Spotlight vs Toad Data Modeler comparison

Spotlight and Toad Data Modeler are both solutions in the Database Development and Management category. Spotlight is ranked #5 with an average rating of 9.0, while Toad Data Modeler is ranked #10 with an average rating of 9.0. Spotlight holds a 4.3% mindshare in DDM, compared to Toad Data Modeler’s 3.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Spotlight users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Toad Data Modeler users who would recommend it.

Spotlight

Read 5 Spotlight reviews

1,190 Views
1,190 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Toad Data Modeler

Read 19 Toad Data Modeler reviews

1,125 Views
900 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Spotlight

Toad Data Modeler

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 23, 2025

Toad Data Modeler and Spotlight compete in database management and optimization, focusing on modeling and monitoring. Toad Data Modeler has the upper hand in modeling features, whereas Spotlight excels in database performance monitoring.

Features: Toad Data Modeler offers robust database modeling, supports multiple database platforms, and includes automation capabilities to enhance efficiency. Spotlight provides advanced performance monitoring tools with real-time analytics and in-depth diagnostic features.

Room for Improvement: Toad Data Modeler could improve in simplifying complex database designs, enhancing real-time collaboration within teams, and expanding integrations with cloud platforms. Spotlight can improve by offering more detailed documentation, enhancing user interface intuitiveness, and providing more flexible pricing options for smaller businesses.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Toad Data Modeler benefits from straightforward installation and detailed documentation, which assists customers needing comprehensive modeling tools. Spotlight offers seamless setup with a focus on ongoing monitoring, and both products provide customer support, though Spotlight includes more interactive tools for performance management.

Pricing and ROI: Toad Data Modeler presents a balance between cost and functionality, delivering high ROI for organizations requiring detailed data modeling. Spotlight requires a more significant investment but provides substantial returns through real-time database optimization.

To learn more, read our detailed Spotlight vs. Toad Data Modeler Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Spotlight vs. Toad Data Modeler

December 2025

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Helped 879,310 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:

Categories and Ranking

Spotlight

Ranking in Database Development and Management

5th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Toad Data Modeler

Ranking in Database Development and Management

10th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of Spotlight is 4.3%, down from 7.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Toad Data Modeler is 3.2%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database Development and Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Spotlight	4.3%
Toad Data Modeler	3.2%
Other	92.5%

Database Development and Management

Featured Reviews

BlakeCheatham

Sr. Database Administrator at Comcast Business

Facilitating on-the-spot troubleshooting with detailed root cause analysis

Spotlight provides valuable features such as the ability to get alerted and drill down to a very granular level to find out where actual problems are coming from. The drill-down feature helps with isolation, root cause analysis, and determining next steps. It aids in preventing potential issues by allowing us to make correctable changes internally within SQL Server. When needed, it also helps address external influences affecting system design. Additionally, the historical data analysis is helpful for long-term capacity planning.

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KaiQuale

Senior engineer at a government with 201-500 employees

Creates intuitive diagrams with comprehensive control over relationships

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 you don't want to delete each one. 2) If one could view the same model on physical, logical, and conceptual levels while retaining all information specific to each level (including layout), that would be excellent.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool is a SaaS product where I just need to type a URL and start with the design process. I can integrate all elements of source control like GitHub, GitLab, etc. The tool also supports authentication-related provisions like SSH."

"I consider the solution very scalable."

"Spotlight provides valuable features such as the ability to get alerted and drill down to a very granular level to find out where actual problems are coming from."

"Its dashboards are most valuable. The drill-down of the dashboards is useful."

"The feature I really like is the graphical part, especially the control of the relationships."

"It is not feasible for small businesses. It is not used in a small company."

"Auto-complete is the best feature of the solution."

"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."

Cons

"One improvement could be the inclusion of suggestions for missing indexes or better analysis of how indexes are utilized and how execution plans are used, similar to what other products offer."

"There's no reporting with this tool, and there really should be. They should add that into future releases."

"The software does not support webhooks. It doesn't support advanced versions of APIs. The tool also doesn't support advanced versions of specifications. The change that we do in one part of the model is not reflected throughout the specification. There are also some mutations in the clones. I am not able to do a local source control with the product as well."

"One improvement could be the inclusion of suggestions for missing indexes or better analysis of how indexes are utilized and how execution plans are used, similar to what other products offer."

