Stacks / Forms
Medium
Baserow + Appsmith
Airtable replacement: a real database with a spreadsheet UI, plus internal tools on top.
The problem
Airtable starts as a grid and ends as the company's undocumented source of truth — with a seat bill and an API budget. Internal tools then get rebuilt in yet another SaaS.
Replaces
Airtable
Estimated SaaS saved
$2,400
per year, small team, before lock-in
Deploy on RailwayPlaceholder: Baserow + Appsmith + Postgres. Medium complexity; second-wave template.
The stack
Cost table
| You stop paying | Typical / year | Self-host instead |
|---|---|---|
| Airtable Team | $2,400 | Baserow + Postgres |
| Retool / similar | $3,600 | Appsmith |
Agent setup prompt
Replace Airtable with Baserow and put Appsmith on top for internal tools. - Postgres behind Baserow. - Model the first base after the team's noisiest Airtable (CRM-lite, inventory, or content calendar). - Build one Appsmith screen: list, filter, edit. - Document CSV import from Airtable and who owns the schema.
Also as markdown: /stacks/baserow-appsmith.md
FAQ
- Can we stay on just Baserow?
- Yes. Appsmith is for the moment someone says "I need a custom form and a role." Don't add it on day one if the grid is enough.