AquaFold
AquaFold, a subsidiary of Idera, Inc., develops Aqua Data Studio, a multi-platform database IDE supporting 40+ relational, NoSQL, and cloud data sources. It serves database developers, DBAs, data analysts, and data architects at enterprises such as BP, Citigroup, Pfizer, and ExxonMobil via per-seat licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersSunnyvale, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What AquaFold does
AquaFold, legally Aqua Data Studio, Inc., operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Idera, Inc. and develops Aqua Data Studio, a multi-platform database integrated development environment (IDE) supporting more than 40 relational, NoSQL, and cloud data sources including Oracle, SQL Server, Snowflake, MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, BigQuery, and Redshift. The product is positioned for database developers, DBAs, data analysts, and data architects, and bundles query authoring, data modeling, version-controlled SQL scripting, schema comparison, and visual analytics into a single desktop client. Native integration with enterprise authentication systems (SSO, Active Directory, LDAP) and with the R statistical environment indicates the tool is engineered for enterprise IT environments rather than hobbyist use.
The product is sold under two named tiers: Standard at $499 per user per year and Ultimate at $699 per user per year, with a perpetual-license-plus-support structure and a free-trial download option supporting product-led acquisition. Marquee customers publicly cited include BP, Barclays, Citigroup, Prudential, Pfizer, ExxonMobil, Accenture, Salesforce, and Catalina — a roster weighted toward financial services, energy, and life sciences. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees and the company operates from Sunnyvale, California, with additional presence referenced in Boston. Recent feature work has introduced AI-powered natural-language capabilities — NL Code Assist, NL Reporting, and an AI Assistant chatbot — extending the product's scope from SQL authoring toward natural-language data interaction.
As a small subsidiary inside the Idera data-tools portfolio, AquaFold benefits from cross-promotion with sister brands such as Aquaforest, Dataedo, and ER/Studio, and participates in shared promotional and webinar motions. Its strategic posture appears to be retention of its installed enterprise base through incremental feature investment rather than aggressive expansion, consistent with a mature 2001-founded product in a stable category.
AquaFold firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AquaFold
- Legal name
- Aqua Data Studio, Inc.
- Website
- https://aquafold.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AquaFold, a subsidiary of Idera, Inc., develops Aqua Data Studio, a multi-platform database IDE supporting 40+ relational, NoSQL, and cloud data sources. It serves database developers, DBAs, data analysts, and data architects at enterprises such as BP, Citigroup, Pfizer, and ExxonMobil via per-seat licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AquaFold industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Database Management Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (51321)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Data Platform (Unified Data & Analytics) Suites (HDAEABAD)
Keywords
Where AquaFold is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sunnyvale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
AquaFold business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Licenses (Standard Edition): Annual subscription licensing for Standard Edition at $499 per user, providing core database IDE functionality including SQL query building, data visualization, schema management, and basic database administration tools.
- Software Licenses (Ultimate Edition): Annual subscription licensing for Ultimate Edition at $699 per user, includes all Standard features plus scheduled tasks, secure synthetic data generation, and enhanced enterprise capabilities. Enterprise licensing options available via quote.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Edition - $499/user/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Ultimate Edition - $699/user/year |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
AquaFold product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AquaFold develops and sells Aqua Data Studio, a multi-platform database IDE that provides SQL development, data modeling, analytics/BI, and AI-assisted natural language querying across 40+ database platforms (Oracle, IBM DB2, SQL Server, Snowflake, MongoDB, MySQL, Databricks) within a single unified client running on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The product is offered via annual per-user subscription licensing across Standard ($499), Enterprise, and Ultimate ($699) tiers, with quote-based enterprise licensing available for larger deployments.
