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Introduction
What IntoSQL is, the five ways to run its engine, what is free and what needs IntoSQL Pro, and where to start.
IntoSQL converts spreadsheets, CSV and JSON into SQL for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, SQL Server and Oracle. It reads .xlsx, .xls, .xlsb, .ods, .csv, .tsv, .json and .ndjson files, infers a type for every column and writes a script your database accepts as it is. It can also write the cleaned data as CSV or JSON. A MySQL or MariaDB dump (.sql or .sql.gz) converts into a PostgreSQL script with the same tables, keys, indexes and data (MySQL to PostgreSQL).
Every change it makes is reported. When it finds the header on row 4, keeps the leading zeros in 00412, reads 1.234,50 as 1234.50 or decides that 03/02/2024 is February 3 because the same column holds 15/02/2024, the report says so, with the evidence. A row it can't convert is rejected with the row number and the reason, never changed silently.
Five ways to run it
The same Rust engine runs everywhere. A file converts the same way in each, with the same report.
| Where | What it is for | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Browser converter | Drop a file on intosql.com and download the SQL. It runs in your browser as WebAssembly; the file is never uploaded. | The web converter |
| Desktop app | Files of any size on your computer, loaded straight into your database, with conversions you can save and run again. | Desktop app |
| Command line | intosql convert and intosql load in scripts and terminals, on macOS, Linux and Windows. |
Command line |
| API and SDKs | Convert files on IntoSQL's servers from your own code, by upload or by URL, over HTTP or with an SDK for TypeScript, PHP, Python, Java, Go, .NET or Ruby. | API, SDKs |
| MCP server | Let AI assistants inspect and convert files: hosted at https://intosql.com/mcp, or local with intosql mcp. |
MCP server |
Free and Pro
Converting is free. You pay for loading into database servers, saved jobs, and conversions on IntoSQL's servers.
Free, with no account:
- The browser converter, with no monthly limit and no ads.
intosql converton the command line, and converting in the desktop app.- Loading into SQLite from the desktop app or the command line.
- The local MCP server,
intosql mcp, which converts files on your own computer.
IntoSQL Pro, $12 a month or $96 a year, with a 14-day free trial:
- Loading straight into PostgreSQL, MySQL and MariaDB from the desktop app or
intosql load, even behind a VPN. - Saved jobs you run again from the desktop app.
- The API and the hosted MCP server. A plan includes 5 GB of files a month;
GET /api/v1/usageshows what is left.
Prices are in US dollars, before tax. See Pricing for the current plans.
Note: SQL Server and Oracle have no direct load. Convert to a script and run it with your usual client.
Where to start
- Quickstart: convert your first file in the browser, with the command line and with the API.
- How fixes work: what IntoSQL detects and changes on its own, and how to override it.
- Column types: which SQL type each kind of value becomes in each database.
- Loading the output: how to run the script, or load the file directly, in each database.
- Errors: every problem the engine reports, and how to fix it.