Open-source alternative
Replace Smartsheet with Baserow + Appsmith
The best open-source alternative to Smartsheet is Baserow (or Appsmith) with ToolJet, self-hosted on Railway. Airtable replacement: a real database with a spreadsheet UI, plus internal tools on top — including a Smartsheet-shaped grid.
Estimated save $2,400 a year.
Open the stackStart on Railway
How Smartsheet compares
| Smartsheet | Baserow + Appsmith | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hosted subscription | Open-source or fair-code license; you pay the host |
| Hosting | Vendor cloud | Self-hosted on Railway or any VPS |
| Rough monthly cost | Public list price not verified this run | Hosting only — no SaaS seat meter in this repo |
FAQ
- Is it free?
- The Baserow + Appsmith licenses are open source or fair-code. You still pay hosting (Railway or any VPS) and any APIs the stack calls. There is no Smartsheet seat or task bill on this path.
- Can I migrate from Smartsheet?
- Yes. Start with the workflows or data you actually use, then cut over. The Baserow + Appsmith stack page has the agent prompt and the cost table; most teams rebuild the slice that matters and leave old Smartsheet links until they expire.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open the Baserow + Appsmith stack, copy the agent prompt, and deploy on Railway (one service, PORT, and a volume when the app needs disk). Placeholder: Baserow + Appsmith + Postgres. Medium complexity; second-wave template.
- What does this replace?
- Airtable / Retool / Smartsheet. The published small-team estimate on this stack is $2,400 a year.
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