Baserow vs Mathesar (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Baserow grades higher than Mathesar: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Baserow grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Baserow
Open-source no-code database and application builder
Which one is for you
Pick Baserow if
- Fits if you want an Airtable-style database on your own server, with no row or storage limits
- Works for organisations with data residency rules who can run it in-house
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free on the cloud, where new rows are blocked after 7 days over the 3,000 cap
- Skip it if you want a phone app for looking things up, as it's web only
- Pricey if you need role-based permissions, audit logs or single sign-on, which start at $18 a user a month
- Too light for free users who want Kanban, Calendar or Timeline views or row comments, which need Premium
- Watch out: the cloud API allows 10 concurrent requests, and the Advanced trial's length isn't published
Pick Mathesar if
- Fits if you run Postgres and want non-technical people to edit rows
- Makes sense if you want a database screen under your own control
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't have a Postgres database, as it works with nothing else
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server, since you host it with Docker
- Watch out: Mathesar Cloud is described as early beta and has no published price
- Watch out: no desktop or phone apps are listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABaserowGood | 2.0GPAMathesarFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $10 a user a month billed yearly, $12 monthly, and the middle price in this category is $9.99, so it's the ordinary rate. That buys 50,000 rows, all the views and the AI features. Role-based permissions, audit logs and single sign-on wait for Advanced at $18. | CFree and open source, but you have to run it on a server of your own, and software that is only free if you host it yourself sits at a C. The cloud version has no published price. |
| Free plan and trial | BHosted free is capped at 3,000 rows and 2 GB per workspace, with 2,000 automation credits and only Grid, Form and Gallery views. Self-hosting is free with no row, storage or API limits, if you run the server yourself. | BThere is no paid plan and no cap, so everything is free once you have somewhere to run it. The server is your cost. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole no-code database job: linked tables with over 20 field types, Grid, Form, Gallery, Kanban, Calendar, Timeline and Survey views, an Application Builder for portals and internal tools, automations with branches and loops, an assistant that drafts a database from a description, and an open API. | CSpreadsheet-like editing, queries without SQL, Postgres permissions and single sign-on. It is a window onto Postgres and not a spreadsheet, so it only does that smaller job. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and the work here is building the thing itself: tables, fields, views and permissions before anybody can use it. Kuma drafts a first database from a description, and self-hosting adds Docker, Helm, AWS or Cloudron on top. | DNo store rating on record. You install it with Docker and point it at a database, so a technical person sets it up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA browser and nothing else, with no desktop or phone apps listed, so an A is out. What it does have is connections: Zapier, n8n, Make, Slack, Jira, GitHub and HubSpot, an open API with a published OpenAPI spec, and webhooks. The cloud API allows 10 concurrent requests. | CWeb only, and PostgreSQL only. No desktop or phone app is listed. |
| Best for | an Airtable-style database you can host yourself | a spreadsheet-like screen on your own Postgres database |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Baserow and Mathesar. How we grade
Price against what you get
Baserow starts at $10 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mathesar has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Baserow scores higher, and starts $10 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other spreadsheet and database tools on the chart, 5 score higher than Baserow for less, and none scores higher than Mathesar for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Baserow also covers workflow automation, app builder and no-code.
- Mathesar also covers forms and spreadsheets.
At a glance
| Baserow | Mathesar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $10 per user / month, billed yearly | Free |
| Free plan | Free plan on Baserow Cloud: 3,000 rows and 2 GB of storage per workspace, 2,000 automation credits a month and 3 view types. The self-hosted version has no row or storage limits. | None |
| Free trial | Free trial of the Advanced plan; the pricing page does not state its length | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Baserow B.V. | Mathesar Foundation |
| Price read from | baserow.io | mathesar.org |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Baserow
- Cloud plans cap rows per workspace at 3,000 on Free, 50,000 on Premium and 250,000 on Advanced; after 7 days over the cap, new rows are blocked.
- The Free plan is limited to Grid, Form and Gallery views and CSV export; Kanban, Calendar and Timeline views and row comments need Premium.
- Role-based permissions, audit logs and single sign-on start at the Advanced plan, $18 per user / month billed yearly.
- Baserow Cloud limits the API to 10 concurrent requests; the self-hosted version has no rate limit.
Mathesar
- It works only with PostgreSQL databases.
- You host it yourself; Mathesar Cloud is noted in the documentation as early beta and no price is published.
- No mobile or desktop apps are listed; it is a web interface.
Key features
Baserow
- Relational databases and views
- Tables link to one another and offer more than 20 field types. Grid, Form and Gallery views are free; Kanban, Calendar, Timeline and Survey views need a paid plan.
- Application Builder
- A drag-and-drop builder for internal tools, client portals and admin panels that sit on Baserow data, published on a Baserow subdomain or a custom domain.
- Automations
- No-code workflows with triggers, branches, conditions and loops, native HTTP, email and webhook actions, and third-party connectors. Runs draw on a monthly credit allowance.
- Kuma and AI fields
- Kuma, the built-in assistant, sets up databases and applications from a description, and the AI field creates, classifies and enriches data. Teams can bring their own LLM.
- Self-hosting
- Baserow can be installed with Docker, Helm, AWS or Cloudron. The self-hosted version has no limits on rows, storage or API requests, and paid features are licensed per user.
- API and data sync
- An open API with a published OpenAPI specification, plus webhooks. Data sync covers PostgreSQL tables and iCal feeds; Jira, GitLab, GitHub and HubSpot sync is part of the Advanced plan.
Mathesar
- Spreadsheet-like editing
- View, add and edit Postgres records in a grid, and import or export data in the UI.
- Queries without SQL
- Join tables, filter, sort, group and summarize data to make custom views.
- Postgres permissions
- Access control relies on native Postgres roles, schemas and tables rather than a separate layer.
- Self-hosting
- Installs with Docker Compose in minutes, with guides for DigitalOcean and Railway.
- Single sign-on
- The administrator guide documents SSO configuration.
Plans
Baserow
Free$0
3,000 rows and 2 GB of storage per workspace, 2,000 automation credits, 500 external app users, and Grid, Form and Gallery views.
Premium$10
per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)
50,000 rows and 20 GB per workspace, 100,000 automation credits, all view types and AI features.
Advanced$18
per user / month, billed yearly ($22 billed monthly)
250,000 rows and 100 GB per workspace, 500,000 automation credits, role-based permissions and audit logs.
EnterpriseCustom
1,000,000 rows and 1,000 GB per workspace, unlimited external app users, implementation support and payment by invoice.
Mathesar
Self-hosted$0
Open-source software you install and host yourself, with Docker; no paid plan is listed.
Ways to pay less
Baserow
- Annual discount
Lower rates with yearly billing
Premium is $10 per user a month billed yearly against $12 billed monthly, and Advanced is $18 against $22, a saving of roughly 17% to 18%.
- Nonprofit
Discounts for non-profits
Baserow's pricing FAQ says it offers discounts for non-profits. The amount is not published and is arranged through the sales team.
- Education
Discounts for education
The same FAQ says discounts are available for education. The amount is not published and is arranged through the sales team.
Mathesar
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Baserow or Mathesar?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mathesar is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $10 a month for each person for Baserow. Baserow starts at $10 per user / month, billed yearly, and Mathesar is free.
Which has a free plan, Baserow or Mathesar?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Baserow and Mathesar have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.