Jam SQL Studio Kusto Explorer Alternative for Mac, Windows & Linux
Kusto.Explorer is Microsoft's free desktop tool for Azure Data Explorer — but it only runs on Windows, and the browser-based ADX web UI is tied to a single browser session. Jam SQL Studio is a cross-platform desktop alternative: run KQL against ADX clusters, Application Insights, and Azure Monitor / Log Analytics on Mac, Windows, and Linux — in the same app you already use for SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, and SQLite.
Free for personal use • No account required • Mac, Windows, Linux • Last updated July 2026
Kusto.Explorer, the ADX web UI, and where they fall short
Kusto.Explorer is a mature, feature-rich Windows desktop client for Azure Data Explorer. If your whole team is on Windows and lives in ADX all day, it is excellent. Two things make people look for an alternative: it is Windows-only (no macOS or Linux build), and it is an ADX-only tool — it does not touch your relational databases.
The Azure Data Explorer web UI at dataexplorer.azure.com solves the platform problem — it runs in any browser — but it is browser-bound: another tab, tied to one signed-in identity at a time, with no native desktop ergonomics and no way to sit next to your SQL Server or PostgreSQL work.
And with Azure Data Studio retired in February 2026, its Kusto extension is no longer a going-forward option either.
One more option appeared in July 2026: Microsoft released a Kusto Explorer extension for VS Code (v1.0, cross-platform) — KQL editing with IntelliSense, a database explorer, charts, and Copilot integration inside the code editor. If VS Code is your home it's worth a look. It is an editor extension rather than a standalone desktop app, though, and as of mid-July 2026 its documentation doesn't cover the App Insights / Log Analytics query proxies, Azure Data Studio connection import, or a read-only table browser — the workflows this page is about.
That still leaves a gap for people who want a standalone, cross-platform desktop app that treats Kusto as a first-class engine alongside everything else they query.
| render barchart query auto-opens the Chart tab.Jam SQL Studio vs Kusto.Explorer vs ADX Web UI
How the three stack up for day-to-day KQL work in 2026.
| Feature | Jam SQL Studio | Kusto.Explorer | ADX Web UI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on macOS & Linux | ✓ Desktop app | ✗ Windows only | Browser only |
| Standalone desktop app (not an editor extension) | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ In-browser |
| KQL IntelliSense (Microsoft language service) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| App Insights & Azure Monitor via query proxy | ✓ Paste URL or Browse Azure picker | ✓ Manual proxy URL (per Microsoft docs, July 2026) | ✓ |
Charts from | render | ✓ Auto | ✓ | ✓ |
| Read-only table browser (filter / sort / page) | ✓ | ✓ | Query only |
| Enum / JSON-path / loose-FK filter chips | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Query SQL Server, Postgres, MySQL, Oracle too | ✓ One app | ✗ ADX only | ✗ ADX only |
| AI agents via local MCP server | ✓ Built-in | ✗ | ✗ |
| Import saved connections from Azure Data Studio | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free | ✓ Personal tier | ✓ | ✓ |
Why teams pick Jam SQL Studio as their Kusto client
Cross-platform, multi-engine, and built for read-only analytics.
One app for Kusto and your SQL databases
Most teams that run Azure Data Explorer also run SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or MySQL. Instead of switching between Kusto.Explorer and a separate SQL client, query them all in one window — with the same tabs, the same charts, and the same object explorer. See the Kusto / KQL guide.
Native on Mac, Windows, and Linux
Apple Silicon and Intel Mac builds, Windows, and Linux (.deb / .rpm / AppImage). No Windows VM to run Kusto.Explorer, and no browser tab to keep alive.
Filter huge telemetry tables in seconds
Read-only doesn't mean slow to explore. Declare low-cardinality columns as enums for a value-picker chip, treat dynamic columns as JSON and filter by path, and add loose foreign keys to jump from an id to its related rows — no join to hand-write. The chips emit the KQL for you.
Let AI agents query your clusters safely
Jam SQL Studio ships a local MCP server, so Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or GitHub Copilot can run KQL and .show commands against your ADX connections under read-only policy control. See AI Integrations & MCP.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Kusto.Explorer for Mac?
Microsoft's Kusto.Explorer is a Windows-only desktop application, so it does not run on macOS. Jam SQL Studio is a cross-platform desktop alternative — it runs on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, and Linux, connects to Azure Data Explorer clusters (and App Insights / Log Analytics via their query proxies) with Microsoft Entra ID sign-in, and runs KQL with schema-aware IntelliSense and | render charts.
What is the difference between Kusto.Explorer and the Azure Data Explorer web UI?
Kusto.Explorer is a Windows desktop app; the Azure Data Explorer web UI (dataexplorer.azure.com) runs in a browser and works on any OS but is browser-bound and tied to one signed-in session. Jam SQL Studio is a third option: a standalone desktop app on Mac, Windows, and Linux that also lets you query your SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, and SQLite databases in the same window.
Can I query Application Insights and Azure Monitor with a Kusto.Explorer alternative?
Yes. Application Insights and Azure Monitor / Log Analytics expose an Azure Data Explorer query proxy, so Jam SQL Studio connects to them the same way it connects to an ADX cluster. Paste the proxy URL (or pick the resource with Browse Azure) and run KQL against your telemetry. See the Application Insights query tool page for details.
Is there a Kusto Explorer extension for VS Code?
Yes. In July 2026 Microsoft released the Kusto Explorer extension for Visual Studio Code (v1.0) — cross-platform KQL editing with IntelliSense, a database explorer, charts, and Copilot integration inside VS Code. Jam SQL Studio differs in being a standalone desktop app that treats Kusto as one engine among your SQL databases, with App Insights / Log Analytics query-proxy support, Azure Data Studio connection import, and a read-only Table Explorer with enum, JSON-path and loose-FK filter chips — capabilities the extension doesn't document as of mid-July 2026.
Can Jam SQL Studio edit or ingest data in Azure Data Explorer?
No. Azure Data Explorer is append-only, so Jam SQL Studio opens Kusto tables read-only: no row editing, and only queries and .show commands run — management commands like .create, .drop, and .ingest are not supported. This mirrors how ADX is meant to be used for analytics.
Download a cross-platform Kusto client
Run KQL against Azure Data Explorer, App Insights, and Azure Monitor on Mac, Windows, and Linux — free for personal use.