tad
Tad provides a desktop interface for viewing and analyzing tabular data files.
About tad
Tad is an open-source desktop application for viewing and analyzing tabular data. It opens CSV, Parquet, SQLite and DuckDB files and shows their full contents in a scrollable grid. Using a hierarchical pivot table, users specify pivot, filter, aggregate, sort, column selection, column ordering and basic column formatting operations, and Tad translates those operations into SQL queries executed by an in-memory DuckDB instance. Data is rendered with SlickGrid, which the project says allows linear scrolling through files with millions of rows. The application can be launched from the command line, for example with a file name as an argument.
The project is a modular refactor of the original 2017 application, organized as a Lerna-based monorepo written in TypeScript and React Hooks. Its reltab layer generates and evaluates SQL and includes drivers for DuckDB and SQLite, with additional backends for Snowflake, Google BigQuery and AWS Athena (Presto) described as varying in completeness. The core pivot table component builds independently of any front end, and a minimal web front end exists as a proof of concept. Installation is normally done from pre-packaged binary releases.
Key features
- Opens CSV, Parquet, SQLite and DuckDB files
- Hierarchical pivot table with pivot, filter, aggregate and sort
- Column selection, ordering and basic column formatting
- Generates SQL queries run by an in-memory DuckDB instance
- SlickGrid rendering supports linear scrolling of multi-million-row files
- Embeddable React pivot table component independent of any front end
Best for: Analysts and data scientists who want to explore local tabular data files without setting up a separate database.
Good for
- Open source, with the source code published on GitHub
- Scrollable grid aims to keep very large files workable
- Modular packages let the pivot table component be reused or embedded
Watch out for
- Several database backends are described as in varying degrees of completeness
- The web-based front end is only a minimal proof of concept
tad at a glance
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Text Editors
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Guides for Text Editors
tad alternatives
Tools and sites you could use instead, ranked by how closely they match.
Use qsv from the command line to inspect, transform, and work with CSV and other tabular data.
NimbleText provides text and data transformation tools with pattern, row, and column controls shown in its editor.
Manage a to-do list in dooit’s interactive terminal interface, with customizable display settings and Python configuration.
Open source
24 alternatives
Work with CSV data from the command line using xan, a CSV-focused toolkit.
Open source
24 alternativesTad views and analyzes CSV and Parquet files, SQLite databases, and DuckDB databases, including large files.
This local-first web office edits Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in the browser using WebAssembly.
Open source
24 alternativesPopular in Text Editors
Well-known listings from the same topic.
Google Docsgoogle.com/docs/aboutProton Docsproton.me/drive/docsVertex42vertex42.comNotepad++notepad-plus-plus.orgLibreOfficelibreoffice.orgdDocsdocs.fileverse.io
tad FAQ
What file formats can Tad open?
CSV, Parquet, and SQLite and DuckDB database files.
Does Tad need a separate database server?
Analytic operations are executed by an in-memory instance of DuckDB. The reltab layer also defines drivers for other back ends, including Snowflake, Google BigQuery and AWS Athena (Presto), which are in varying states of completeness.
Can the Tad pivot table be embedded in other applications?
The core pivot table component builds as its own module independent of any front end, which the project says should allow embedding it in other applications or contexts.
Is something wrong or out of date?
Tell us and an editor will check it.
Own this website?
Claim this listing
Claim the listing and suggest updates yourself. An editor checks every claim first.