Best Airtable Alternatives in 2026: Open-Source, Self-Hosted and Hosted Database Tools

The best Airtable alternatives depend on what you want to own. NocoDB and Baserow are open-source no-code databases that you can self-host, Teable and Grist put a spreadsheet-style interface over PostgreSQL or typed columns, and Smartsheet and monday.com are hosted options for when the real job is managing work rather than storing records.

Airtable is a hosted platform that started as a spreadsheet-like database and now adds interfaces, automations and AI agents. This guide covers twelve Airtable alternatives: open-source databases first, then spreadsheet-style hybrids, then hosted work-management and workspace tools. The table shows live licence, hosting, pricing and GitHub data for the main picks.

Why people look for Airtable alternatives

Airtable keeps data in relational bases whose records, fields and views connect information across workflows, with interfaces, automations and portals for guests. Reasons teams look elsewhere include:

• Seats are billed per editor. Airtable's pricing page says you are charged for every user with edit permission on at least one base in the workspace, while read-only collaborators, form submissions and share links are free. Paid Team and Business plans are priced per user, so cost grows as more people edit.
• Plans carry record and attachment limits. The pricing page says that when you reach a plan's record or attachment limit you can keep using your bases and your data is never removed. The caps still decide which plan a growing base needs.
• There is no self-hosted version. Enlisted lists Airtable as closed source and hosted only, so your data sits in Airtable's storage.
• You may want a database you can query. Some alternatives put a spreadsheet interface on PostgreSQL or SQLite, which means other tools and scripts can reach the same data.
• The job may be something else. If you mostly track projects, a work-management product can fit better than a general database builder.

How we picked

A tool made this list if it does Airtable's core job: structured records with views, forms or automations that non-developers can use. Open-source projects needed a clear licence, recent GitHub activity and a self-hosting route, and Enlisted notes the licence as listed. Hosted products are included for their published pricing model and how they count users. Descriptions are based on catalogue data and vendor documentation, not on running each product. See how Enlisted ranks tools.

Which kind of Airtable alternative do you need?

The alternatives fall into three groups, and choosing the group first saves time:

• Open-source databases with a spreadsheet interface: NocoDB, Baserow, Teable, AITable and Mathesar. You can host them yourself, and several sit on a real SQL database.
• Spreadsheet-database hybrids: Grist and Stackby keep the grid and formulas familiar while adding typed columns, linked tables and views. Google Sheets is the plain-spreadsheet end of this group.
• Hosted work-management and workspace tools: Smartsheet, monday.com, SmartSuite and Notion. They suit teams who track work and projects more than they model data.

One more question separates the open-source tools: does the product own your data, or sit on top of a database you control? NocoDB works with PostgreSQL and SQLite, Teable stores data in real PostgreSQL, and Mathesar works directly on existing PostgreSQL databases, schemas and tables. That matters if you want reporting tools or scripts to read the same tables.

1. NocoDB: best for putting a spreadsheet interface on a SQL database

NocoDB is a self-hostable no-code database platform that puts a spreadsheet-style interface and auto-generated APIs on top of SQL databases, and presents itself as a free Airtable alternative. Where Airtable keeps data in its own hosted storage, NocoDB can sit on a database you run, so people who do not write SQL can create tables, add records and build views while developers keep a real database underneath.

It generates REST APIs with Swagger documentation and works with PostgreSQL and SQLite. Installation is by Docker with SQLite or PostgreSQL, or by an auto-upstall script that sets up PostgreSQL, Redis and a Traefik gateway with SSL through Docker Compose. Its prebuilt binaries are meant for quick local testing only. Enlisted lists the licence as Other, and the README points to the Sustainable Use License, so read it before you embed or resell NocoDB. A cloud plan is available, with a free tier limited by users.

• Best for: teams that want a spreadsheet front end on PostgreSQL or SQLite data they already control.
• Watch out for: the licence is not a standard open-source one, and for production you should use the Docker or Compose install instead of the test binaries.

2. Baserow: best open-source no-code database with a hosted option

Baserow is an open-source no-code platform that combines a spreadsheet-style database with automations, app building, dashboards and AI agents. It is tagged as an Airtable alternative in its repository, and it is the closest match here for teams that want a similar all-in-one experience with a self-hosting escape route.

The backend is written in Python and stores data in PostgreSQL, with an API-first design and a REST API. An AI Assistant can create databases and workflows from plain-language instructions, and the README states the cloud service meets GDPR, HIPAA and SOC 2 Type II compliance requirements. The README describes the project as open-core, with non-premium and non-enterprise features under the MIT licence, which Enlisted lists as Other. The free cloud plan is limited by rows per workspace, and paid plans are priced per user.