"Some customizations of the dashboard, such as having backup reports, would be useful."

"What could be improved in Toad Data Modeler is stability and the complex setup."

"The product should provide better debugging features."

"It is not feasible for small businesses. It is not used in a small company."

"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."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its cost was somewhere in the middle."

"The tool is cloud-based. It is priced well."

"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%

Healthcare Company

13%

Government

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Energy/Utilities Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	9

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Quest Spotlight?

One improvement could be the inclusion of suggestions for missing indexes or better analysis of how indexes are utilized and how execution plans are used, similar to what other products offer.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Quest Spotlight?

I primarily use Spotlight for on-the-spot troubleshooting and alerting to see if there are any issues. The drill-down features allow me to pinpoint problems, whether they are indexing, long-running...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Quest Spotlight?

I would rate Spotlight probably an nine out of ten. My advice would be to consider its cost-effectiveness and ease of use in smaller environments.

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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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Toad Data Modeler?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Toad Data Modeler?

There are two main use cases. One is reengineering an existing model and making changes from a database. The other is making a new model from scratch. These use cases involve all kinds of systems, ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Foglight for Databases vs Spotlight

Compared 22% of the time

SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer vs Spotlight

Compared 12% of the time

IDERA SQL Inventory Manager vs Spotlight

Compared 12% of the time

Redgate SQL Toolbelt Essentials vs Spotlight

Compared 11% of the time

CA IDMS vs Spotlight

Compared 4% of the time

More Spotlight Competitors

IDERA ER/Studio vs Toad Data Modeler

Compared 14% of the time

IDERA DB Change Manager vs Toad Data Modeler

Compared 14% of the time

IDERA SQL Defrag Manager vs Toad Data Modeler

Compared 11% of the time

Oracle SQL Developer vs Toad Data Modeler

Compared 10% of the time

ScaleArc vs Toad Data Modeler

Compared 4% of the time

More Toad Data Modeler Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

December 2025

Download Spotlight product report

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

December 2025

Download Toad Data Modeler product report

Also Known As

Dell Spotlight

Toad

Overview

Spotlight efficiently facilitates database monitoring, performance tuning, and troubleshooting with features that enhance problem isolation and long-term capacity planning. While valuable for API development, improvements in virtualization support and pricing could elevate its appeal.

Spotlight empowers users with capabilities such as alerting processes and comprehensive dashboards, making it an essential asset in analyzing historical data and time monitoring to identify problems. It integrates seamlessly with source control like GitHub and supports authentication, streamlining design processes and facilitating root cause analysis with drill-down capabilities. Primarily used for identifying indexing, long-running processes, and other performance issues, Spotlight aids API design through its daily monitoring capabilities, ensuring smooth operations. It currently has room for enhancements, particularly in support for Hyper-V virtualization overhead, webhooks, and API advancements. Pricing adjustments and improvements in custom dashboards, especially for backup reports, would increase user satisfaction.

What are Spotlight's key features?

Alerting Processes: Swiftly identifies issues with real-time notifications.
Ease of Setup: Simple integration with existing systems.
Comprehensive Dashboards: Offers a clear analysis of system performance.
Historical Data Analysis: Helps in problem identification and anomaly detection.
Drill-Down Capabilities: Enhances problem isolation and root cause analysis.

What benefits can users expect from Spotlight?

Problem Detection: Quick identification of issues improves system performance.
Efficiency in Capacity Planning: Supports long-term infrastructure management.
Seamless Integration: Works well with tools like GitHub to streamline processes.
Enhanced API Development: Aids in creating quality APIs with proper documentation.

Companies in diverse sectors utilize Spotlight for its robust database monitoring and problem-solving capabilities. Its integration with tools like GitHub allows software development teams to streamline processes. Finance and tech industries leverage its performance tuning features to ensure optimal database operations, while organizations focused on API development benefit significantly from its detailed monitoring and alerting functionalities.

Quest Software

Toad Data Modeler helps you create high-quality data models. This data modeling tool enables you to easily deploy accurate changes to data structures across more than 20 different platforms.

Quest Software

Sample Customers

Jenkon

Zions Bancorporation

Buyer's Guide

Spotlight vs. Toad Data Modeler

December 2025

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