Baserow vs Retable

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.

Retable is an online spreadsheet-database developed by a company in Istanbul and offered internationally as an affordable Airtable alternative. It looks and feels like a spreadsheet, but each column has a field type, such as text, number, date, single select, attachment, checkbox or a link to another table, so simple lists become structured databases that a team can share.

The same data can be viewed as a grid, kanban board, calendar or form, and forms collect records directly into a table from customers or colleagues. Teams can comment, assign rows, set permissions, start from templates for CRM, inventory, project tracking and content calendars, and automate repetitive steps with built-in automations, the API or integration platforms. A free plan covers basic use for up to 3 collaborators, and Team is priced per user per month with more records, automations and features.

Retable fits small teams, freelancers and startups that want a simple, low-cost tool for trackers, light CRMs and project lists without the complexity or price of Airtable. Its ecosystem, integrations and advanced features such as custom interfaces and complex automations are smaller than the market leaders, and it is less known, so there are fewer tutorials and community resources. Airtable is the most powerful but expensive option, Baserow is open source and NocoDB source-available, both self-hostable, and Google Sheets is enough when you only need a shared spreadsheet.