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Airtable Alternatives: 7 Options Compared for 2026

Airtable alternatives compared: Baserow, NocoDB, SmartSuite, Smartsheet, Notion, Softr and a custom app. Record limits, pricing as of September 2026 and fit.

Mythex Team · 2026-09-29 · 6 min read

The best Airtable alternatives are Baserow and NocoDB if you want a similar database you can also self-host, SmartSuite for a work-management platform with high record limits on its Professional plan, Smartsheet for spreadsheet-style project tracking, Notion when your "base" is really docs with light tables, and Softr when you need a client-facing app on top of your data. If what you really need is a custom app, a small custom build is another option. Airtable is still a strong, polished choice; switch when price, limits or hosting are a real problem.

What Airtable offers today

As of September 2026, Airtable calls itself an app-building platform, with databases, automations, interfaces, AI agents and portals. Its plans:

• Free: 1,000 records per base, 1 GB attachments per base, up to 5 editors, 2 weeks of history.
• Team: $20 per editor/month billed yearly ($24 monthly), 50,000 records per base, automations and Interface Designer.
• Business: $45 billed yearly ($54 monthly), 125,000 records per base, admin panel, two-way sync.
• Enterprise Scale: custom.

Read-only collaborators are free; Airtable charges for people with edit access.

Why people look for Airtable alternatives

1. Per-editor cost. At $20–$45 per editor per month, a team of 20 editors adds up.
2. Record limits. Hitting 50,000 records per base on Team pushes you to Business.
3. Self-hosting and data control. Some teams need data on their own servers.
4. Client-facing apps. Interfaces work well for teammates, but some teams want a branded portal for customers.
5. The base became an app. Complex logic and rules can outgrow a no-code database.

Airtable alternatives at a glance

How we compared

We compared the publicly stated features, limits and prices on each vendor's own website as of September 2026. We did not do hands-on testing, and we left out claims we couldn't verify on the vendor's own pages. Prices are in US dollars. Record limits are measured differently by each tool (per base, per workspace, per solution), so compare like for like before deciding.

Baserow: the open-source option

Baserow is an open-source, no-code database with a familiar grid. You can use its cloud or host it yourself.

• Pricing (cloud, as of September 2026): Free (3,000 rows and 2 GB per workspace, 2,000 automation credits). Premium $10 per user/month billed yearly ($12 monthly) with 50,000 rows and 20 GB, all views and AI features. Advanced $18 billed yearly ($22 monthly) with 250,000 rows, role-based permissions and audit logs. Enterprise on request.
• Strengths: self-hosting; clear, lower per-user price; its plan comparison lists an MCP server and AI features.
• Limits: a smaller ecosystem than Airtable; self-hosting means you run the server.
• Pick it if you want an Airtable-like tool with the option to keep data on your own infrastructure.

NocoDB: flat pricing for bigger teams

NocoDB is a no-code database platform with cloud and self-hosted versions and an Airtable import.

• Pricing (cloud, as of September 2026): Free for up to 3 users (1,000 records, 1 GB). Plus is $12 per seat/month billed yearly, or $108/month for unlimited seats (50,000 records, 20 GB). Business is $24 per seat or $216/month unlimited (300,000 records, external database connections, SSO). Scale is $45 per seat (1 million records, row-level security, audit logs).
• Strengths: the unlimited-seat pricing is unusual and can be much cheaper for large teams; external database connections on Business.
• Limits: the free plan is small; check which features the self-hosted edition includes.
• Pick it if you have many editors and Airtable's per-seat cost is the problem.

SmartSuite: work management for team processes

SmartSuite is a work-management platform built on flexible databases it calls solutions.

• Pricing (as of September 2026): a 14-day Professional trial, no credit card. Team is $15 per seat/month billed yearly ($20 monthly), minimum 3 users, 5,000 records per solution, 50 GB storage. Professional is $32 billed yearly ($36 monthly), minimum 5 users, 100,000 records per solution. Enterprise custom.
• Strengths: 200+ templates; SmartSuite AI on every plan; high record limits on Professional.
• Limits: minimum seat counts; no free plan listed.
• Pick it if you want an Airtable-style tool aimed at running team processes.

Smartsheet: spreadsheets for project management

Smartsheet looks like a spreadsheet but is built for projects and processes.

• Pricing (as of September 2026, USD): Pro $9 per member/month billed yearly ($12 monthly) for 1–10 members, with unlimited free contributors, Gantt, board and calendar views, and 250 automations a month. Business $19 yearly ($24 monthly) for 3+ members, unlimited automations and 1 TB of attachment storage. Enterprise custom.
• Strengths: familiar to spreadsheet users; unlimited free contributors; Gantt, board and calendar views.
• Limits: less of a relational database than Airtable.
• Pick it if your base is mostly project plans and timelines.

Notion: when your base is really docs

Notion is a docs workspace with databases inside. Plus is $10 per member/month billed yearly and Business $20, as of September 2026. It suits teams whose "database" is mostly task lists and content calendars next to documents. See Airtable vs Notion.

Softr: when you need an app on top of your data

Softr builds portals and business apps, and connects to Airtable, Google Sheets, SQL databases and more — or uses its own Softr Databases. Basic is $19/month billed yearly with 50,000 records; Pro is $99 with 500,000 records and granular permissions. It's a good way to keep Airtable but add a client-facing app, or to move both data and app to one tool. See Softr vs Glide.

A custom app: when logic outgrows a no-code database

Some bases end up running a business process with real rules: calculations across tables, multi-step approvals, a customer portal with its own sign-up. At that point a no-code database can feel like the wrong shape.

An AI app builder like Mythex lets you describe the app in chat; an AI agent writes the code and adds a dedicated Postgres database when the app needs one. There are no per-seat fees, and on Pro you can export the code or sync it to GitHub. Free is $0 with 5 credits a day (up to 30 a month); Pro is $25/month.

Where Airtable is better: Airtable's grid is something anyone can open and edit. A custom app has only the screens you build, and there's no drag-and-drop editor in Mythex — you change things by describing them or editing code. For a team spreadsheet that needs to stay flexible, Airtable or Baserow is usually simpler. See how to turn a spreadsheet into an app and how to build an internal tool.

Before you switch

1. Export a copy of every base as CSV.
2. List linked records, formulas, rollups and automations. These rarely move perfectly.
3. Compare record limits the same way. Per base, per workspace and per solution aren't the same.
4. Check integrations and forms that point at Airtable, and update them.
5. Pilot with one base before moving everything.

Our verdict

• Keep Airtable if its price works for you — it's polished and widely supported.
• Baserow for an open-source, self-hostable Airtable-style database.
• NocoDB if you have many editors and want flat pricing.
• SmartSuite for team processes with high record limits.
• Smartsheet for project plans that live in spreadsheets.
• Notion for docs with light tables.
• Softr for a client-facing app on your data.
• A custom build when the logic is the product.

New to databases? Read what is a database.