1. Free Alternative To Microsoft Access For Mac Free Download For Students
2. Best Alternative To Microsoft Access
3. Download Microsoft Access For Free Mac

Jun 13, 2016 These are the top three free and open-source office suits that run on OS X as far as I know: 1. LibreOffice (Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Android) 2. Apache OpenOffice (Windows, OS X, Linux) 3. Alternatives to Microsoft Access on the Mac File Maker Pro. FileMaker is probably the best known database application for the Mac. It has a feature set comparable to Microsoft Access, but with a strong focus on forms (layouts) as the primary way of accessing databases.

UPDATED JUNE 2017: Prices updated and a 6th app added…

Yes you read that correctly! Up until recently, there was no way to open a Microsoft Access database directly on a Mac. However, there are, at the time of writing, five apps, all available from the Mac App Store, which allow you to open and view data in Access database tables. Below is a summary of the apps.

MDB Tool

• Opens MDB and ACCDB files (2007 only, not 2010/2013)
• Only provides access to tables. Does not support queries, forms or reports
• Exports to CSV and SQL formats
• Available for £5.99 from https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/mdb-tool-for-microsoft-access/id513995545?mt=12

MDB Explorer

• Opens tables from multiple databases at same time
• Exports to various formats including CSV, TXT, Excel and SQL
• Filter, sort and search functionality allows you to easily find the information you need
• Supports MDB but ACCDB support is available via in-app purchase £9.99
• Available for £9.99 from https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/mdb-explorer/id506622388?mt=12

MDB ACCDB Viewer

• Opens MDB and ACCDB files
• Search functionality
• If you double click a record it opens in a separate window – great for reading long text entries
• Exports to various formats including Excel, CSV, SQL
• Documentation includes instructions for transferring to Bento, Numbers, Open Office
• Available for £18.99 from https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/mdb-accdb-viewer/id417392270?mt=12

MDBLite

• Converts MDB to SQLite
• SQLite is a small database engine found in many gadgets and small websites
• Just drag and drop the MDB file onto the app’s window
• Supports MDB format only
• Available for £3.99 from https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/mdblite/id487704620?mt=12

ACCDB Explorer

• From the same company that makes MDB Explorer
• Similar functionality to MDB Explorer but supports ACCDB as well as MDB
• Reads attachments from 2007 format databases
• Reads calculated fields from Access 2010 format databases
• £19.99 from https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/accdb-explorer/id577722815?mt=12

Viewer for Access Database

• I have added this one following an email I received from the developer (Disclaimer: I am NOT making any money from this!)
• At this time the app supports to open, view and export accdb and mdb files.
• The developer will improve the app on user request in the next weeks/li>
• £2.99 from https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/access-database-viewer/id1241742780?mt=12

Editor for Access Database

The only Mac App which allow you edit MS Access Database on Mac directly. View, Edit and Create Microsoft Access database on your Mac with the App. You can view data easily with Filter, Sort, Paging, and export data or schema to other databases, also edit data directly with very customizable data control, create new databases and create new tables.

File Maker Pro

FileMaker is probably the best known database application for the Mac. It has a feature set comparable to Microsoft Access, but with a strong focus on forms (layouts) as the primary way of accessing databases. Similar to Access, FileMaker stores your database logic and all the data in a single file. It also has some support for scripting, and offers options for publishing databases on the web.

However, it's also necessary to note that FileMaker is very different from Access. There is a strict distinction between application logic and the underlying tables in Access. In FileMaker, logic and data are more closely linked. The underlying tables are more or less hidden from the user, and not as easily accessible via SQL as in Access.

Bento

Bento was the entry level database application from the makers of Filemaker. Unfortunately it has been discontinued in July 2013 and is no longer available for purchase.

Open Office / Libre Office

Open Office and Libre office include a database application that tries to mimic Microsoft Access. It is difficult to use and misses many important features, such as simple import/export tools.

SQLite (using Base)

SQLite is not a full database application like Access. There are no forms or reports in SQLite, there's only your data and a simple, fast SQL engine. SQLite is used by many applications under the hood as an internal format and therefore most interesting to application developers.

Free Alternative To Microsoft Access For Mac Free Download For Students

A command line utility for SQLite 3 is included with every Mac, aptly named sqlite3. Most people will however prefer working with a graphical application like the excellent Base from Menial (available on the Mac App Store). Base offers a simple interface for viewing tables (with support for images) and creating custom SQL queries.

Apple Numbers and Microsoft Excel

Numbers and Excel are spreadsheet applications and thus not a replacement for Microsoft Access. However, they have good support for working with tables. If your database consists of only few tables and no forms, these apps might just do the trick. You can at least sort and filter your tables.

It does not let me. This is driving me crazy.

Converting Access Databases to Apple Numbers with MDB Viewer
Converting Access Databases to Microsoft Excel with MDB Viewer

Best Alternative To Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access in Parallels / VMWare

Download Microsoft Access For Free Mac

If none of the above are suitable, you can always ressort to actually running Microsoft Access on your Mac using virtualisation software like Parallels Desktop or VMWare Fusion.