I built a self-hosted database GUI because every existing tool annoyed me
Hey everyone. First post here, figured I should actually introduce myself instead of just lurking.
I'm Max, solo dev from Germany. Studied aerospace engineering, worked corporate for a bit, hated it, quit. Now I build software products from my camper van while traveling Europe. Also a kitesurfing instructor, which has nothing to do with databases but explains why half my products are kite-related.
QueryGlow is a self-hosted, web-based database GUI. Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB and TimescaleDB. $79 one-time payment, no subscription.
Why I built it: I was tired of pgAdmin being slow and ugly, DBeaver feeling like it was built for enterprise committees, and TablePlus charging a subscription for what should be a simple tool. I just wanted something clean that I could self-host and access from anywhere, even from my phone when I'm on the road.
Where I'm at:
- Launched December 2025, got 2nd place on Uneed
- 13 blog articles, 10 ranking on Google, 3 in top 10
- 13,000+ impressions/month from organic search, growing fast
- Revenue: very early. Not going to pretend it's impressive yet
The honest problem: I'm decent at building but terrible at distribution. Classic indie hacker trap. Good product sitting there while I figure out how to get people to actually find it.
Currently doing SEO, writing on Dev.to, submitting to directories. The unglamorous stuff.
If anyone here is working with databases and wants to try it: queryglow.com. There's a live demo, no signup needed.
Happy to answer any questions about the stack, the business model, or why I chose lifetime pricing over subscriptions (short answer: I hate subscriptions as a buyer, so I refuse to sell them).
