The 8 Best Airtable Alternatives in 2026: GDPR, Self-Hosting & No-Code Compared

As of October 5, 2026. We last checked all prices and limits on the vendors’ official websites on October 5, 2026.

About this comparison: We are the makers of SeaTable and know the market for no-code databases first-hand. Our focus is on teams in Europe: hosting, GDPR, self-hosting and cost. By these criteria, SeaTable comes out on top. Where other tools are better, we say so in every section.

In a nutshell #

• Best Airtable alternative for companies and public authorities with GDPR requirements: SeaTable. Provider based in Mainz, servers in Germany, can also run on your own servers.
• Best open-source alternative for self-hosting: Baserow (MIT license) or Grist (Apache 2.0).
• Best interface for an existing SQL database: NocoDB.
• If documents are at the center: Notion.
• If you already use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace: Microsoft Lists or Google Sheets with AppSheet.

Why so many teams are looking for an Airtable alternative right now #

Airtable has a new owner. The software group Bending Spoons completed its acquisition of Airtable on September 4, 2026, at an enterprise value of around 1.3 billion US dollars (press release). Bending Spoons says it will invest heavily in product, support and sales. No specific changes to prices or plans have been announced so far. After earlier acquisitions such as Evernote, however, Bending Spoons cut staff and raised prices (Reworked). Many teams are taking this as an opportunity to review their dependence on a single vendor.

Airtable gets expensive as your team grows. Airtable Team costs 20 US dollars per user per month with annual billing, Airtable Business 45 US dollars. On the Team plan, a base is limited to 50,000 records, on Business to 125,000. The API is limited too: the Team plan includes 100,000 API calls per month, the Free plan only 1,000. If you connect Airtable to other systems via n8n, Make or Zapier, you will hit this limit quickly (Airtable plans).

Airtable is a US provider. The company is based in San Francisco and is therefore subject to the US CLOUD Act. Data residency in Europe is only available on the top Enterprise Scale plan, and even there metadata such as base names, scripts and user data remain in the US (Airtable support). We could not find Airtable on the official EU-US Data Privacy Framework list (as of September 30, 2026).

Airtable cannot be self-hosted. If you need to run your data on your own servers, for example in government, research or healthcare, you need an alternative.

The 8 Airtable alternatives at a glance #

How we compared #

We compared all eight tools based on the vendors’ official pricing pages, documentation and legal texts (as of October 5, 2026). As a vendor, we naturally know SeaTable best. Our criteria:

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

1. SeaTable – the Airtable alternative with servers in Germany #

SeaTable is a no-code database from SeaTable GmbH, based in Mainz, Germany. Bases, tables, views and column types work just like in Airtable, so Airtable users find their way around immediately. The cloud runs in data centers in Germany, and if you want, you can run SeaTable on your own servers. Its users include the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), Humboldt University of Berlin, the Max Planck Society and the French evaluation agency Hcéres.

Best for: companies, universities and public authorities looking for a database like Airtable that need to keep their data in Germany or on their own servers.

Where SeaTable beats Airtable:

• Provider based in Germany. SeaTable Cloud runs at Exoscale in Frankfurt am Main and Munich (ISO 27001). A data processing agreement is available for all customers.
• Three deployment options: SeaTable Cloud, a dedicated system or SeaTable Server on your own infrastructure. Self-hosted, the Enterprise Edition is free for up to 3 users.
• Cheaper: SeaTable Enterprise costs €14 per user per month, Airtable Team 20 US dollars. A base holds 100,000 rows in SeaTable Enterprise, 50,000 in Airtable Team.
• Python and JavaScript directly in the base, without add-ons. Airtable only supports JavaScript.
• A big data backend for large data volumes and a dedicated AI server in Germany for AI automations.

Where Airtable is better:

• AI: Airtable offers much more AI support. With Omni, you can create apps and agents from a description, and Field Agents fill in fields automatically. So far, SeaTable mainly uses AI in automations and scripts. With the upcoming version 7.0, the AI will also be able to create tables and fields.
• Column types: Airtable has 28, SeaTable 26.
• Support: Airtable offers optional corporate support with SLAs, SeaTable does not.
• Ecosystem: There are more third-party integrations, templates and tutorials for Airtable.

Who SeaTable is not right for: teams that mainly want to use AI to build their databases and apps, and companies that need contractually guaranteed response times.

Switching from Airtable: When creating a base, choose “Import from Airtable” and enter the base ID and a personal access token. All tables, all rows including attachments, all columns except button, count, lookup and rollup, and the views are transferred. Formula columns are created with the original Airtable formula as a placeholder; you then translate the formula into SeaTable syntax. For more control, there is a migration script.

Price: Free (10,000 rows, 25 users), Plus €7, Enterprise €14 per user per month with annual billing. All details on the pricing page.

Verdict: The obvious choice if you want to replace Airtable and keep your data in Germany or on your own servers. Learn more on our page SeaTable as an Airtable alternative.

