Airtable vs NocoDB

Airtable

• Teams that want to shape a database into their own project tracker
• Operations and marketing teams building internal apps without code
• Nonprofits and educators, who can get 50% off the Team plan

NocoDB

• Teams that want a spreadsheet-style front end on Postgres or MySQL
• Self-hosters who want unlimited records and seats at no charge
• Larger teams, since Plus and Business billing stops at 9 seats

Airtable

• The Free plan is capped at 1,000 records per base and 5 editors.
• Record limits apply per base on paid plans too: 50,000 on Team and 125,000 on Business.
• Timeline and Gantt views and extensions are not part of the Free plan.
• Two-way sync and the admin panel need the Business plan at $45 per seat / month.

NocoDB

• The cloud Free plan stops at 1,000 records, 1 GB of storage, 3 editors and 1,000 API calls a month.
• The self-hosted Community edition is released under the Sustainable Use License, which NocoDB describes as fair-code.
• External database connections are not supported on the cloud Plus plan; they start at Business, with 10 connections.
• NocoDB says AI features, extensions and advanced form options are limited to its cloud and paid self-hosted versions.

Airtable

Relational bases

Data lives in bases of linked tables. Record limits per base rise from 1,000 on Free to 50,000 on Team and 125,000 on Business.

Eight view types

A table can be shown as a grid, form, calendar, gallery, kanban, timeline, list or Gantt view. Timeline and Gantt views need the Team plan.

Interfaces

Custom interfaces can be built from base data, giving each team a tailored app on top of the same records.

Automations and sync

Automations handle repetitive steps inside a base. Two-way sync with outside tools is included from the Business plan.

Omni and field agents

Omni builds apps from a plain-language description and field agents run AI across records. Both draw on monthly AI credits: 500 per editor on Free and 15,000 per seat on Team.

Portals

Portals let guest users from outside the organization collaborate on selected data.

NocoDB

Spreadsheet interface for databases

Create an online database from scratch or connect an existing Postgres or MySQL database, then sort, filter and group records in a spreadsheet-like grid.

Multiple view types

The same data can be shown as a Grid, Form, Gallery, Kanban, Calendar or Map view, and the documentation also lists Timeline, Gantt and List views.

Workflows, scripts and webhooks

A visual workflow builder with triggers, actions, conditions and loops, JavaScript scripts with API access to a base, and webhooks that fire when records change.

Interfaces

Interfaces are focused apps built on the data in a base, with pages for dashboards, forms, tables and record detail. The cloud Free plan allows 1 interface of up to 3 pages.

Roles and access control

Five roles from Owner to Viewer, with access control at workspace, base, table, field and record level. Row-level security and audit logs are part of the Scale plan.

APIs and imports

Meta and Data APIs give programmatic access to bases, and data can be imported from Airtable, Excel, CSV and JSON files.

Airtable

• Free$0

  1,000 records and 1 GB of attachments per base, up to 5 editors and 2 weeks of revision history.

• Team$20

  per seat / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly)

  50,000 records and 20 GB of attachments per base, Gantt and timeline views, extensions and 15,000 AI credits per seat a month.

• Business$45

  per seat / month, billed annually ($54 billed monthly)

  125,000 records and 100 GB of attachments per base, two-way sync, an admin panel and 20,000 AI credits per seat a month.

• Enterprise ScaleCustom

  Sold through sales, with pricing based on the organization's needs and 25,000 AI credits per paid user a month.

NocoDB

• Community$0

  Self-hosted fair-code edition with unlimited records, storage and seats, 6 view types, record comments and webhooks, and up to 2 workflows per base.

• Free$0

  Cloud plan for up to 3 editors and 10 commenters: 1,000 records, 1 GB of storage, 100 automation runs, 1 extension and 1 interface.

• Plus$12

  per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)

  50,000 records, 20 GB of storage and 30,000 automation runs. Billing stops at 9 seats ($108 a month); seats beyond that are free.

• Business$24

  per seat / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)

  300,000 records, 100 GB of storage, 10 external database connections, private bases and SAML single sign-on. Billing is capped at $216 a month.

• Scale$45

  per seat / month, billed annually ($54 billed monthly)

  1 million records, 150 GB of storage, 5 million API calls a month, row-level security and audit logs. Listed with a 3-seat minimum.

• EnterpriseCustom

  SCIM and SSO, team hierarchy, priority support and invoice-based payments, with a dedicated customer success manager.

Airtable

• Annual discount

  Lower per-seat price with annual billing

  Team is $20 per seat / month billed annually against $24 monthly, and Business is $45 against $54, about 17% less in both cases.

• Nonprofit

  50% off the Team plan for nonprofits

  Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits, or accredited equivalents outside the US, can apply for 50% off Team seats. Airtable AI is excluded from the discount.

• Education

  50% off Team for educators, free for students

  Employees of accredited educational institutions can get 50% off Team, and students get 6 to 24 months of free access depending on graduation date.

NocoDB

• Annual discount

  20% off with annual billing

  NocoDB's pricing FAQ gives a 20% discount for annual billing: Plus is $12 per seat a month against $15 billed monthly, and Business $24 against $30.