5 best database alternatives to Airtable in 2026

[.blog-callout]

✨TL;DR

• Airtable works well for organizing business data and building lightweight internal tools on top of it. But it becomes expensive when you need granular permissions, more users, or apps for clients and vendors.
• This guide covers 5 Airtable alternatives across different use cases: Softr, SmartSuite, NocoDB, Fibery, and Baserow.‍
• Softr is the clear winner for building relational databases and secure business apps, internal tools, and portals on top of your data—using AI. Plus, you can invite lots of external users without paying for every seat.

[.blog-callout]

As an independent contractor juggling multiple clients, I’ve used Airtable to track deadlines and manage deliverables—and I've been digging into what other users say about the platform online.

The general consensus (and my own take) is that Airtable is great when you need a flexible no-code database, want to ask AI questions about your data, or need to build lightweight internal apps on top of that data. But it can get expensive as your team grows, and it’s not always the best fit for client-facing apps that need deep UI customization, granular user permissions, or PWA support.

This guide compares five of the best database alternatives to Airtable that I reviewed to help you find the right platform for your use case.

Best Airtable alternatives at a glance: Reviewed and tested

1. Softr — best for building business apps on top of a built-in relational database

One of my all time favorites on this list, Softr is an AI-native platform that combines a built-in relational database, AI app building, and workflow automation in one place.

Just describe the kind of database you need, and Softr’s AI Co-Builder can generate the entire thing, with flexible field types, linked records, custom views, and granular access control. Use it purely for data management with handy workflow automation thrown in or build fully functional (and secure) internal tools, client portals, and dashboards on top of that data. 

Plus, Softr handles all the technical parts like authentication, password resets, infrastructure security, and SOC 2 and GDPR compliance.

What I’ve actually found most helpful is how Softr embeds AI directly into your data layer. You can add AI Agents to any field in your database to automate repetitive work, like filling in missing data, summarizing records, or searching the web in real time. And you control when these agents run and which records they work on.

Because your database and app live in the same platform, updates show up right away, without sync delays or third-party API limits. And you can control exactly what each user can see and do in the app, from the pages they can open to the database records they can view or edit.

Want your users and customers to access info fast without digging through databases? Ask AI, Softr’s native AI assistant, answers questions based only on the information they’re allowed to access.

Pros and cons of Softr

Softr pros

• AI database agents inside your database: Let AI work on your data like classifying entries, extracting details from PDFs, fact-checking info, and cleaning messy data.
• Granular permissions and role-based views: Let clients, vendors, and team members only see what applies to them.
• All-in-one AI app building: Manage the database, frontend, workflows, and permissions without stitching separate tools together.
• Extra control: Compared with Airtable, you get more control over how the app (or in Airtable’s case, interface) looks, works, and is shared. 
• Mobile-ready and installable as a PWA: Let teams and clients access the app more easily on their phones.
• No separate seat fee for every app user: Make pricing easier to plan as you invite more people.

Softr cons

• Not built for advanced analytics. You'll need to pair Softr with a dedicated BI tool for custom queries or complex calculations (although Softr Databases does include advanced formulas and AI assistance.) 

Softr best features

• Softr Databases: Link records across tables, use formulas, lookups, rollups, and flexible field types to model real-world data. View your database structure visually, including fields and relationships, to see how your data is connected.
• Full-stack apps on top of your data: Manage your data, logic, and front-end in one place—so you can launch faster, simplify your stack, and make changes without jumping between platforms.
• AI-assisted database setup: Generate databases with AI, create tables and fields from prompts, and write formulas in plain language.
• Database AI Agents: Toggle AI on inside any field to handle busywork for you, using 13+ models like Claude, GPT-5, and Gemini. 
• 15+ native data sources: Connect to Airtable, Google Sheets, HubSpot, Notion, monday.com, SQL databases, and more, with two-way real-time sync. You can also import your existing Airtable base directly in one click.
• AI Co-Builder: Describe the app you want, and Softr generates the full app structure, including the database, app pages, workflows, and permissions.
• Granular permissions: Give clients, vendors, and team members different views of the same app, with control over which pages they can access and which database records they can see or edit.
• Ask AI: Let users query live app data in plain language and get answers based only on the information they're allowed to access.
• Softr Workflows: Automate follow-up actions when something changes in your app, like updating records or running multi-step processes.
• Integrations: Connect to tools like Slack, Gmail, Stripe, and Salesforce. Use Zapier, Make, or n8n for multi-step automations, or REST API for other tools.
• MCP Server: Connect AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor directly to your databases, so they can query data, create records, and manage tables.

