Baserow vs Grist
Both are alternatives to Airtable. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Grist vs Baserow — same comparison, one verdict.
Baserow and Grist are closely matched on ownership (93 vs 96) — this one comes down to pricing and to which trade-offs below you can live with.
Baserow
TOP PICKMIT-core, self-hostable no-code database with the closest Airtable-style experience.
Baserow is an open-source no-code database and app builder that feels close to Airtable: grid, kanban, calendar, timeline, form, and gallery views over linked tables, plus a visual app/dashboard composer and built-in automations. Its core platform is MIT-licensed and self-hostable via Docker, and when you host it yourself there are no row or API caps. It follows an open-core model — some advanced features live in separate premium and enterprise tiers under their own commercial licenses — but the MIT core is fully sufficient for most self-hosting teams.
Grist
Apache-2.0 relational spreadsheet with Python formulas and portable, self-contained documents.
Grist (grist-core) is an open-source relational spreadsheet that combines a familiar spreadsheet UI with database structure: typed columns, linked references, and full Python formulas alongside standard functions. It is the most permissively licensed and lightest option here — grist-core is Apache-2.0, stores each document as a portable self-contained file (SQLite under the hood), works offline, and even offers a desktop app. It runs comfortably on modest hardware via Docker. Grist Labs sells a full edition with extra enterprise features, but grist-core itself is fully open and free to self-host.
Side by side
10 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Baserow | Grist | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 93 | 96 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT (core); premium/enterprise modules under separate commercial licenses | Apache-2.0 (grist-core) |
| Pricing | Free to self-host (MIT core); paid cloud and self-hosted premium/enterprise tiers available | Free / self-host (grist-core); optional managed cloud and paid full edition available |
| RAM to run it wellThe figure that actually matters, not the vendor's minimum. | 4 GB. Baserow staff advise starting at 4 GB, and say a basic setup grows to about 3 GB | 8 GB. That is Grist's 'known good configuration for a variety of moderate workloads'. Memory follows how many documents are open at once, because each open document is loaded fully into RAM |
| Realistic running costWhat the box costs each month if you run it yourself. | $12–24/mo for a 5-user instance on a 4 GB VPS. The all-in-one image already includes PostgreSQL, Redis and the Caddy proxy, so nothing else is required | $24–48/mo on an 8 GB VPS. Nothing else is required: documents are SQLite files and the home database defaults to SQLite. Add Redis if you want webhooks and notifications, and S3-compatible storage for automatic snapshots |
| Setup timeHonest first-install estimate, not the marketing quickstart. | 30 minutes with the all-in-one image, an afternoon with a domain, backups and an external database | 15 minutes for one user; an afternoon once you add team sign-in, HTTPS and the sandbox |
| Ongoing maintenanceThe part nobody budgets for. | A release every few weeks to pull, a nightly backup of the /baserow/data volume (Baserow advises running backup and restore while nobody is using the server), and the occasional major PostgreSQL jump on the embedded database. The 11 to 15 move needed a separate upgrade image. | About one release a month to pull, a backup of the /persist volume (documents, the home database and sessions), and a sign-in provider to keep working. Low effort once authentication is settled. |
Baserow is Macrostack's recommended Airtable alternative, so it's our pick here.
Weighing both against staying on Airtable? Is Airtable free? What it actually costs →
Baserow
Strengths
- +MIT-licensed core is OSI-approved and genuinely open
- +Self-hosted via Docker; your data and workflows stay on your own infrastructure
- +Closest Airtable-style experience here (grid, kanban, calendar, form views, linked tables, app builder)
- +No row, collaborator, or API limits when you self-host the core
- +Very active project with frequent releases and a growing plugin ecosystem
Trade-offs
- −Open-core: some advanced field types and enterprise features sit behind separate commercial licenses, not MIT
- −Self-hosting requires running and maintaining PostgreSQL, Redis, and the app containers
- −You are responsible for backups, updates, and SSL yourself
- −Smaller template and integration library than Airtable's
Grist
Strengths
- +grist-core is Apache-2.0, an OSI-approved permissive license
- +Documents are portable, self-contained files (SQLite) that you fully own and can back up or move
- +Works offline and runs on modest hardware; there is even a desktop app
- +Python formulas plus spreadsheet functions give powerful automation without external services
- +Granular access control down to cell level, with a REST API for export and integration
Trade-offs
- −More of a relational-spreadsheet model than a polished app builder; fewer turnkey app-building features than Baserow
- −Some enterprise features (e.g. certain storage backends, SSO options) are only in the paid full edition
- −You manage availability, backups, and upgrades yourself when self-hosting
- −Community momentum is steady rather than fast-moving
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Baserow
if mIT-licensed core is OSI-approved and genuinely open.
Choose Grist
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and grist-core is Apache-2.0, an OSI-approved permissive license.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — open-core: some advanced field types and enterprise features sit behind separate commercial licenses, not MIT, and more of a relational-spreadsheet model than a polished app builder; fewer turnkey app-building features than Baserow. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
What it takes to run these yourself
Real requirements and honest running costs, not the vendor quickstart.
Self-hosting Baserow
4 GB. Baserow staff advise starting at 4 GB, and say a basic setup grows to about 3 GB RAM · 30 minutes with the all-in-one image, an afternoon with a domain, backups and an external database
$12–24/mo for a 5-user instance on a 4 GB VPS. The all-in-one image already includes PostgreSQL, Redis and the Caddy proxy, so nothing else is required
Self-hosting Grist
8 GB. That is Grist's 'known good configuration for a variety of moderate workloads'. Memory follows how many documents are open at once, because each open document is loaded fully into RAM RAM · 15 minutes for one user; an afternoon once you add team sign-in, HTTPS and the sandbox
$24–48/mo on an 8 GB VPS. Nothing else is required: documents are SQLite files and the home database defaults to SQLite. Add Redis if you want webhooks and notifications, and S3-compatible storage for automatic snapshots
Baserow vs Grist — common questions
Is Baserow a better fit than Grist for no-code databases?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Grist scores 96 to Baserow's 93 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Baserow earns its place on a different axis — mIT-licensed core is OSI-approved and genuinely open. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Baserow keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Grist is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Baserow or Grist?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Baserow and Grist both alternatives to Airtable?
Yes — both appear in our Airtable comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Airtable and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
More Airtable head-to-heads
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Facts verified 2026-07-18. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.