• Best for: teams that want an Airtable-style workspace they can self-host or use as a hosted service.
• Watch out for: it is open-core, so premium and enterprise features sit outside the MIT licence, and row limits apply on the free cloud plan.

3. Teable: best AI-assisted spreadsheet on real PostgreSQL

Teable is a spreadsheet-style AI workspace backed by real PostgreSQL, where data, automated AI workflows and custom apps live together, hosted in the cloud or self-hosted. It behaves like a simple spreadsheet on the surface, and the difference from Airtable is that the data sits in a PostgreSQL database you can inspect.

It includes an AI chat, agents that work on live data, an App Builder and a deployment platform for the apps your team builds. The README says the Community Edition is free to self-host under AGPL-3.0, with its packages under MIT, and that paid plans unlock AI features and advanced enterprise capabilities through a licence key. Enlisted lists the licence as Other. There is a free cloud plan for individuals, and paid plans are priced per seat.

• Best for: teams that want AI workflows on top of a spreadsheet interface and a PostgreSQL database they can reach directly.
• Watch out for: AI features and some enterprise capabilities need a paid licence even when you self-host.

4. Grist: best relational spreadsheet with real formulas

Grist is a relational spreadsheet that mixes spreadsheet flexibility with database structure, available as a self-hosted server or a hosted service. Columns behave as they do in a database, with a name and a type, while you still write formulas and work in a familiar grid.

The grist-core repository is the Community edition you can run as a server, licensed under Apache-2.0. Sibling projects include grist-desktop for editing spreadsheets stored locally and grist-static, an in-browser build that shows spreadsheets on a website with no back end. There is a free hosted plan for small documents, paid plans per user and a trial. The project keeps a list of features that are not in grist-core, so check it before choosing the self-hosted route.

• Best for: people who think in formulas and want a spreadsheet that enforces column types and links tables.
• Watch out for: the self-hosted Community edition does not include every feature of the paid editions.

5. Mathesar: best spreadsheet-like view of PostgreSQL you already run

Mathesar is a self-hosted web app that gives PostgreSQL databases a spreadsheet-like interface for viewing, editing, querying and collaborating on data without code. It works directly with existing databases, schemas and tables rather than adding its own layer, which separates it from Airtable-style products that own the data.

You can link tables, view a record alongside its related records, build and fill in forms and save queries as Explorations. Access control uses native PostgreSQL roles and privileges, so permissions are managed in the database, and your data stays on your servers. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, and Mathesar Cloud is offered as a hosted option.

• Best for: teams with a PostgreSQL database that want non-technical colleagues to view and edit it safely.
• Watch out for: it centres on PostgreSQL data entry and queries, and its description lists no app builder or automation features comparable to Airtable's.

6. AITable: best open-source option built around APIs

AITable, the project behind APITable, is an open-source low-code platform centred on APIs, with a collaborative visual database and spreadsheet interface. It is presented as an alternative to Airtable, with a cloud-hosted AI version at aitable.ai as the quickest way to try it and a one-click self-hosted deployment.

Features include realtime collaboration using operational transformation, automatic forms, unlimited cross-table links, row and column permissions and embedding of tables elsewhere. It is licensed under AGPL-3.0.

• Best for: teams that want an Airtable-like workspace with permissions at row and column level.
• Watch out for: AGPL-3.0 has obligations if you modify and offer it as a service, and Enlisted lists no pricing for the hosted version, so confirm terms on the vendor's site.

7. Stackby: best hosted lookalike with imports from Airtable

Stackby is a hosted no-code spreadsheet-database hybrid with API connectors, automations, AI fields and agents. Tables look like spreadsheets and behave like databases, with views, forms, reports and page designs on top. It is the nearest hosted equivalent to Airtable's model.

The vendor says data can be imported from CSV, Excel, JSON and XML files or from tools including Airtable, Trello, Asana, ClickUp and Smartsheet. It has a free plan with an editor limit and paid plans priced per seat, and it is proprietary and vendor-hosted.

• Best for: teams that want a similar experience at a lower seat cost and do not need to self-host.
• Watch out for: per-seat pricing remains, and there is no self-hosted or open-source version.

8. Smartsheet: best for project and portfolio work in a grid

Smartsheet is a work management platform that presents tasks and data in a spreadsheet-like grid, with Gantt, Kanban and dashboard views, forms, automations and AI features. It is built for project and portfolio management rather than free-form data modelling, so it fits teams whose records are mostly tasks, requests and milestones.

