What IBSurgeon does

IBSurgeon, Ltd. is a privately held specialist software vendor founded in 2002 that builds tools and provides professional services exclusively for the Firebird and InterBase database ecosystems. The company, headquartered in Almaty, Kazakhstan and operating with 11–50 employees under a private limited company structure (IBSurgeon, Ltd.), has maintained continuous operation for over 24 years focused on a deliberately narrow technical niche. Its product catalog centers on HQbird, an advanced distribution of FirebirdSQL that adds high availability, replication, automated backups, optimized configurations, database health monitoring, transaction and query monitoring (Trace, MON$), and a recovery toolset aimed at large Firebird deployments; IBSurgeon FirstAID, an automated recovery tool that fixes the majority of Firebird and InterBase database corruptions; the Encryption Plugin Framework providing AES256 encryption across Firebird 3.0/4.0/5.0 with Windows and Linux binaries; IBUndelete for recovering deleted records; and a long tail of supporting utilities (IBAnalyst, FBScanner, FBDataGuard, Peshkove deadlock tracker, Configuration Calculator, Migration Framework, FBMonLogger, IBBackupSurgeon). Multiple products are classified as legacy on the company's own product pages, suggesting a deliberate consolidation around HQbird and FirstAID as core.

The company generates revenue through two streams: one-time/perpetual software licenses (FirstAID from $199; Encryption Plugin unlimited license at $1,999) sold via a product-led growth motion through direct website downloads, and professional services covering emergency database recovery for large databases over 65GB, technical support, performance optimization, and migration. Distribution is global via self-serve website sales for SMB and individual developer customers, with direct enterprise sales for larger or more complex engagements. The company supports English and Brazilian Portuguese on its website, maintains a reference library of Firebird technical content, and offers formal Firebird training. In the first half of 2026 IBSurgeon shipped at least four HQbird updates (Update 8 in January, Update 10 in April introducing Materialized Views, Update 11 in May, and Update 12 in June with bundled Firebird engine versions and security CVE remediation), demonstrating active, ongoing investment in its flagship product line. No external funding rounds, parent companies, or institutional investors are disclosed in the source data.

Name

IBSurgeon

Legal name

IBSurgeon, Ltd.

Website

https://ibsurgeon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IBSurgeon, Ltd. is a privately held specialist vendor founded in 2002 that builds software tools and provides recovery, optimization, monitoring, and encryption services exclusively for Firebird and InterBase database users globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Database Management Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Server Management, Orchestration & BMC/Remote Admin Systems (HDACABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Observability Data Platforms (O11y Pipelines, Telemetry Backends) (HDABAJAJ)

Keywords

• Database management software
• Firebird database tools
• Database recovery services
• Database encryption plugins
• Database performance optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Almaty

HQ country

Kazakhstan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: Sale of proprietary database tools including FirstAID recovery tool, HQbird advanced distribution, IBUndelete, and encryption plugins. Products are sold with tiered pricing for different use cases (standard licenses, unlimited redistribution licenses).
2. Professional Services: Emergency database recovery services for large/corrupted databases (65GB+), Firebird technical support services, database optimization consulting, and migration services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IBSurgeon develops and sells proprietary software tools and professional services exclusively for the Firebird and InterBase database platforms. Its flagship HQbird is an advanced FirebirdSQL distribution with replication, backups, monitoring, and optimization; IBSurgeon FirstAID provides automated recovery from database corruption; IBUndelete recovers deleted records; and the Encryption Plugin Framework delivers AES256 encryption. The company also offers emergency database recovery, technical support, performance optimization, migration, and training services.

Product overview

IBSurgeon offers a comprehensive suite of Firebird database tools and services. The core product portfolio centers on HQbird (advanced FirebirdSQL distribution with replication, backups, monitoring, and optimization), IBSurgeon FirstAID (database recovery), IBUndelete (record recovery), and the Encryption Plugin Framework (AES256 encryption). Additional specialized tools include IBAnalyst, FBScanner, FBDataGuard, IBTM Transaction Monitor, IBBackupSurgeon, Peshkove (deadlock tracker), and the Configuration Calculator. The company also provides migration, training, and technical support services, along with legacy products like the IBSurgeon Recovery Pack and ISV Subscription for ongoing vendor support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HQbird: Advanced FirebirdSQL distribution for big databases with replication, backups, monitoring, and optimization tools.
• IBSurgeon FirstAID
• IBUndelete
• Encryption Plugin Framework for Firebird
• IBAnalyst
• FBDataGuard
• FBScanner
• IBBackupSurgeon
• Peshkove
• Configuration Calculator for Firebird