Softr pricing

Softr offers predictable flat pricing, with no per-seat fees for app users:

• Free: 5,000 database records, unlimited forms responses, 10 app users
• Basic ($49/month): 50,000 database records, 20 app users, 10 AI credits
• Professional ($139/month): 500,000 database records, 100 app users, 50 AI credits, 3 custom user groups
• Business ($269/month): 1M database records, 500 app users, 100 AI credits, unlimited user groups
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, SSO, audit logs, dedicated success manager, and tailored onboarding

Who Softr is best for

Softr is great for teams that want a relational database with the flexibility to build secure, production-ready apps and internal tools on top of that data. You get the database, app interface, granular permissions, and workflow automation in one place, plus all the technical setup (authentication, security, compliance) handled for you. 

👉 Try Softr for free and start building your custom database app today

2. SmartSuite — best for teams that need relational databases plus pre-built workflows

SmartSuite is an AI-powered relational work OS that helps teams manage project portfolios, IT requests, approvals, and business operations in one place. Its pre-built templates (called Solution Suites) cover functions like IT service desk, risk management, and project portfolios. 

The biggest difference from Airtable templates is that more of the database and workflow structure is already set up in Solution Suites, so you can start with tables, views, and workflows, then customize them to fit how your team works.

Pros and cons of SmartSuite

Pros

• Strong linking across workflows: Teams can connect related records from different parts of the business instead of keeping data separate.
• Field-level permissions: Hide sensitive details like salaries, client notes, or finance fields from people who don’t need to see them.
• More affordable than Airtable for some growing teams: This is handy if people only need occasional access to the platform.
• Adjustable notifications: Control which kinds of alerts you get so your inbox doesn't fill up every time someone edits a field or leaves a comment.

Cons

• Can feel overwhelming at first, because SmartSuite gives you a lot of features but has a smaller community and learning ecosystem than Airtable.
• Automations may feel less advanced than Airtable’s, especially for teams that need complex rules, conditions, or multi-step workflows.
• Minimum seat requirements may not work for solo users, because very small teams may have to pay for more seats than they actually need.

SmartSuite best features

• Relational database: Build structured databases with tables, linked records, formulas, lookups, attachments, and 40+ field types.
• Solution Suites: Start with ready-made setups for functions like IT service desk, risk management, project portfolios, GRC, and business operations.
• Cross-solution linking: Connect related records across different teams or departments, so work doesn’t stay trapped in separate systems.
• Multiple views: View the same records as grids, kanban boards, calendars, timelines, charts, maps, or dashboards, depending on how your team works.
• AI Workflow Agents: Use AI to summarize updates, draft content, classify requests, and trigger next steps inside your workflows.
• Automation engine: Build automations that update records, send notifications, trigger approvals, and connect to other tools through webhooks, Make, or Zapier.
• Granular permissions: Control who can see or edit information at the workspace, solution, table, record, and field level.
• Integrations and APIs: Connect SmartSuite with tools like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Salesforce, Workato, and APIs.

SmartSuite pricing

• 14-day free trial of Professional (no credit card required)
• Team ($15/seat/month, billed annually): Minimum 3 billable users, 5,000 records per Solution, 50GB file storage, unlimited Solutions
• Professional ($32/seat/month, billed annually): Minimum 5 billable users, 100,000 records per Solution, 100GB file storage, advanced permissions
• Enterprise (custom pricing): 400,000 records per Solution, 500GB file storage
• Signature (custom pricing): for organizations with specialized requirements

Who SmartSuite is best for

SmartSuite is a strong fit for mid-market and enterprise teams that need to manage complex workflows across departments.

3. NocoDB — best open-source Airtable alternative for technical teams

NocoDB is an open-source, no-code database platform that helps teams work with database records in a familiar spreadsheet-style interface. 

You can create tables directly in NocoDB, import data from Airtable or Excel, or connect to SQL databases like Postgres and MySQL, data warehouses like Snowflake and Databricks, and use AI providers like Claude.

Pros and cons of NocoDB

Pros

• Gives you more control over where your data lives: You can self-host NocoDB on your own servers for full data ownership.
• Handles large datasets better: You aren't pushed onto a higher plan as your records scale.
• Auto-generates REST APIs and live docs right from your spreadsheet grids: Developers can easily build custom apps on top of your data.
• Costs a lot less for large teams: Comes with flat pricing for unlimited users on paid plans.