2. Baserow – the open-source alternative from the Netherlands #

Baserow is a no-code database from Baserow B.V., based in Amsterdam. The core is licensed under MIT and can be self-hosted freely.

Best for: teams that want to run and customize an open-source solution themselves.

Where Baserow beats Airtable:

• EU provider; according to Baserow, cloud data is stored in Germany (Baserow).
• Self-hostable, with the core under the MIT license. Premium and Enterprise features are under a separate, non-open-source license (license).
• 3,000 rows for free; Airtable Free offers 1,000 records per base.
• The AI assistant creates tables, fields, views and formulas.

Where Airtable is better:

• When importing from Airtable, formulas, lookups, rollups, automations and interfaces are lost (Baserow docs).
• Row limits apply per workspace, not per base.

Who Baserow is not right for: teams that want to bring many Airtable formulas and automations with them.

Price: Free, Premium $10, Advanced $18 per user per month with annual billing (pricing).

Verdict: The strongest choice if a true open-source license is a must.

3. NocoDB – the interface for existing databases #

NocoDB puts an Airtable-like interface on top of a SQL database. The provider is NocoDB Inc., based in the US.

Best for: developer teams that want to make an existing Postgres or MySQL database usable for business users.

Where NocoDB beats Airtable:

• Self-hosted without limits on records, storage and users.
• 300,000 records on the Business plan, compared to 125,000 on Airtable Business.
• External databases can be connected (from Business).
• The Airtable import also transfers views with filters and sorting (NocoDB docs).

Where Airtable is better:

• For NocoDB Cloud, neither an EU region nor a data processing agreement is documented (legal).
• Formulas are not transferred during import.

Who NocoDB is not right for: business departments without technical support. In addition, NocoDB is not under an open-source license in the strict sense, but under the Sustainable Use License.

Price: Free, Plus $12, Business $24, Scale $45 per user per month with annual billing. On Plus and Business, you pay for at most 9 users (pricing).

Verdict: Strong for technical teams that self-host. For the cloud version, we are missing information on data protection.

4. Grist – tables with Python formulas #

Grist combines a spreadsheet with a relational database. The provider is Grist Labs Inc., based in New York.

Best for: teams that like working with formulas and want to run an open-source solution themselves.

Where Grist beats Airtable:

• Grist Core is licensed under Apache 2.0 and can be self-hosted for free.
• Formulas in Python.
• 5,000 records per document for free.
• Affordable: Pro costs $8 per user per month.

Where Airtable is better:

• The cloud runs on AWS in the US, without SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification (Grist docs).
• Automations are only available on the Business plan.
• When importing from Airtable, views, interfaces and forms are not transferred.

Who Grist is not right for: teams that want to use the cloud version with sensitive data and depend on hosting in the EU.

Price: Free, Pro $8, Business $24 (min. 5 users) per user per month with annual billing (pricing).

Verdict: A very good choice when self-hosted; in the cloud, less suitable for personal data from the EU.

5. SmartSuite – a work platform with many industry templates #

SmartSuite is a work platform with a database, project management and many industry templates. The provider is SmartSuite Holdings, Inc., based in California.

Best for: teams that want to combine a database with project management and are looking for ready-made templates for their industry.

Where SmartSuite beats Airtable:

• Professional costs $32 for 100,000 records, Airtable Business $45 for 125,000.
• Hosting in the EU (Ireland) is possible. The information is contradictory: according to the help center, the region can be selected; according to the pricing page, only on the Enterprise plan.
• Data processing agreement on all plans.

Where Airtable is better:

• No free version, only a 14-day trial.
• At least 3 users on the Team plan, 5 on Professional.
• Only 5,000 records per solution on the Team plan.

Who SmartSuite is not right for: individuals, small teams on a tight budget and anyone who needs to self-host.

Price: Team $15, Professional $32 per user per month with annual billing (pricing).

Verdict: Strong on templates and project work, but also a US provider without self-hosting.

6. Notion – documents and databases in one #

Notion combines documents, wikis and simple databases. The provider is Notion Labs, Inc., based in San Francisco.

Best for: teams for whom text and knowledge are central and databases play a supporting role.

Where Notion beats Airtable:

• Documents and databases in one tool.
• Cheaper: Business costs €19.50 per user per month, Airtable Business $45.
• Certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

Where Airtable is better:

• The database features are weaker, especially for links and large data volumes.
• There is no import from Airtable, only via CSV (Notion help).
• Data residency in the EU is only available on the Enterprise plan.

Who Notion is not right for: teams that manage structured data with many links and automations.

Price: Free, Plus €9.50, Business €19.50 per user per month with annual billing (pricing).

Verdict: An alternative if you have mostly used Airtable as a better wiki.

7. Microsoft Lists – the obvious choice with Microsoft 365 #

Microsoft Lists is part of Microsoft 365 and based on SharePoint.

Best for: organizations that already use Microsoft 365 and need simple lists without additional software.