Products and services

• HQbird - Advanced FirebirdSQL Distribution Advanced distribution of FirebirdSQL designed for large databases, featuring high availability and replication, automated backups, optimized configurations, database health monitoring, transaction and query monitoring (Trace, MON$), database structure analysis, and a recovery toolset. Targets organizations running Firebird in production.
• IBSurgeon FirstAID 8.0 Automated recovery tool for corrupted Firebird and InterBase databases that can fix the vast majority of database corruptions. Starting price $199; databases larger than 65GB require manual recovery service.
• IBUndelete 2.6 Tool for recovering deleted records in InterBase and Firebird databases.
• Encryption Plugin Framework for Firebird Security framework providing AES256 encryption for Firebird 5.0, 4.0, and 3.0 with ready-to-use binaries for Windows and Linux, full sources, and Gbak.exe with encryption capabilities. Unlimited redistribution license priced at $1999.
• Migration Framework for Firebird Framework for mass migration to Firebird databases, supporting large-scale data migration scenarios.
• Peshkove - Deadlock & Conflict Tracker for Firebird Deadlock and conflict tracker for Firebird databases, enabling monitoring and diagnosis of locking conflicts.
• Configuration Calculator for Firebird Tool for calculating optimal Firebird database configurations based on workload and hardware parameters.
• Firebird/InterBase Emergency Recovery Service Professional emergency recovery service for large or severely corrupted Firebird and InterBase databases that exceed the scope of automated tool-based recovery.
• Firebird Support Service Ongoing technical support service for organizations running Firebird databases, providing expert assistance for operational issues.
• Firebird Database Optimization Service Performance optimization consulting for Firebird and InterBase databases, addressing slow queries, indexing, and configuration tuning.
• Firebird Database Migration Service Professional database migration service to move data to or from Firebird databases.
• Firebird Training Formal training programs teaching users and developers how to deploy, manage, and develop on the Firebird database platform.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Quest Software: Quest (formerly part of Dell) provides enterprise database management, monitoring, and recovery tools (e.g., Foglight, Toad, ApexSQL). It is comparable as a large incumbent with overlapping recovery, monitoring, and optimization capabilities, though at much greater scale and across more platforms.
• Percona: Percona provides open-source database services, software, and support primarily for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. It is comparable to IBSurgeon as a specialist database vendor offering proprietary management/monitoring tools layered on top of an open-source database engine.
• Redgate Software: Redgate is a leading independent vendor of database DevOps and management tools, primarily for SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. It is comparable to IBSurgeon as a specialized database tooling vendor with a similar product-led model targeting DBAs and developers.

Direct peers

• Idera: Idera owns Embarcadero, which develops and supports InterBase — one of the two database platforms IBSurgeon specializes in. Idera sells a broad portfolio of database management, recovery, and DevOps tools and is the closest comparable in terms of platform overlap and target customer (Firebird/InterBase shops).
• DbVisualizer: DbVisualizer is a cross-platform database client and management tool supporting Firebird alongside many other databases. It competes directly with IBSurgeon's general-purpose database utilities and targets the same DBA/developer persona.
• EMS Data Manager: EMS (SQL Manager / SQL Maestro) sells database management and administration tools with explicit Firebird and InterBase support. It is directly comparable to IBSurgeon in product category (Firebird DB admin tools) and target buyer.
• Stellar Data Recovery: Stellar specializes in data and database recovery software across multiple platforms. It competes with IBSurgeon's FirstAID recovery tool in the database corruption recovery use case.
• Navicat: Navicat (PremiumSoft) develops database administration and development tools that explicitly support Firebird and InterBase. It is a direct competitor in the GUI database management tool category and targets similar SMB and enterprise customers.

Emerging players

• HeidiSQL: HeidiSQL is a popular open-source database client focused primarily on MySQL/PostgreSQL/MSSQL. It overlaps with IBSurgeon in the database administration tooling category and targets a similar SMB/developer audience.

Others

• Firebird Foundation: The Firebird Foundation governs development of the Firebird open-source database engine that IBSurgeon's tools are built around. It is an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but its roadmap directly impacts IBSurgeon's addressable platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ibsurgeon
• Facebookfacebook.com/ibsurgeon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibsurgeon-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IBSurgeon