Undoubtedly, SSMS is a proven database management and administration tool that does its job well. Yet we all tend to expand our capabilities as much as we can, tailoring this tool to our specific needs. That's why we offer a wide range of SSMS plugins and extensions designed to enhance particular aspects of development and administration.
In this article, we will discuss two productivity-focused add-ins that help us deliver results more efficiently. They fill the gaps in SSMS functionality, making it more flexible and enhancing our SQL coding with numerous useful tricks, such as autocompletion, snippets, and refactoring. These are dbForge SQL Complete and SSMS Tools Pack. First, we will provide a brief overview of both, and then we will scrutinize and compare them feature by feature to help you determine whether SQL Complete is a superior alternative to SSMS Tools Pack or vice versa.
Let's start with dbForge SQL Complete that is available as an add-in for both SSMS and Microsoft Visual Studio. Its IntelliSense-like context-based code completion capabilities, SQL formatting, and intelligent refactoring with auto-correction of references can make daily coding up to 4 times faster. It is perfectly suitable for individual use, yet it also helps form and unify SQL standards for corporate teamwork. It offers a powerful T-SQL debugger and has all those little touches (such as tab coloring and document outline) that make your work more convenient. With all its features, SQL Complete has a clean interface that never feels cluttered or overloaded.
Pricing: dbForge SQL Complete is a commercial solution available as a separate SSMS and VS add-in that comes in 4 editions: basic (Express) and advanced (Standard, Professional, and Enterprise). The Express edition is available free of charge, making it an ideal free SQL tool for developers who want enhanced code completion in SSMS without incurring additional costs. It's a rare offering in the commercial-grade SQL add-in ecosystem.
SQL Complete can also be purchased as part of dbForge SQL Tools, a comprehensive suite of SQL tools that cover nearly every aspect of SQL Server development, management, and administration.
For a broader look at other helpful SSMS tools and add-ins offered by Devart, please explore our complete toolkit.
The second contender, SSMS Tools Pack, is no slouch either. It is an SSMS plugin designed to increase user productivity with easy-to-use features that dramatically enhance usability. It delivers a handy SQL editor, CRUD procedure generation, snippets, formatting, convenient search with filtering, and SQL execution history. Like SQL Complete, it offers features that are not essential yet still pleasant to have, such as tab coloring and the ability to export to Excel spreadsheets.
Pricing: SSMS Tools Pack is also a commercial product, offering various license packages for Small, Large, and Enterprise teams. A free demo license is available for one computer for 60 days.
Now let's proceed to the comparison. Check the features carefully, as some may prove far more crucial for your specific goals than others. For this comparison, we used SQL Complete v2025.2 and SSMS Tools Pack v6.8.0.0, which are (at the time of writing) the latest and most advanced versions, presenting both SSMS plugins at their peak.
| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| SSMS integration |  |
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| Visual Studio integration | |
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| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| CRUD generation |
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| Support for multiple CRUD generation templates |
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| Generation of CREATE/ALTER scripts for server objects |
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| Option to hide cache loading UI |
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| Renaming of objects, variables, and aliases |
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| T-SQL Debugger |
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| Copying of all custom folders to another server |
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| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Various options for executing statements | |
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| Execution warnings | |
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| Execution notifications | |
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| Transaction reminders | |
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| Run at status bar element | |
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| Tab coloring | |
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| Custom SSMS main window title | |
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| Query history | |
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| Tab management | |
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| Quick connection to the active SQL Editor window | |
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| Document sessions | |
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| Recently closed documents | |
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| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Results grid data visualizers | |
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| Copying of data from the SSMS grid to CSV, HTML, and JSON | |
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| Copying of headers from the grid (column names + types) | |
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| Export to Excel from the grid | |
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| Grid aggregates | |
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| Search for data in the grid | |
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| Script generation from the grid | |
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| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation order to prioritize folder population | |
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| Option to include the object's schema name when evaluating | |
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| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Context-sensitive suggestions of object names and keywords | |
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| Expansion of SELECT statements | |
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| Object information | |
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| Parameter information | |
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| SQL snippets | |
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| New query template | |
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| 'Go to definition' for database objects | |
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| Highlighting of identifier occurrences | |
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| Named regions | |
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| Document Outline window | |
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| Selection of the current statement | |
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| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| SQL formatting | |
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| Multiple predefined formatting profiles | |
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| Disabled formatting for a specific block of code | |
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| SQL formatting from the command line | |
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| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Import and Export Settings Wizard | |
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| Quick search for options | |
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| Feature | dbForge SQL Complete | SSMS Tools Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Query execution against multiple targets | |
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| Loading of metadata from a disk | |
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| Custom folders in Object Explorer | |
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| Execution plan analyzer | |
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| Search for tabs | |
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| Copying of the execution plan to the clipboard or a file | |
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| Execution of custom scripts from Object Explorer | |
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| Search for invalid objects | |
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| T-SQL Analyzer | |
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| Option for prepending T-SQL to any SQL statements | |
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As you can see above, dbForge SQL Complete gains the upper hand here, being more feature-rich than SSMS Tools Pack. It offers more ways to increase your productivity, enables a much broader range of operations with data, has notably more advanced formatting, and supports CLI. It is also worth noting that SQL Complete is updated more frequently.
Finally, if you are looking for an SSMS Tools Pack alternative that is also seamlessly compatible with Microsoft Visual Studio, SQL Complete is your best option. And it doesn't take much effort to see all of its capabilities in action. Download a free 14-day trial of its most advanced Enterprise edition and give it a go.
No, SSMS Tools Pack is a paid extension for SQL Server Management Studio. However, it offers a 60-day trial license that grants access to all features on a single machine. After the trial, users must purchase a license, available in Small, Large, or Enterprise packages, based on their team size and usage needs.
SSMS tools, such as SSMS Tools Pack, are designed to extend the core capabilities of SQL Server Management Studio. They simplify routine tasks such as code formatting, execution history tracking, CRUD generation, and snippet management, helping developers write, organize, and manage SQL scripts more efficiently within the SSMS environment.
SSMS Tools Pack includes a feature that allows you to script selected rows from the Results Grid into INSERT statements. After executing a query, you can right-click on the result set, choose "Generate INSERTs for selected rows," and the tool will create syntactically correct SQL INSERT statements using the underlying data.
A powerful alternative to SSMS Tools Pack is dbForge SQL Complete by Devart. It offers deep integration with both SSMS and Visual Studio, advanced IntelliSense, real-time code analysis, T-SQL refactoring, and built-in formatting profiles. It’s available in free and commercial editions, making it accessible for individuals and teams alike.
Get your firsthand experience with SQL Complete for free. Download it for a 14-day trial and see all of its capabilities in action.
We provide flexible purchasing options, including bulk discounts for multiple licenses, to meet your budget in the optimal way.
