Best Airtable alternatives in 2026
The best Airtable alternatives in 2026 are Grist, Smartsheet, Google Sheets. Grist is the strongest free option. Google Sheets costs less, from $8.40/mo versus $24/mo for Airtable.
Why people look for Airtable alternatives
Airtable is used by operations, marketing and content teams that outgrew spreadsheets, and it is known for turning tables into lightweight apps without developers. Paid plans start at $24 per seat a month, which gets expensive for large teams where many people only view or edit occasionally, and the free plan has shrunk to the point where it rarely fits real work.
Growing bases also hit per-base record limits, and large bases with many lookups slow down. When choosing a replacement, weigh row limits and speed at your data size, seat cost for light users, whether you need self-hosting or EU hosting, and how cleanly tables, links and attachments export.
- Record limits per base can block growth
- Per-seat pricing is high for large teams of light users
- Free plan shrank significantly
- Performance slows on large bases with many lookups
- Airtable starts at $24/mo (Freemium).
Best Airtable alternative by need
| # | Tool | Pricing | Starts at | Best for | Platforms | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grist Relational spreadsheet with Python formulas | Open source | $10/mo | Developers, Small businesses | web | 0 |
| 2 | Smartsheet Spreadsheet-style work management for enterprises | Paid | $12/mo | Enterprise, Small businesses | web, ios, android | 0 |
| 3 | Google Sheets Free cloud spreadsheet with real-time collaboration and Gemini AI | Freemium | $8/mo | Small businesses, Freelancers, Enterprise | web, ios, android | 0 |
| 4 | Baserow Open-source Airtable alternative | Open source | $12/mo | Developers, Small businesses | web | 0 |
| 5 | Microsoft Excel The standard spreadsheet for analysis, modeling and reporting | Freemium | $10/mo | Small businesses, Enterprise, Freelancers | web, macos, windows, ios, android | 0 |
| 6 | NocoDB Turn any database into a smart spreadsheet | Freemium | $15/mo | Developers | web | 0 |
| 7 | Quadratic AI spreadsheet with Python, SQL and JavaScript in the cells | Freemium | $20/mo | Developers, Small businesses, Enterprise | web | 0 |
| 8 | Teable Postgres-backed Airtable alternative | Open source | $13/mo | Developers | web | 0 |
| 9 | Retable Collaborative spreadsheet-database from Turkey | Freemium | $12/mo | Small businesses | web | 0 |
| 10 | SeaTable EU-hosted spreadsheet database and no-code app builder, self-hostable | Freemium | — | Small businesses, Enterprise, Developers | web, linux | 0 |
10 Airtable alternatives compared
- 1
Grist
Relational spreadsheet with Python formulas
Why pick it over Airtable: Grist starts at $10 a month, well under Airtable's $24, and is open source, so you can self-host it. Formulas are written in Python, which suits power users who want spreadsheet logic on top of real relational data.
- 2
Smartsheet
Spreadsheet-style work management for enterprises
Why pick it over Airtable: Smartsheet starts at $12 a month and is built for project and portfolio work at enterprise scale, with Gantt-style planning and governance. Pick it over Airtable when your base is really a project plan run by a PMO.
- 3
Google Sheets
Free cloud spreadsheet with real-time collaboration and Gemini AI
Why pick it over Airtable: Google Sheets is free for personal use and part of Google Workspace from $8.40 a month, with real-time collaboration everyone already knows. If your base is mostly flat lists, it covers the job without a separate Airtable seat for every editor.
- 4
Baserow
Open-source Airtable alternative
Why pick it over Airtable: Baserow is an open-source, Airtable-style database you can self-host, with hosted plans from $12 a month, half of Airtable's entry price. It suits teams that want a familiar grid interface but control over where the data lives.
- 5
Microsoft Excel
The standard spreadsheet for analysis, modeling and reporting
Why pick it over Airtable: Excel starts at $9.99 a month and remains the standard file format for finance and analysis, with deeper formulas, pivot tables and modeling than Airtable. Pick it when the work is numbers and reporting rather than shared records.
- 6
NocoDB
Turn any database into a smart spreadsheet
Why pick it over Airtable: NocoDB puts a spreadsheet interface on top of an existing SQL database instead of storing data in its own silo. Developers use it to give non-technical colleagues Airtable-like views of data they already run, with paid plans from $15 a month.
- 7
Quadratic
AI spreadsheet with Python, SQL and JavaScript in the cells
Why pick it over Airtable: Quadratic lets you write Python, SQL and JavaScript directly in cells and connect to databases, starting at $20 a month. It fits analysts who chose Airtable for structure but really need computation and queries.
- 8
Teable
Postgres-backed Airtable alternative
Why pick it over Airtable: Teable is open source and runs on Postgres, so the data sits in a standard database you can query directly. Teams hitting Airtable's per-base record limits look at it, and hosted plans start at $13 a month.
- 9
Retable
Collaborative spreadsheet-database from Turkey
Why pick it over Airtable: Retable is a spreadsheet-database built by a team from Turkey, with a free plan and paid plans from $12 a month, half of Airtable's entry price. It suits small teams that need Airtable's basics without paying for features they will not use.
- 10
SeaTable
EU-hosted spreadsheet database and no-code app builder, self-hostable
Why pick it over Airtable: SeaTable is developed in Germany and offers EU hosting or a self-hosted server. European teams that need their data to stay in the EU or on their own infrastructure get an Airtable-style database that meets that requirement directly.
Airtable alternatives: FAQ
What is the best alternative to Airtable?
Based on features, audience and market presence, the strongest Airtable alternatives are Grist, Smartsheet, Google Sheets. Grist is the closest match for most teams.
Is there a free alternative to Airtable?
Yes. Grist can be used for free. Other free or freemium alternatives to Airtable include Google Sheets, Baserow, Microsoft Excel.
What is cheaper than Airtable?
Google Sheets starts at $8.40/mo, while Airtable starts at $24/mo. Prices are checked on each vendor's own pricing page.
Is there an open-source alternative to Airtable?
Yes. Grist is open source, so you can self-host it or inspect the code.