Baserow versus NocoDB versus Airtable
Baserow provides a full no-code stack with real-time collaboration, while NocoDB serves as a spreadsheet interface for existing SQL databases. Self-hosting Baserow or NocoDB offers significant savings compared to Airtable's $5,400 annual cost for a 10-person team.
Airtable costs $5,400 annually for a 10-person team on the Business plan and caps each base at 125,000 records. Both NocoDB and Baserow remove per-seat pricing when you self-host them. NocoDB acts as a database UI layer that connects to existing MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MSSQL, or SQLite databases. Baserow functions as a complete no-code platform that manages its own PostgreSQL database.
NocoDB wins for existing database access
NocoDB provides a spreadsheet interface for your existing SQL databases in minutes without data migration. It runs on minimal resources like 1 vCPU and 2 GB of RAM. You can deploy it on an Elestio VM for approximately $16 per month. The platform supports Kanban, Calendar, and Timeline views. It also allows you to create comments on individual records.
NocoDB uses the "Sustainable Use License," which is a source-available license rather than a traditional open-source one. You can self-host it for internal use, but you must buy a commercial license to offer it as a managed service to third parties. This tool lacks an application builder and does not include native automations or dashboards. Users must use external tools like n8n or Zapier for automation workflows. In NocoDB, you must refresh the page to see changes made by colleagues because it lacks real-time collaboration.
| Feature | NocoDB | Baserow |
|---|---|---|
| License | Sustainable Use License | MIT |
| Min. RAM | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Real-time collaboration | No | Yes |
| Application builder | No | Yes |
| Automations | Webhooks only | Yes |
Baserow scales as a full no-code platform
Baserow offers a complete stack including an application builder, automation engine, and real-time collaboration. The built-in Application Builder lets you create customer portals and dashboards directly on your data. Its Automation Builder handles triggers, conditional logic, and AI-powered steps natively. Baserow uses the MIT license, which remains true open-source with no restrictions on commercial use.
The platform scales with your infrastructure and provides GDPR-ready data handling when self-hosted. It includes more than 50 pre-built templates and supports features like undo/redo and a 3-day data retention period in the trash. You can build internal tools using its API-first architecture. However, Baserow requires more hardware, specifically 2 vCPU and 4 GB of RAM, to run its Django, PostgreSQL, and Redis stack. If you migrate 9,000 rows via the API, you might experience slow row creation speeds.
| Expense (10 users) | Airtable (Business) | NocoDB (Elestio) | Baserow (Elestio) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $450 | ~$16 | ~$29 |
| Annual Cost | $5,400 | ~$192 | ~$348 |
| Record Limit | 125,000 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Baserow serves teams that need to build apps and automate tasks within a single workspace. It provides a lower cost than Airtable by a factor of 15 to 28 times when you host it yourself. Do you need the simplicity of a database viewer or the power of a full application builder? Choose NocoDB if you want to give non-technical teammates access to a production MySQL database. Choose Baserow if you require real-time collaboration and built-in automations.
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