Compare / NocoDB vs Baserow
NocoDB vs Baserow
Pick Baserow if you want the published Airtable/Smartsheet grid (OSI path). Pick NocoDB only if you accept the Sustainable Use License — not OSI, internal or non-commercial as the 29 Jan 2026 text allows.
Facts checked 20 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
NocoDB in the catalog Baserow in the catalogStart on Railway
How they compare
| NocoDB | Baserow | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Sustainable Use License (catalog) — not OSI source | Open-source row already in the catalog (Baserow) source |
| Language | TypeScript (catalog) | Language not in the catalog row |
| GitHub activity | 65,300 stars in the catalog source | Stars not in the catalog row source |
| Self-host | Spreadsheet UI over SQL. SUL limits commercial hosting. | Published as /stacks/baserow-appsmith. Postgres behind the grid. |
| Best for | A source-available grid if you accept SUL. | The published Airtable-shaped OSS grid. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Baserow is on /stacks/baserow-appsmith. NocoDB is nocodb/nocodb. Teable is the AGPL-3.0 grid — /compare/teable-vs-nocodb. Grist is the spreadsheet path — /replace/google-sheets. Do not call NocoDB the OSS path.
FAQ
- Why is NocoDB not the default?
- Useful, and not OSI. Sustainable Use License is not an OSI license. Baserow is the published stack.
- Teable?
- AGPL-3.0 core apps — /compare/teable-vs-nocodb.
- Are these free?
- Baserow is the open-source grid on the stack. NocoDB is SUL. You pay hosting.
- How do I deploy Baserow?
- Open /stacks/baserow-appsmith. Persist Postgres. Import one CSV.
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