---
title: "Introduction"
description: "What IntoSQL is, the five ways to run its engine, what is free and what needs IntoSQL Pro, and where to start."
canonical: https://intosql.com/docs
last_updated: 2026-10-15
---

# Introduction

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](/docs/migrations/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](https://intosql.com) and download the SQL. It runs in your browser as WebAssembly; the file is never uploaded.               | [The web converter](/docs/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](/docs/desktop)         |
| Command line      | `intosql convert` and `intosql load` in scripts and terminals, on macOS, Linux and Windows.                                                               | [Command line](/docs/cli)            |
| 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](/docs/api), [SDKs](/docs/sdks) |
| MCP server        | Let AI assistants inspect and convert files: hosted at `https://intosql.com/mcp`, or local with `intosql mcp`.                                            | [MCP server](/docs/mcp)              |

## 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 convert` on 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/usage` shows what is left.

Prices are in US dollars, before tax. See [Pricing](/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](/docs/quickstart): convert your first file in the browser, with the command line and with the API.
- [How fixes work](/docs/fixes): what IntoSQL detects and changes on its own, and how to override it.
- [Column types](/docs/types): which SQL type each kind of value becomes in each database.
- [Loading the output](/docs/loading): how to run the script, or load the file directly, in each database.
- [Errors](/docs/errors): every problem the engine reports, and how to fix it.