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NocoDB vs Baserow
Short answer: NocoDB and Baserow are both self-hostable alternatives to Airtable. Pick NocoDB if community size is your main criterion – it has 11× the stars. Pick Baserow if license terms matter to you (for example, you plan to modify it or offer it to others): MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) is permissive, while NocoDB's Sustainable Use License (fair-code) is not OSI open source. If you will customize the code, choose the stack your team knows (NocoDB: TypeScript, Baserow: Python).
NocoDB has 11× the GitHub stars of Baserow (65.3k vs 6.2k). Stars measure popularity and community size, not quality. Both are actively developed: NocoDB's last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check); Baserow's last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check).
NocoDB vs Baserow at a glance
| NocoDB | Baserow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 65.3k | ★ 6.2k |
| Forks | 5.1k | 767 |
| License | Sustainable Use License (fair-code) (file) | MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) (file) |
| License type | not OSI open source | permissive |
| Last push | 2026-10-19 on the day of our check | 2026-10-19 on the day of our check |
| Latest GitHub release | 2026.09.1 2026-09-29 | 2.4.1 2026-10-13 |
| Main language | TypeScript | Python |
| Archived | no | no |
| Repository | nocodb/nocodb | baserow/baserow |
Data: GitHub REST API, checked 2026-10-19. Licenses verified manually against each project's license file. Self-hosting difficulty (Airtable: easy) is our rating per use case and applies to both.
In their own words
NocoDB (GitHub description): 🔥 🔥 🔥 A Free & Self-hostable Airtable Alternative
Baserow (GitHub description): Build databases, automations, apps & agents with AI — no code. Open source platform available on cloud and self-hosted. GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 compliant. Best Airtable alternative.
Which should you pick?
- Pick NocoDB if community size is your main criterion – it has 11× the stars.
- Pick Baserow if license terms matter to you (for example, you plan to modify it or offer it to others): MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) is permissive, while NocoDB's Sustainable Use License (fair-code) is not OSI open source.
- If you will customize the code, choose the stack your team knows (NocoDB: TypeScript, Baserow: Python).
NocoDB is Sustainable Use License (fair-code), Baserow is MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs). NocoDB is written mainly in TypeScript, Baserow in Python – relevant if you plan to patch or extend it. License note for Baserow: MIT for the open source edition; premium/ and enterprise/ directories have their own licenses.
FAQ
Which is more popular, NocoDB or Baserow?
NocoDB has 11× the GitHub stars of Baserow (65.3k vs 6.2k). Stars measure popularity and community size, not quality.
Are NocoDB and Baserow actively maintained?
Both are actively developed: NocoDB's last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check); Baserow's last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check). Latest GitHub releases: NocoDB 2026.09.1 (2026-09-29), Baserow 2.4.1 (2026-10-13).
What licenses do NocoDB and Baserow use?
NocoDB: Sustainable Use License (fair-code) – not OSI open source (fair-code / source-available: read the terms before commercial or hosted use). Baserow: MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) – permissive (MIT/Apache/BSD-style: few obligations). Baserow keeps some code under a separate license (open-core).
Is NocoDB or Baserow easier to self-host?
We rate self-hosting difficulty per use case, not per project: easy for Airtable alternatives. Both need a server you maintain; check each project's install docs for the exact services (database, workers) it needs.
Should I pick NocoDB or Baserow?
Pick NocoDB if community size is your main criterion – it has 11× the stars. Pick Baserow if license terms matter to you (for example, you plan to modify it or offer it to others): MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) is permissive, while NocoDB's Sustainable Use License (fair-code) is not OSI open source. If you will customize the code, choose the stack your team knows (NocoDB: TypeScript, Baserow: Python).
All alternatives
Both are listed in the directory, next to other options and a build-it-yourself-with-AI prompt:
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