career College; Region Hovedstaden; Wunderman; Johannesburg Stock Exchange; Almacenes Vidri, S.A. de C.V.; Indiana Weslyan University; Mizuho Securities; Isala Klinieken; National Metrology Institute of SA; Raja; KMD AS; Advantage Solutions; infusystem; Portafolio de Negocios S.A. de C.V. - DG; Liaison International; Novaccent; National Council of State Boards of Nursing; Applied Innovations; St. Helen & Knowsley NHS Trust; Xtra Lease LLC; Catharina Ziekenhuis; HF; Florida Housing Finance Corporation; Fiserv, Inc.; West Bend Mutual Insurance Company; CITY OF ST JOHNS; Government Employees Insurance Company; Arbella Insurance Group; Quarto Group Software Systems Inc.; City of Sioux Falls

Thinger.fi, Churchill College Univeristy of Cambridge, Margin Business Solutions Ltd., 4Penny.net, Sportinginsider.net, Lockheed Martin, Phillip Securities Pte Ltd, Nmbrs

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

January 2026

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