MQLens
Open source · Apache-2.0

A free MongoDB Compass alternative.
Native, private, and full-featured.

MongoDB Compass is the official GUI — but it runs on Electron (heavy) and collects usage telemetry by default. MQLens delivers every auth mode and advanced feature in a 14 MB native Tauri/Rust app. Credentials are encrypted with AES-256-GCM and unlockable via biometrics. Zero telemetry. Apache-2.0 and $0.

Download for free Star on GitHub ★
Side by side

MQLens vs MongoDB Compass

Both tools are free. Here is where they differ.

Feature MQLens MongoDB Compass
Price Free (Apache-2.0) Free (SSPL / proprietary)
Runtime Native (Tauri/Rust + WebView) ~14 MB Electron (Chromium + Node.js) ~200 MB+
Telemetry Zero — none collected, none sent Usage telemetry on by default (opt-out)
Credential storage AES-256-GCM encrypted + biometric unlock Stored per OS keychain or plaintext
SSH tunnel Yes Yes (added in recent versions)
Auth: SCRAM-SHA-1/256 Yes Yes
Auth: X.509 Yes Yes
Auth: MONGODB-AWS (IAM) Yes Yes
Auth: GSSAPI / Kerberos Yes Yes
Auth: LDAP (PLAIN) Yes Yes
Aggregation pipeline editor Yes Yes
Visual explain plans Yes (find + aggregate) Yes
Bulk edit (update-many / delete-many) Yes — guarded confirmation Limited
Schema analysis Yes Yes
GridFS browser Yes No
Embedded mongosh Yes Yes
Linux package formats .deb + AppImage .deb + .rpm + .tar.gz
Fair assessment

When MongoDB Compass is the better choice

Compass is the official MongoDB tool — if your organization requires vendor-supported software, tight Atlas integration, or you simply want the tool built by the same team that builds the database, Compass is the right call.

Try MQLens — it's free