Baserow and Grist are both open-source, self-hostable no-code database tools positioned as Airtable alternatives, but they emphasize different layers of the…
| Baserow | Grist | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | No-Code | No-Code |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium (open-source self-hosted plus per-user cloud subscriptions) |
| Starting price | Free (self-hosted or Cloud free tier); paid plans from ~$5/user/month | Free (self-hosted or cloud Free plan); paid plans from $10/user/month |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not documented | Not documented |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Mac, Windows |
| Team collaboration | Not documented | Not documented |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Public API | Yes | Yes |
Application & Portal Building
Baserow: Baserow's Application Builder lets teams build front-end apps and portals on top of their data without code, publishable to a custom domain.
Grist: Grist's facts document linked grid/card/calendar/chart views and native forms, but no dedicated front-end application or portal builder.
Teams that need to expose data through a branded, standalone web app rather than just an internal spreadsheet-style view need this capability natively.
Formula Language
Baserow: Baserow's documented features center on automation credits and views rather than a named spreadsheet formula language.
Grist: Grist supports Python-syntax formulas in calculated columns alongside common Excel-compatible functions.
Analysts who already know Python or Excel formulas can express complex calculated logic directly in Grist without learning a new automation model.
Data Access Rules
Baserow: Baserow's role-based permissions and custom roles are limited to the Advanced ($18/user/month annual) and Enterprise tiers, with audit logs also gated there.
Grist: Grist includes row-, column-, and table-level Access rules as a named feature for controlling who can see or edit data.
Organizations with mixed-trust collaborators (e.g. external guests) need granular permission control without paying for the top pricing tier.
Automation Credit Scaling
Baserow: Baserow's Automation Builder is metered by automation credits: 2,000 on Free, 100,000 on Premium, 500,000 on Advanced, up to 2,000,000 on Enterprise.
Grist: Grist gates automations as a feature on the Business plan ($24/user/month annual, minimum 5 users) rather than metering them by credit.
Heavy automation users need to understand whether cost scales by usage volume (Baserow's credits) or by plan tier and seat minimums (Grist).
Free Tier Data Limits
Baserow: Baserow's Free plan includes 3,000 rows per workspace, 2GB storage, and 65+ templates.
Grist: Grist's Free plan includes 5,000 records per document, 100 AI Assistant credits as a one-time lifetime allotment, and 2 guests per document.
The two free tiers cap different units (per-workspace vs per-document), which changes how far a small team can go before hitting a paywall.
| Feature | Baserow | Grist |
|---|---|---|
| Core view types (grid, kanban, gallery, calendar) | Available | Limited |
| Timeline & Survey views | Available | Not documented |
| Spreadsheet formula language (Python/Excel-style) | Not documented | Available |
| Application/portal builder with custom domain publishing | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Baserow | Grist |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow automation builder (triggers, branches, conditions, loops) | Available | Limited |
| AI assistant on Free plan | Unavailable | Available |
| Credit-metered automation system | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | Baserow | Grist |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosting | Available | Available |
| Formal compliance certifications (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II) | Available | Not documented |
| Row/column/table-level access rules | Limited | Available |
| Desktop app | Not documented | Available |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Both do. Baserow's MIT-licensed core can be self-hosted via Docker, Docker Compose, Helm, or one-click deploys on Cloudron, Railway, Elestio, and Heroku. Grist's Apache 2.0 grist-core powers a free, self-hostable Community Edition, and organizations under $1M in annual revenue can request free hosted activation keys.
It depends on what you're measuring. Baserow's Free plan allows 3,000 rows per workspace and 2GB storage; Grist's Free plan allows 5,000 records per document but only 2 guests per document and a one-time 100 AI Assistant credits (not renewing monthly).
Grist does, with Python-syntax formulas plus common Excel-compatible functions in calculated columns. Baserow's documented feature set doesn't describe an equivalent formula language, relying instead on its Automation Builder and credit system.
Baserow's Application Builder is designed for this, letting teams build and publish front-end apps or portals to a custom domain. Grist's facts don't document a comparable application-building feature.
Grist's Access rules provide row-, column-, and table-level permissions as a standard feature. Baserow's equivalent role-based permissions and custom roles are reserved for the Advanced ($18/user/month annual) and Enterprise tiers.
Baserow's Kuma AI assistant builds data structures and automations from natural-language descriptions, but requires a paid plan. Grist's AI Assistant is available from the Free plan (100 lifetime credits), scaling to 100 credits/month on Pro and 2,000 credits/month on Business.