Happy Valley

Airtable vs NocoDB

Airtable and NocoDB are both databases & spreadsheets tools. Airtable is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while NocoDB is aimed at developers. NocoDB costs less, from $15/mo versus $24/mo for Airtable. Both have a free plan.

Airtable

Spreadsheet-database hybrid with apps

NocoDB

Turn any database into a smart spreadsheet

PricingFreemium · $24Freemium · $15
Starting price$24/mo$15/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forSmall businesses, EnterpriseDevelopers
Platformsweb, ios, androidweb
CountryUS · 2012SG · 2021
Rating——

Choose Airtable if

Operations, marketing and content teams that outgrew spreadsheets but do not want a developer-built system.

  • Approachable for spreadsheet users yet relational
  • Interfaces turn data into usable apps without code
  • Rich field types and views

Look elsewhere if: Very large datasets, budget-sensitive teams (Baserow, NocoDB, Grist), or engineering data that belongs in a real database.

Choose NocoDB if

Developers exposing SQL data to non-technical users.

  • Works on existing databases
  • Self-hostable
  • API generation

Look elsewhere if: Teams wanting polished UX (Airtable).

Airtable vs NocoDB pricing

Airtable

  • Free$01,000 records/base, 5 editors, 1 GB
  • Team$24/seat/mo$20 billed annually; 50,000 records/base, 20 GB
  • Business$54/seat/mo$45 billed annually; 125,000 records, SAML SSO
  • Enterprise ScaleCustom500,000 records, enterprise API

NocoDB

  • Free$0Up to 3 editors, 1,000 records, 1 GB storage
  • Plus$15/seat/mo$12 billed annually; pay for max 9 seats; 50K records
  • Business$30/seat/mo$24 billed annually; 300K records, SSO
  • Scale$54/seat/mo$45 billed annually; min 3 seats; 1M records
  • EnterpriseCustomSCIM, SSO, dedicated CSM

Airtable · Key features

  • Relational tables with 25+ field types, lookups and rollups
  • Grid, kanban, calendar, gallery, Gantt, timeline and form views
  • Interface Designer for dashboards and internal apps
  • Automations with triggers, scripts and AI steps
  • Sync between bases and external sources (Salesforce, Jira, Google Sheets)
  • REST API, webhooks and extensions marketplace

Cons

  • Record limits per base can block growth
  • Per-seat pricing is high for large teams of light users
  • Free plan shrank significantly

NocoDB · Key features

  • Spreadsheet UI over SQL
  • Views and forms
  • Auto-generated APIs
  • Permissions
  • Webhooks
  • Self-hosting

Cons

  • UI less polished
  • Feature gaps vs Airtable
  • Self-hosting maintenance

Airtable vs NocoDB: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Airtable or NocoDB?

NocoDB starts at $15/mo and Airtable at $24/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Airtable and NocoDB have a free plan?

Yes, both Airtable and NocoDB have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Which is better for small businesses, Airtable or NocoDB?

Airtable lists small businesses as a core audience, while NocoDB is aimed more at developers.

Not sure yet?