Product overview
AquaFold offers Aqua Data Studio as a unified, multi-function enterprise database IDE. The product is available in three licensing tiers: Standard ($499/user/year), Enterprise, and Ultimate ($699/user/year). Aqua Data Studio combines coding and querying tools (SQL Debugger, Visual Query Builder, FluidShell), analytics and BI capabilities (dashboards, reports, pivot grids, R integration), database management tools (compare/sync, table editors, DB Object Navigator), and AI-enabled features (NL Code Assist, NL Reporting, AI Assistant). The platform supports over 40 database platforms across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Manage 40+ databases with a single tool
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AquaFold
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
AquaFold technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability5 records
Feature10 records
AquaFold partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AquaFold competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- dBeaver: dBeaver is an open-source multi-platform database IDE/CLI tool supporting SQL and NoSQL databases across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its free tier and commercial editions compete head-to-head with Aqua Data Studio on cross-platform database tooling.
- DbVisualizer: DbVisualizer is a commercial cross-platform database IDE for developers, DBAs, and analysts supporting many of the same data sources. It targets the same primary personas and competes on similar feature depth and pricing tiers.
- Navicat: Navicat offers a suite of database administration and development tools supporting MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Oracle, SQL Server, and others. It is a direct competitor in the multi-database developer IDE category.
- JetBrains (DataGrip): JetBrains' DataGrip is a commercial multi-platform database IDE supporting many of the same engines (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, etc.). It is the closest direct commercial competitor to Aqua Data Studio for SQL developers and DBAs.
- Quest Software (Toad): Toad is a long-standing commercial database IDE suite for developers and DBAs across Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, and MySQL. It competes directly for the same DBA/database developer persona and enterprise budgets.
Emerging players
- PopSQL: PopSQL is a modern collaborative SQL workspace with AI assistance, targeting data analysts and teams. It overlaps with Aqua Data Studio's analytics and self-service use cases and represents the next-generation PLG SQL tool.
Broad incumbents
- Databricks (Databricks SQL): Databricks provides native SQL editors, notebooks, and AI-assisted querying inside its lakehouse platform, competing against AquaFold for Databricks-only workflows and for new enterprise data architectures.
- Oracle SQL Developer: Oracle's free, vendor-native SQL Developer is the incumbent free alternative for Oracle-heavy estates. As a vendor-bundled tool, it undercuts commercial IDEs on procurement and remains the default for many enterprise DBAs.
- Microsoft (Azure Data Studio / SSMS): Microsoft bundles SQL Server Management Studio and Azure Data Studio free with its data platform, providing native multi-platform database tooling that competes against AquaFold's SQL Server and Azure SQL support.
- Snowflake (Snowsight / Worksheets): Snowflake's native web-based worksheets, notebooks, and AI SQL assistants increasingly absorb the use case of a third-party IDE for Snowflake-only workflows, making it a structural competitor for new cloud data estates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AquaFold social profiles
Digital presenceAquaFold financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AquaFold leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
AquaFold funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AquaFold M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AquaFold
What does AquaFold do?
AquaFold develops and sells Aqua Data Studio, a multi-platform database IDE that provides SQL development, data modeling, analytics/BI, and AI-assisted natural language querying across 40+ database platforms (Oracle, IBM DB2, SQL Server, Snowflake, MongoDB, MySQL, Databricks) within a single unified client running on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The product is offered via annual per-user subscription licensing across Standard ($499), Enterprise, and Ultimate ($699) tiers, with quote-based enterprise licensing available for larger deployments.
Is AquaFold a public or private company?
AquaFold is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was AquaFold founded?
AquaFold was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AquaFold based?
AquaFold is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States, in the North America region.
How does AquaFold make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses (Standard Edition) is the primary driver. The others are software Licenses (Ultimate Edition).
Who are AquaFold's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are dBeaver, DbVisualizer, Navicat, JetBrains (DataGrip) and Quest Software (Toad). PopSQL is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Databricks (Databricks SQL), Oracle SQL Developer, Microsoft (Azure Data Studio / SSMS) and Snowflake (Snowsight / Worksheets).
Does AquaFold have an API?
No public API is recorded for AquaFold.
What industry is AquaFold in?
AquaFold's product category is Database Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEABAD, Data Platform (Unified Data & Analytics) Suites. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.