Baserow vs NocoDB
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.
NocoDB
Turns an existing SQL database into a smart no-code interface; now source-available, not OSI open-source.
NocoDB puts an Airtable-style no-code interface (grid, kanban, gallery, calendar, forms) on top of a database you already run — MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and more — which gives it excellent data ownership, since your records stay in your own standard SQL database. It is free to self-host via Docker for internal use. Important licensing note: as of January 2026 NocoDB moved from AGPL-3.0 to the Sustainable Use License (SUL), a source-available "fair-code" license — many secondary sites still list the old AGPL label. Self-hosting for your own internal or personal use remains free; offering NocoDB itself as a hosted or managed service to others requires a commercial license.
Side by side
| Baserow | NocoDB | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 93 | 78 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT (core); premium/enterprise modules under separate commercial licenses | Sustainable Use License v1.0 (source-available, fair-code; not OSI-approved) — changed from AGPL-3.0 in Jan 2026 |
| Pricing | Free to self-host (MIT core); paid cloud and self-hosted premium/enterprise tiers available | Free to self-host for internal/personal use; commercial license required to offer it as a managed service; paid cloud 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
NocoDB
Strengths
- +Sits on top of your own MySQL/PostgreSQL/SQLite database, so your data stays in a standard SQL store you control
- +Free to self-host for internal and personal use, with full source access
- +Familiar no-code views (grid, kanban, gallery, calendar, forms) plus an automatic REST API
- +Extremely active project with a very large community and frequent releases
Trade-offs
- −License is source-available (Sustainable Use License), not OSI-approved open-source, and restricts offering NocoDB itself as a paid/managed service
- −The Jan 2026 relicense from AGPL-3.0 means older "AGPL" references you may find are out of date
- −Self-hosting means running and maintaining the app and its backing database
- −As an interface layer, it depends on a separate SQL database you provision and manage
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.