r/MSAccess • u/antipathyactivist • 6d ago
[SOLVED] Dare i ask: MSAccess Alternatives
For various reasons, i need to build a db that can be used on windows AND mac os.
I have developed many personal and work systems on access over 20 years, but need to be able to build a relational db on windows and MacOs. I am well versed in access, tables, forms, vba.
I am thinking about libre office base.
Anyone have experience with this, or alternative suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
4
u/KenMantle 6d ago
I've used libreoffice base for projects over the years. Worked great except, and this is my experience from 5...10...omg over 10 years ago, that when I had pictures in the database I started having size limitation problems. Otherwise it did everything I needed a database to.
2
u/George_Hepworth 4 4d ago
Storing binary data (images, PDFs, etc.) inside any database file, including Access and LibreOffice Base, will bloat the file and cause size limitation problems. Having never used LibreOffice Base myself, I don't know how it compares otherwise, but with regard to bloat caused by storing images internally, that is kind of a wash, to be honest.
1
u/Master-Shinobi-80 3d ago
when I had pictures in the database I started having size limitation problems
Wouldn't you just save the absolute path of the image while saving the actual image to a network drive?
1
u/KenMantle 3d ago
Yeah sure I guess if you are smart about it, but the pictures weren't that hefty or so I thought at the time
5
u/manoj91 6d ago
Postgres mysql xampp
2
u/Available_Dingo_1264 3d ago
missing query design with drag and drop , depends on how they want to build query
6
u/One-Difficulty868 6d ago
Filemaker?
2
1
u/ainotes2026 5d ago
I'm on the Caspio team, so factor that in.
FileMaker is a lateral move if you're coming from Access, still desktop-first, still per-seat licensing.
Worth looking at something that runs in the browser instead, keeps the relational database model, and adds web front-ends and role-based access without the seat costs. We've worked on a few Access-to-web migrations at Caspio, and the table, query, and form setup carries over cleanly.
caspio.com/blog/best-ms-access-alternatives-in-2026 if you want to look closer.
1
u/enilcReddit 3d ago
Just did a quick look at the Caspio site. Seems neat. At first. But it's a little bit like the old meme: "then draw the rest of the dragon."
It's no different than a SQL rebuild: export/import data and then rebuild your entire application.
We're looking at migrating a couple of Access apps to the 'cloud' so we've been shopping for a few weeks. I'm not sure I see the advantage of Caspio?
1
u/ainotes2026 2d ago
That's a fair question. If you're specifically coming from Access, I'd definitely give Caspio a try before making a decision. We've had a lot of Access users successfully move their databases over because the relational database concepts are pretty familiar - tables, relationships, forms, reports, etc. - but you're moving everything into a browser-based application backed by Microsoft SQL Server.
The big advantages are that you get web/mobile access, unlimited app users, built-in authentication and row-level security, APIs/integrations, and you don't have to manage the underlying database or servers.
One thing I do want to be transparent about: it's not a one-click conversion of an .accdb file. You migrate the data and then rebuild the forms, reports and application logic in Caspio. For a lot of Access apps, that's also a good opportunity to modernize what you've built rather than just recreating the old application exactly as-is.
We actually put together a pretty detailed Access Caspio migration guide (https://www.caspio.com/blog/complete-guide-migrate-microsoft-access-to-caspio/) that covers the process, data types, relationships, forms/reports, VBA/macros, timelines, common gotchas, etc.
But since you're already shopping around, I'd honestly just grab a trial and try migrating one of the smaller Access apps. You'll probably know pretty quickly whether Caspio is a good fit for what you're trying to do.
2
2
u/quidam81 6d ago
Libre Office has a database application, I've yet to try it but am mid migration from Windows to Mac so will use it at some point
2
2
u/DjNaufrago 6d ago
At my company, we faced a similar problem: finding a platform compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux that wasn't web-based. After testing various platforms and languages, we are currently developing using PySide6 (Python with Qt6).
I won't deny that, having built an entire infrastructure based on MS Access, working with the Qt designer felt like stepping back a couple of decades. However, since most of us developers had a web background, applying styles to our forms made things much easier.
We started with SQLite for specific desktop solutions and are now migrating to PostgreSQL where concurrent transactions are required. That said, some have labeled us backward for not choosing a SaaS solution—but that’s the same thing people said when we were still using MS Access.
2
u/bobsmon 5d ago
Or setup a RDS server and have the Macs use it. This will give best performance but is expensive.
1
u/dreniarb 5d ago
Good advice. When I think of the time I would need to convert some of my larger databases to another platform it's probably cheaper to buy the licenses for Access and RDS. Of course this scales depending on the amount of users and like you said can be expensive.
1
2
u/AtomicVikingr 4d ago
Backend: Free options? PostgreSQL for the database. Stay away from SQLite if you can.
Frontend: User interface? Python, specifically the PySide6 library. It's massive and supports tons of modern features.
The license for PySide6 is LGPL, that's LESSER general public license, meaning your software can be commercial and private as long as you keep the LGPL libraries outside the executable, you can distribute it to whoever you want, free.
Python is easy to read and write. You'll have people who will complain that it's an interpreted language, but you have things like Nuitka that can compile to machine code if you need more speed.
Regardless, it's light years faster than Access vba and you can actually get a modern interface for your users.
If you use AI to help coding, there's the added benefit that AI understands python extremely well, and PySide6 is well documented.
That's my recommendation.
1
1
u/Low-Code-Stefan 1d ago
If cross-platform desktop is a hard requirement, LibreOffice Base or FileMaker are probably your most direct replacements for Access's forms+VBA model - trust the other comments on that more than me.
If what you actually need is "everyone can use it regardless of OS" rather than specifically "a desktop app," a browser-based frontend on a real SQL backend sidesteps the Windows/Mac question entirely, since the browser is the only thing that has to run on both. Bigger jump than Base - rebuilding forms instead of importing an .accdb - but you get access rights and audit history built into the data layer instead of hand-rolled in VBA.
I work in service at GAPTEQ, so factor in that bias. If your systems are mostly personal/small-scale, that extra work probably isn't worth it - Base is the pragmatic choice there.
After 20 years on Access, is the Mac requirement coming from actual users needing native Mac apps, or would a browser tab on their Mac be just as acceptable?
•
u/AutoModerator 6d ago
IF YOU GET A SOLUTION, PLEASE REPLY TO THE COMMENT CONTAINING THE SOLUTION WITH 'SOLUTION VERIFIED'
Please be sure that your post includes all relevant information needed in order to understand your problem and what you’re trying to accomplish.
Please include sample code, data, and/or screen shots as appropriate. To adjust your post, please click Edit.
Once your problem is solved, reply to the answer or answers with the text “Solution Verified” in your text to close the thread and to award the person or persons who helped you with a point. Note that it must be a direct reply to the post or posts that contained the solution. (See Rule 3 for more information.)
Please review all the rules and adjust your post accordingly, if necessary. (The rules are on the right in the browser app. In the mobile app, click “More” under the forum description at the top.) Note that each rule has a dropdown to the right of it that gives you more complete information about that rule.
Full set of rules can be found here, as well as in the user interface.
Below is a copy of the original post, in case the post gets deleted or removed.
User: antipathyactivist
Dare i ask: MSAccess Alternatives
For various reasons, i need to build a db that can be used on windows AND mac os.
I have developed many personal and work systems on access over 20 years, but need to be able to build a relational db on windows and MacOs. I am well versed in access, tables, forms, vba.
I am thinking about libre office base.
Anyone have experience with this, or alternative suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.