2 Free & Open-Source Airtable Alternatives
Airtable's free plan caps the number of records per base, which growing teams hit faster than expected — and per-seat pricing on top of that adds up. Self-hosted alternatives remove the record cap; you trade Airtable's polish and third-party integration marketplace for infrastructure you run yourself.
The best Airtable alternatives
Baserow
Our top pickOpen sourceSelf-hostedAn open-source, no-code database with an Airtable-like grid.
Baserow's spreadsheet-style grid, field types, and view options (kanban, gallery, calendar) map closely onto what Airtable offers, making it the more direct like-for-like replacement of the two.
- Grid, kanban, gallery, and calendar views
- REST and webhook API for integrations
- Formula fields and row-level permissions
- Self-hosted or Baserow's own cloud plan
NocoDB
Open sourceSelf-hostedTurns an existing SQL database into an Airtable-style interface.
NocoDB's distinguishing feature is that it can sit on top of a database you already have (Postgres, MySQL) rather than owning the data itself — useful if you want an Airtable-like UI without migrating data into a new system.
- Works on top of existing SQL databases
- Grid, form, kanban, and gallery views
- Auto-generated REST API per table
- Self-hosted, no data migration required
Licensing and pricing models change over time — confirm current terms on each project's own site before making a procurement or compliance decision.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best free alternative to Airtable?
Baserow is the closer like-for-like match if you're starting fresh. NocoDB is the better pick if you already have data sitting in a SQL database and want an Airtable-style layer on top of it rather than a migration.
Do these tools have Airtable's automation features?
Both offer webhooks and API access that can drive automation through a tool like n8n or Zapier, though neither has Airtable's polished built-in automation builder out of the box.
Is there a row limit like Airtable's free plan?
No hard row cap on either when self-hosted — you're limited by your server's storage and performance rather than a plan tier.
More free alternatives
Not sure which way to go?
A free Growth Audit can help you weigh self-hosting against the tool you already pay for.