Baserow vs NocoDB

Baserow is an open-source no-code database and one of the most complete Airtable alternatives. It is developed by a company based in the Netherlands and offered both as a hosted cloud service with EU data storage and as a self-hosted application you can run with Docker on your own servers. The core of the product is MIT licensed.

Data lives in tables with typed fields, links between tables, lookups, formulas and rollups, and can be viewed as a grid, gallery, form, kanban or calendar. On top of the database Baserow adds an application builder for simple internal tools and portals, automations, an AI field that generates or classifies content from a prompt, row comments, and a REST API with webhooks. The free self-hosted edition has no artificial row limits; paid Premium and Advanced tiers, priced per user, unlock extra views, AI, admin controls, audit logs, SSO and role management.

Baserow suits teams that like the Airtable model but need data ownership, GDPR-friendly hosting or predictable costs at large row counts. It falls short on ecosystem: Airtable has far more integrations, templates and a more mature Interfaces layer, and its community is larger. NocoDB is the closest rival, source-available rather than open source since 2026, and sits on top of an existing SQL database, while Grist is stronger for spreadsheet-style formulas. For many European organizations Baserow is the easiest open-source option to adopt.

NocoDB is a platform that puts a spreadsheet-style interface on top of a relational database. Since January 2026 its code has been published under the Sustainable Use License, so it is source-available rather than OSI-approved open source. It can connect to an existing PostgreSQL or MySQL database, or use its own SQLite or Postgres storage, and turns tables into grids that non-technical colleagues can browse, filter, edit and share, while the data stays in a database that developers already own.

Views include grid, gallery, kanban, form and calendar, with filters, sorting, grouping and field types such as attachments, links between tables, lookups, rollups and formulas. Every table automatically gets REST APIs with a Swagger reference, plus webhooks and API tokens for automation. Role-based permissions control who can view or edit each base. You can self-host NocoDB with Docker for free or use NocoDB Cloud, which is priced per seat and adds hosted infrastructure and team features.

NocoDB fits developers who need a quick admin panel or internal tool over SQL data, and teams leaving Airtable because of cost, record limits or data ownership. The interface is less polished than Airtable, automations and integrations are thinner, and self-hosting means taking care of updates and backups. Baserow is the closest open-source rival, Airtable leads on user experience and ecosystem, and internal tool builders such as Retool or Appsmith fit better when you need custom logic rather than a spreadsheet.