Cons

• You'll need to pair NocoDB with an external frontend tool like Softr or Glide to build custom internal tools or portals on top of your data.
• Self-hosting requires technical expertise and may cost extra, since you’ll need dedicated IT support.
• The learning curve is steep for non-technical users, especially if they are already used to a more visual, beginner-friendly tool like Airtable.

NocoDB best features

• External database connections: Connects directly to existing production databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL. View and update live records through NocoDB, with all changes instantly syncing two ways.
• Spreadsheet-style database interface: Work with records in familiar views like grid, kanban, gallery, form, calendar, and timeline views.
• Self-hosting: Run NocoDB entirely on your own local infrastructure or private servers if your organization requires strict control over data.
• Relational data modeling: Structure your data using linked records, lookup fields, rollups, functional formulas, and 30+ field types.
• Auto-generated REST API: Build apps, mobile clients, or integrations on top of NocoDB without writing backend code from scratch.
• Webhooks for real-time updates: Trigger actions in other tools the moment records change in NocoDB. Send updates to Zapier, Make, or n8n whenever a record is added, edited, or deleted.
• JavaScript scripting: Build custom workflows that go beyond what formulas and webhooks can do. 
• AI integrations: Connect AI providers like OpenAI, Claude, Google, Groq, Amazon Bedrock, Azure, and DeepSeek for AI-powered database workflows.

NocoDB pricing

For the self-hosting option:

• Community Edition (Free Forever): Includes unlimited seats, unlimited records, and unlimited database storage.
• Enterprise Edition (Paid/Custom): Includes multi-workspace governance, single sign-on (SSO), and full audit logs 

For cloud-based paid plans:

• Free: 3 editor seats, 10 commenter seats, 1,000 records, 1GB storage
• Plus ($12/seat/month or $108/month flat for unlimited seats): 50,000 records, 20GB storage, free commenter seats, unlimited extensions
• Business ($24/seat/month or $216/month flat for unlimited seats): 300,000 records, 100GB storage, 10 external connections, private bases, SAML SSO
• Enterprise (custom pricing) 

*You only pay per user until you hit 9 editors. After that, the plan converts to a flat monthly rate, which lets you add infinite subsequent editors without paying extra.

Who NocoDB is best for

NocoDB is great for technical teams managing fast-growing datasets. It gives you the flexibility to self-host and avoid per-user pricing as more people need access.

4. Fibery — best for teams that need relational databases plus knowledge management

Fibery lets you build custom databases (or workspaces) for your projects, roadmaps, and customer research. But instead of leaving your data in separate silos, Fibery lets you link everything together so your team can see the bigger picture.

That connected setup also makes its AI assistant more useful. It pulls context from live data across different teams, processes, and records (instead of only looking at one isolated table) whenever you or other teammates ask a question.

Pros and cons of Fibery

Pros

• Brings docs and databases together: You don't have to bounce between multiple tools. 
• Adapts to how your team actually works: Has custom databases, fields, and relationships you can shape around your custom processes.
• Costs less as you grow: Since observers and guests are free on every paid plan, you can invite more people without adding to your bill.

Cons

• Quite complex to understand at first, especially for teams that just want a quick spreadsheet-style database.
• No native mobile app for Fibery, which isn’t ideal if your team needs to update records seamlessly on the go, scan barcodes, or log tasks from their phones.
• You’re restricted to Fibery's supported OpenAI models and cannot natively swap them out for other providers like Anthropic or Google Gemini.

Fibery best features

• Relational databases with custom entities: Build custom databases for any kind of work with custom fields and relations that span across teams.
• Flexible views: View the same data as tables, boards, lists, timelines, Gantt charts, calendars, reports, maps, feeds, forms, and dashboards.
• Docs and whiteboards: Write documents, brainstorm visually, and connect notes or ideas directly to the work they support.
• Bi-directional links: Connect related work across your workspace, like feedback to insights, feature ideas to tasks, and docs to projects.
• Workspace AI assistant: Ask questions across your entire workspace in natural language, with semantic search, audio and video transcription, and an AI Smart Agent that can answer questions spanning multiple teams.
• Automation rules and action buttons: Build automations with triggers, conditions, and scripted actions, plus custom action buttons to replace repetitive steps.
• External data sync integrations: Pull operational data from external tools like Airtable, Notion, Asana, ClickUp, Jira, GitHub, GitLab, HubSpot, and Zendesk, or orchestrate complex multi-app connections via Make and Zapier
• Permissions and sharing: Set granular permissions, create access templates, invite guests, and control what different users can see or edit.

