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Airtable vs Baserow
Airtable vs Baserow
A side-by-side look at Airtable (the paid SaaS) and Baserow (the open source alternative). Use this page to decide if the switch fits your team and workflow.
| Airtable | Baserow | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Spreadsheet-database hybrid with rich field types and views. | Self-hosted open source Airtable alternative with workspaces. |
| License | Proprietary SaaS | MIT |
| Pricing | Free tier; Team from $20/user/month. | Free to self-host · optional paid hosted plan |
| Self-host option | No | Yes — difficulty 2/5 |
| Hosted cloud available | Yes (only option) | Yes |
| Desktop apps | Varies by product | Web only |
| Mobile apps | Official apps typically available | None official |
Ad slot — between tables
Best for
Clean Airtable-style UX with workspaces and plugins.
Baserow strengths
- Clean UI with fast filtering and views.
- Plugins and formulas supported.
- Good docker deploy story.
Baserow weaknesses
- Many premium features in "advanced" plugin.
- Automations are still maturing.
- Smaller formula library than Airtable.
What's the catch with Airtable?
- Price jumps put it out of reach for many teams.
- API and automation quotas are restrictive.
- Exporting large bases is cumbersome.
Still unsure?
Check the full list of alternatives to Airtable: see Airtable alternatives, or learn more about Baserow on its project page.
Recommended reading
When self-hosting goes wrong: seven failure modes and how to avoid them
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Will the open source project you depend on still exist in three years?
Bus factor, maintainer burnout, funding models, and the signals that separate OSS projects that survive from those that quietly decay.
From SaaS to self-hosted: a 30-day migration playbook
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