Pro and Business plans are priced per member and can be tried free, Enterprise and Advanced Work Management are custom, and contributors are free on every plan. It is proprietary and hosted only.

• Best for: project management offices and operations teams that track work across many projects.
• Watch out for: it is less suited to modelling relational business data than a database tool, and it has no self-hosted option.

9. monday.com: best for boards, automations and cross-team work

monday.com is a hosted work management platform built around customizable boards, with dashboards, automations, forms, docs and an AI assistant. Teams use it for projects, campaigns, IT tickets, hiring and sales pipelines, and separate products build on it, such as monday CRM and monday dev.

It has a free plan limited to a small number of seats, with paid plans priced per seat and billed monthly or annually. It is closed source and hosted only.

• Best for: cross-department teams who want visual boards and automations without modelling a database.
• Watch out for: it is a work platform first, so complex linked data takes more effort than in a database-first tool, and costs follow seat counts.

10. SmartSuite: best for database-style tables with project tracking

SmartSuite is a cloud work management platform built on customizable tables that behave like a database, with records, fields, views, automation and reporting. The vendor now also emphasizes governance, risk and compliance workflows, alongside IT service delivery and project and portfolio tracking.

It is priced per editing seat after a free trial, read-only users are free, and Enterprise is custom. It is proprietary and vendor-hosted.

• Best for: teams that want Airtable-style tables with project tracking, and possibly compliance workflows, in one hosted tool.
• Watch out for: there is no free plan listed, only a trial, and editors are billed per seat.

11. Notion: best when your data lives next to documents

Notion is an AI-enabled workspace for notes, docs, wikis and projects, and its databases are a way to track structured information inside that workspace. Notion's help center describes a database as a collection of pages that you can customize with properties and show as a table, list, board, calendar or gallery.

That works well for content calendars, task trackers and lightweight CRMs that sit alongside the documents they refer to. There is a free plan for individuals, paid plans are priced per member, and it is closed source and hosted only. The Notion alternatives guide covers the workspace side in more depth.

• Best for: small teams that want tables, boards and docs in one place.
• Watch out for: it is a document workspace first, so heavy relational data and large datasets are a weaker fit than in a dedicated database tool.

12. Google Sheets: best free option for simple tables

Google Sheets is Google's collaborative spreadsheet app, with formulas, charts, pivot tables and Gemini AI help, available in the browser and on mobile. Google Workspace plans cover business use, and anyone with a personal Google account can use it at no cost.

It does not enforce column types or link records the way a relational database does, so it works best for trackers and shared lists. It connects to Forms and AppSheet, which can turn sheet data into simple apps.

• Best for: simple trackers and shared lists where cost matters most.
• Watch out for: it is a spreadsheet, not a relational database, so structure and permissions depend on how carefully you set up the sheet.

Other options worth a look

• SeaTable: a no-code spreadsheet-database platform that describes itself as flexible as Excel with the power of a database, and offers a cloud hosted in German data centers or a version you run on your own server. It is not in Enlisted's catalogue yet, so check its own site for details.
• App-building platforms: Quickbase builds applications on a relational data model, Knack builds portals and custom CRMs and lists flat plans with unlimited users, and Ninox adds a built-in scripting language.
• Self-hosted spreadsheet-database hybrids: Totum is a self-hosted database and spreadsheet hybrid with a simple scripting syntax, and its free version is MIT licensed.
• Docs with tables: Coda combines text, tables with database-like views, automations and integrations in one doc.
• Other hosted databases: Kintone and Ragic are no-code database builders with forms and workflows.

Which Airtable alternative should you choose?

More Airtable alternatives are listed on Enlisted, and the database tools category has the rest.

How to compare seat costs and record limits

Seat rules differ more than headline prices do, so check who counts as a paid user before you compare plans. Airtable bills users with edit permission and leaves read-only collaborators free. Smartsheet makes contributors free, SmartSuite makes read-only users free, Knack lists flat plans with unlimited users and self-hosted tools charge no per-seat licence at all. Next, find how the plan limits records: Baserow's free cloud plan is limited by rows per workspace, NocoDB's free cloud plan by users, and a self-hosted install is bounded by your own database and server instead.

Before you commit, export one real base, import it into your shortlist and check that linked records, formulas and attachments arrive intact. Self-hosting trades the seat meter for server upkeep, so only pick that route if someone owns upgrades and backups. Teams that also use a CRM or project tool can read the free project management software guide to see whether a separate database tool is needed at all.