# Open Source Alternative to Airtable

Open source alternatives · Productivity

Airtable charges US$20 per user monthly. NocoDB, Baserow, and Grist are open-source smart databases, free.

**What the paid app costs:** US$20/user/mo

## Why switch?

Smart tables, forms, and views are a commodity now. These three cover Airtable's core, run on your own server with unlimited rows and users, and export cleanly if you ever leave.

## Compare the alternatives

AlternativeLicensePlatformsBest for[NocoDB](https://nocodb.com/)AGPL-3.0Web, self-hostableThe open-source Airtable[Baserow](https://baserow.io/)MITWeb, self-hostableFor the friendliest Airtable clone[Grist](https://www.getgrist.com/)Apache-2.0Web, self-hostableFor spreadsheet power users

### [NocoDB](https://nocodb.com/)

Free forever AGPL-3.0 · Web, self-hostable

- Turns any database into smart tables
- Grid, kanban, calendar views
- Self-host in minutes

**The open-source Airtable**

[Official site →](https://nocodb.com/)

### [Baserow](https://baserow.io/)

Free forever MIT · Web, self-hostable

- No-code database tables
- Real-time collaboration
- API for every table

**For the friendliest Airtable clone**

[Official site →](https://baserow.io/)

### [Grist](https://www.getgrist.com/)

Free forever Apache-2.0 · Web, self-hostable

- Spreadsheet + database hybrid
- Python formulas
- Access rules per user

**For spreadsheet power users**

[Official site →](https://www.getgrist.com/)

## Which one should you pick?

- **NocoDB:** The open-source Airtable
- **Baserow:** For the friendliest Airtable clone
- **Grist:** For spreadsheet power users

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is closest to Airtable?

NocoDB mirrors Airtable's interface most directly; Baserow is the most polished; Grist is best for spreadsheet-style formulas.

### Can I migrate my Airtable bases?

Yes, all three import CSV, and NocoDB and Baserow have Airtable-specific migration guides.

### Are there row limits?

Self-hosted, your only limit is your server. No per-row pricing games.

## More open source alternatives

- [Notion](/open-source-alternative-to-notion/)
- [Evernote](/open-source-alternative-to-evernote/)
- [Todoist](/open-source-alternative-to-todoist/)
- [Trello](/open-source-alternative-to-trello/)
- [Asana](/open-source-alternative-to-asana/)
- [Slack](/open-source-alternative-to-slack/)

[← All open source alternatives](/open-source-alternatives/)