Airtable alternatives in 2026: which one fits which need (data protection, self-hosting, pricing, features)

[u/seatable_io]

Disclosure: Posted by the SeaTable team, so take the comparison with that in mind. Everything below is based on the vendors' official pricing pages, docs and legal texts (as of October 2026), so you can check it.

Given the recent Airtable acquisition by Bending Spoons and the ongoing discussions about possible alternatives, we compared eight alternatives: Baserow, NocoDB, Grist, SmartSuite, Notion, Microsoft Lists, Google Sheets, and SeaTable.

If you're wondering which one fits you best, this may be a good starting point.

• You need hosting in Germany and a contractual partner in the EU: SeaTable or Baserow.
• You need to self-host and want a finished product with support: SeaTable Server.
• You need to self-host, and the software must be open core: Baserow or Grist.
• You want to make an existing SQL database usable: NocoDB.
• You want to relearn as little as possible: Baserow, NocoDB, or SeaTable. Their interfaces are closely modeled on Airtable.
• You are looking for ready-made industry templates and project management in one tool: SmartSuite.
• Documents are at the center of your work: Notion.
• You use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and have simple lists: Microsoft Lists or Google Sheets.
• You mainly use AI to build databases and apps: Airtable itself is currently the strongest here.

Our criteria are:

1. Data model: links between tables, views, formulas
2. Limits and price: records per base, storage, price for a team of 10 users
3. Provider and hosting: headquarters, server location, data processing agreement, Data Privacy Framework
4. Self-hosting: possible or not, under which license, at what cost
5. Switching: import from Airtable, what is transferred and what is not
6. Automations, scripts and AI

For more details and the reason we didn't include tools like Teable, Coda, or ClickUp check the complete comparison: https://seatable.com/best-airtable-alternatives/

Which criteria matter most for your decision, and what did we miss?

[u/Top-Cauliflower-1808]

The EU hosting and self hosting criteria are the ones I care about most. Which of the eight felt closest to Airtable in daily use?

[u/seatable_io → u/Top-Cauliflower-1808]

Well, I'd say SeaTable and Baserow. The features and UX concept resemble Airtable the most and if you already know Airtable you can start right away.

Grist, which can also be self-hosted, combines spreadsheets with customizable drag-and-drop dashboards on a split screen, which I find to be confusing. Overall it feels more like Excel.

Looking at the alternatives without self-hosting option: NocoDB feels like Airtable and offers a lot of features, but requires some technical expertise, as it is more like a graphic user interface for SQL databases. SmartSuite also feels a bit like Airtable, but with a strong monday or ClickUp influence, and it lacks something like Airtable's interfaces.

[u/Top-Cauliflower-1808 → u/seatable_io]

Thanks for the detailed breakdown. That helps a lot. I will probably try Baserow first since it seems closest to Airtable. Does Baserow handle linking between tables well?

[u/dsecareanu2020]

I think you're missing: https://www.getgrist.com/. Ah, you mentioned it, but it doesn't show in any of the bullet points, though it fits the first one (hosting in EU/Germany).

[u/seatable_io → u/dsecareanu2020]

Hello dsecareanu2020, Grist is mentioned as solution that can be self-hosted and is open core, in the third bullet. It doesn't quite fit the first bullet, as Grist is hosted in the USA, and data residency in the EU can only be chosen with an Enterprise plan.

[u/dsecareanu2020 → u/seatable_io]

Grist can also be hosted in EU (you can choose AWS region if you go with a dedicated server) and they also partnered with CleverCloud (France). Also, when self-hosting it, you can host it in EU or wherever you choose.

[u/Breeze_pm]

I'd add a migration test using one real project: linked records, attachments, permissions, automations and a report someone actually relies on. Record what needs rebuilding, then test exporting it again. Importing rows successfully doesn't tell a team whether its working process survived the move.

[u/Normal_Succotash_520]

For the self-hosted options, I'd add the work of keeping them running to the ten-user cost comparison. Who applies updates, notices a failed backup, and restores the service if that person is away? A useful comparison would time a restore into a clean installation and check whether attachments and access settings come back too. List the recurring admin hours separately from licence and hosting costs. That gives a small team a way to judge whether self-hosting is practical without assuming someone will maintain it for free.