Where Microsoft Lists beats Airtable:

• Often already licensed, no additional cost.
• Up to 30 million items per list (Microsoft).
• Data within Microsoft’s EU Data Boundary.

Where Airtable is better:

• No import from Airtable, only from Excel or CSV.
• AI features require an additional Copilot license.
• Less flexible with links, views and automations.

Who Microsoft Lists is not right for: teams that want to model complex relational databases, and anyone who wants to become independent of US corporations.

Price: included in Microsoft 365, from Business Basic at approx. €6.07 per user per month with annual billing (since the price increase in July 2026).

Verdict: Pragmatic for simple lists in Microsoft environments, but not a full replacement for Airtable.

8. Google Sheets and AppSheet – free and familiar #

Google Sheets is a spreadsheet, AppSheet turns it into apps without code. Both are part of Google Workspace.

Best for: organizations using Google Workspace and simple use cases on a small budget.

Where Google Sheets and AppSheet beat Airtable:

• Included in Google Workspace, from €6.80 per user per month (pricing).
• Up to 20 million cells per spreadsheet.
• An EU data region from Business Standard.
• Gemini in AppSheet builds tables and columns from a description.

Where Airtable is better:

• A spreadsheet is not a relational database.
• Two tools have to be combined.
• No import from Airtable, only via CSV.

Who Google Sheets is not right for: teams with linked data, row-level permissions or many users working at the same time.

Price: included in Google Workspace, AppSheet on its own from $5 per user per month.

Verdict: Sufficient for simple cases, but usually too little database for switching from Airtable.

Features compared #

In the rows for apps, automations, permissions and single sign-on, ✅ means: included in all plans. Otherwise, we name the plan from which the feature is available.

Cost compared: a team of 10 users #

This is what the tools cost per year for a team of 10 users with annual billing. For each tool, we compare the cheapest paid plan and the next plan up, together with the number of records the plan allows. Pay attention to the unit: some vendors limit per base or document, others for the entire workspace. We have not converted US dollar prices. Euro prices are the prices shown for customers in Germany.

Microsoft Lists and Google Sheets are not included in this table because they are part of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. If you already use these suites, they cost you nothing extra.

Two special cases: on Plus and Business, NocoDB charges for at most 9 users; every additional user is free. That is why 10 users cost the same as 9 here. With SmartSuite, you only pay for users who edit data. Anyone who only reads, comments or fills out forms is free.

If you self-host, Baserow, NocoDB and Grist charge no license fee for the basic version, SeaTable for up to 3 users. Server and operating costs come on top. For a detailed look at how the three self-hostable tools differ, see our comparison Baserow vs. NocoDB vs. SeaTable.

Other tools we did not include #

Many lists of Airtable alternatives include other tools. We deliberately left them out because they only partially replace Airtable:

• Teable: a young open-source alternative (AGPL-3.0) based on PostgreSQL. Interesting for technical teams, but not yet as mature as the tools in our comparison. We are keeping an eye on it.
• Coda: combines documents with tables and building blocks for small applications. Like Notion, it is more of a document tool than a database.
• ClickUp, monday.com, Asana and Smartsheet: tools for project and task management. They are a good fit if you mainly used Airtable for projects, but not as a general-purpose database.
• Zoho Creator: a low-code platform for custom business applications. Powerful, but much closer to software development than Airtable.
• Microsoft Excel: not a database, but a spreadsheet. We explain the difference in the FAQ.

Which Airtable alternative is right for you? #

• You need hosting in Germany and a contractual partner in the EU: SeaTable, alternatively 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 source: Baserow or Grist.
• You want to make an existing SQL database usable: NocoDB.
• You want to relearn as little as possible: SeaTable, Baserow or NocoDB. 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.

How to switch from Airtable #

1. Take stock of your bases: Which bases are actively used, by whom, with what data?
2. Document automations, interfaces and formulas: None of the tools transfers these completely.
3. Test import: Import one base into the new tool and check what is missing.
4. Set up permissions again: Permissions are usually not transferred.
5. Run both in parallel: Work in both systems for a few weeks before switching Airtable off.
6. Cancel Airtable and export your data: Before canceling, also back up all bases as CSV.

FAQ #

Conclusion #

The best Airtable alternative depends on what you want to replace in Airtable. If data sovereignty is your priority, meaning a provider in the EU, servers in Germany and the option to self-host, SeaTable is the right choice. If you need a true open-source license, choose Baserow or Grist. And if you mainly value Airtable’s AI features, there is currently no equivalent replacement.

Try SeaTable for free and import your first Airtable base in just a few minutes.

Changelog #

We review prices, limits and features regularly and record changes here.

• October 5, 2026: Checked all prices and limits on the vendors’ websites. Added the cost comparison for 10 users, features for apps, automations, permissions and single sign-on, and the price of Microsoft 365.
• September 30, 2026: First version.

TAGS: Tools & Plugins When Excel Is No Longer Sufficient