Baserow vs Grist
Both are free/open-source alternatives to Airtable. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
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
| Baserow | Grist | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 93 | 96 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | 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 |
Baserow is Macrostack's recommended Airtable alternative, so it's our pick here.
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
More Airtable head-to-heads
Facts verified 2026-07-07. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.