Baserow vs Teable
Both are alternatives to Airtable. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Teable vs Baserow — same comparison, one verdict.
Baserow and Teable are closely matched on ownership (93 vs 91) — 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.
Teable
AGPL-3.0 no-code interface built directly on PostgreSQL, designed to scale to millions of rows.
Teable is a no-code database that puts a fast, spreadsheet-like Airtable-style interface directly on top of PostgreSQL. Because your data lives in a real Postgres database you control, it handles large tables well and stays queryable with standard SQL tools. The Community Edition is AGPL-3.0 and free to self-host via Docker. A separate Enterprise Edition adds features such as AI, an authority matrix, automation, and advanced admin under a commercial license, so confirm the CE covers what you need before deploying.
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 | Teable | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 93 | 91 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT (core); premium/enterprise modules under separate commercial licenses | AGPL-3.0 (Community Edition); Enterprise Edition under a separate commercial license |
| Pricing | Free to self-host (MIT core); paid cloud and self-hosted premium/enterprise tiers available | Free to self-host (Community Edition); paid cloud and Enterprise Edition tiers 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 | 4 GB. That is the vendor's stated minimum for the app, PostgreSQL and Redis together, and Teable publishes no higher recommended figure. Treat it as the floor and watch memory once tables grow large |
| 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 | $12–24/mo for a 5-user instance on a 4 GB VPS. PostgreSQL and Redis run in the same compose file; S3 or MinIO is needed only if you move attachments off the disk |
| 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 | 30 minutes with the standalone compose file; half a day with a domain, HTTPS and object storage |
| 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. | Teable ships several releases a week under the latest tag, so pin a dated release tag and upgrade on purpose, with a PostgreSQL dump before each jump. Budget an hour a month. |
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
Teable
Strengths
- +Community Edition is AGPL-3.0, a strong copyleft OSI-approved license
- +Data lives in standard PostgreSQL you control, so it stays accessible with normal SQL tooling
- +Built to handle large datasets (millions of rows) without hard row caps when self-hosted
- +Very active project with frequent releases and rapid feature development
Trade-offs
- −Several higher-end features (AI, automation, authority matrix, advanced admin) are Enterprise-only under a commercial license
- −Self-hosting requires running and maintaining PostgreSQL and the app stack
- −Younger project than Grist, so some areas are still maturing
- −AGPL-3.0 copyleft terms may need legal review for certain redistribution scenarios
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Baserow
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and mIT-licensed core is OSI-approved and genuinely open.
Choose Teable
if community Edition is AGPL-3.0, a strong copyleft OSI-approved 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 several higher-end features (AI, automation, authority matrix, advanced admin) are Enterprise-only under a commercial license. 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 Teable
4 GB. That is the vendor's stated minimum for the app, PostgreSQL and Redis together, and Teable publishes no higher recommended figure. Treat it as the floor and watch memory once tables grow large RAM · 30 minutes with the standalone compose file; half a day with a domain, HTTPS and object storage
$12–24/mo for a 5-user instance on a 4 GB VPS. PostgreSQL and Redis run in the same compose file; S3 or MinIO is needed only if you move attachments off the disk
Baserow vs Teable — common questions
Is Baserow a better fit than Teable for no-code databases?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Baserow scores 93 to Teable's 91 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Teable earns its place on a different axis — community Edition is AGPL-3.0, a strong copyleft OSI-approved license. 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. Teable 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 Teable?
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 Teable 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.