Fibery pricing

• Free ($0/month): Up to 10 users. 10 databases, unlimited data entities, formula columns, basic web integrations, and native AI capabilities
• Standard ($12/user/month, billed annually at $15 month-to-month): Unlimited active users, unlimited databases, real-time charts
• Pro ($20/user/month, billed annually at $25 month-to-month): Adds advanced workspace user groups and granular column permissions
• Enterprise ($40/user/month, billed annually with per-seat pricing)

Who Fibery is best for

Fibery is a great option for product-led startups, engineering, and operations teams that want one fully customizable workspace to connect raw customer feedback, product ideas, development sprints, and internal OKRs in one place.

5. Baserow — best open source database alternative to Airtable for non-technical teams

Baserow is an open-source, no-code database platform built around a familiar, spreadsheet-style interface that non-technical users pick up quickly. Compared to Airtable, Baserow gives you self-hosting options for full data ownership. And unlike NocoDB—which is designed to sit on top of an existing legacy SQL database—Baserow is built to create entirely new databases from scratch.

Pros and cons of Baserow

Baserow pros

• Gives you full data ownership and security compliance via the self-hosting option: This makes it a strong fit for regulated industries like healthcare.
• Self-hosted Baserow has no row limits: Scale databases as large as your hardware allows without hitting strict record caps.
• Costs less for growing teams: Includes a free open-source option and much cheaper cloud plans than Airtable’s per-seat pricing.
• Gives developers an open API: Build custom integrations and software apps easily on top of Baserow data.

Baserow cons

• Baserow Cloud row limits apply per workspace, so teams with many separate databases in one account may hit data limits faster than expected.
• Some advanced permissions and governance features are locked behind higher paid plans, which makes granular access control harder on a budget.
• The app interfaces and automation builders can feel very basic and utilitarian compared to Airtable in some areas.

Baserow best features

• Open-source database (MIT license): Build relational databases with linked records, formulas, lookups, rollups, and 20+ field types.
• Cloud or self-host: Run Baserow on Baserow Cloud or self-host on Docker, AWS, Helm, Cloudron, or your own infrastructure for full data control.
• Linked records and relations: Connect tables together so your data can work more like a relational database instead of a flat spreadsheet.
• Flexible views: View your data as grids, forms, galleries, kanban boards, calendars, surveys, timelines, dashboards, and more depending on your plan.
• Application builder: Build internal tools, client portals, admin panels, and custom apps on top of your databases without writing code.
• Kuma AI assistant: Describe what you want to build, and Kuma generates databases, fields, and workflows automatically. 
• AI fields and agents: Create, classify, enrich, and process data directly inside your database using AI fields and AI agents.
• REST API and webhooks: Connect your database with other tools, build custom integrations, or power external applications.
• Workflow automations: Automate repetitive work like sending notifications, updating records, or connecting Baserow to tools like Zapier, Make, and n8n.

Baserow pricing

Baserow Cloud:

• Free: Includes unlimited databases, 3,000 rows per workspace, 2GB storage
• Premium ($10/user/month, billed annually): 50,000 rows per workspace, 20GB storage, XML/JSON/Excel exports
• Advanced ($18/user/month, billed annually): 250,000 rows per workspace, 100GB storage, role-based permissions, audit logs, free read/comment users

Baserow Self-Host

• Open Source (free): unlimited rows, storage, and API requests
• Paid (premium or enterprise licenses, billed on a per-user basis): advanced governance, compliance, and visualization features 

Who Baserow is best for

Baserow works well for small and mid-sized teams that want a more affordable Airtable alternative and more flexibility over where their data lives. 

What is the best Airtable alternative for you?

It depends on what you need to do with your data. 

If you just want a better way to manage structured data across teams, tools like SmartSuite and Fibery are strong options. SmartSuite works well when you need ready-made workflow structures for teams like IT, operations, GRC, and project management. Fibery is better when you want databases, docs, whiteboards, and team knowledge connected in one workspace.

If you want an open-source tool you can self-host, NocoDB and Baserow are worth considering. NocoDB is better when you already have a SQL database and technical support to manage it. Baserow is better when you want to build new databases and lightweight apps from scratch.

But if your goal is to turn data into software that your team, clients, and partners can actually use, Softr is the strongest fit. With AI, you can build relational databases plus mobile-friendly portals, dashboards, and internal tools. You can also connect your existing data sources (including Airtable) and control exactly what users can see and do in your database and app. And the best part is that you don't have to pay a separate seat fee for every external user who logs in.

👉 Try Softr for free and start building your database and custom app today.