NocoDB vs Retable (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, NocoDB grades higher than Retable: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
NocoDB grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
NocoDB
No-code database with a spreadsheet interface, cloud or self-hosted
Retable
Online spreadsheet-database with eight views, forms and automations
Which one is for you
Pick NocoDB if
- Fits if you already have a Postgres or MySQL database and want a spreadsheet view of it
- Works for teams of more than 9, since Plus and Business stop billing at 9 seats
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying on the cloud Free plan, which stops at 1,000 records, 3 editors and 1,000 API calls a month
- Pricey if you want to connect your own database on the cloud, as that starts on Business at $24 a seat
- Not for you if you need an open-source licence, as the Community edition is under the Sustainable Use License
- Watch out: AI features, extensions and advanced forms are limited to the cloud and paid self-hosted versions
- Skip it if you want a phone or desktop app, as it's browser only; Scale also has a 3-seat minimum
Pick Retable if
- Fits if you want an Airtable-style database with forms and several views and can pay per user
- Works for a team that wants to connect tables to Zapier or Make
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan: only a 14-day trial is listed
- Tight if your tables are big: 50,000 records per project on Team
- Watch out: automations are capped at 10 with 1,000 runs per project a month
- Watch out: extra runs, storage and password protection are add-ons from $2.49 a month
- Watch out: an older table on the pricing page still mentions Free, Basic and Pro tiers
How we grade them
| 2.6GPANocoDBGood | 2.2GPARetableFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPlus is $12 a seat a month billed annually, $15 monthly, which is above the $9.99 middle for this category and near the $13.00 dear quarter. Billing stops at 9 seats, so a big team pays $108 a month and no more. Connecting your own database on the cloud waits for Business at $24. | CTeam is $12 per user a month, or $120 a year, the middle for spreadsheet tools ($12). A small team of five pays $60 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe cloud Free plan is small: 3 editor seats, 10 commenter seats, 1,000 records, 1 GB of storage and 100 automation runs. The self-hosted Community edition is free with unlimited records, storage and seats, if you'll run the server and accept 2 workflows per base. | CA 14-day free trial of the paid plan, with no free plan listed. The page's older comparison table still mentions a Free tier. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole no-code database job: Grid, Form, Gallery, Kanban, Calendar and Map views, with Timeline and Gantt in the docs too, a visual workflow builder with conditions and loops, JavaScript scripts, webhooks, Interfaces as small apps on your data, access control down to the record, and two APIs. | CEight views, forms, automations and webhooks, a ChatGPT column, roles, Airtable import and an API. Team caps at 50,000 records per project and 10 automations with 1,000 runs a month. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and the work is building the base: tables, views, roles and workflows before it's any use. Imports from Airtable, Excel, CSV or JSON give you a head start, and hosting the Community edition is a server job on top. | CNo store rating on record. It is a web app where the work is building your own tables, views and forms. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA browser, with no desktop or phone apps listed, which is what keeps it off an A. It connects to Postgres and MySQL databases, has Meta and Data APIs and webhooks, and links to Jira, GitHub, GitLab and Zendesk. | BWeb app and Chrome extension with Airtable, Zapier, Make, Pipedream and more, plus a public API. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | a spreadsheet front end for Postgres or MySQL | spreadsheet-database with views, forms and automations |
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: NocoDB and Retable. How we grade
Price against what you get
NocoDB starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Retable starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
NocoDB scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other spreadsheet and database tools on the chart, 5 score higher than NocoDB for less, and 15 score higher than Retable 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
- NocoDB is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- NocoDB also covers no-code.
- Retable also covers spreadsheets.
At a glance
| NocoDB | Retable | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $12 per seat / month, billed annually | $12 per user / month, billed monthly ($120 per user billed yearly) |
| Free plan | Cloud Free plan: 3 editor seats, 10 commenter seats, 1,000 records, 1 GB of storage, 100 automation runs and 1,000 API calls a month. The self-hosted Community edition is free. | None |
| Free trial | The pricing FAQ mentions a free trial of paid plans; its length is not stated | 14-day free trial of the paid plan |
| Web | ||
| Made by | NocoDB, Inc. | Retable |
| Price read from | nocodb.com | retable.io |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Retable
- The pricing page lists only a 14-day trial and the Team plan; an older comparison table on the same page still mentions Free, Basic and Pro tiers.
- Team plan limits: 50,000 records per project and 10 automations with 1,000 runs per project a month.
- Extra automation runs, storage, upload size and URL password protection are sold as add-ons from $2.49 a month.
- Runs in the browser only; the site also offers a Chrome extension but lists no desktop or mobile apps.
Key features
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.
Retable
- Eight data views
- The same table can be shown as grid, list, kanban, card, chart, calendar, map or form view, and views can be shared publicly.
- Online forms
- Forms are generated from a spreadsheet, with customizable fields, and responses appear in the table as they arrive.
- Automations and webhooks
- Built-in automations and webhooks connect Retable to other apps. Webhook usage counts toward the plan's automation limits.
- ChatGPT column type
- A column type calls ChatGPT to enrich data, and the model can be switched from within Retable.
- Teams, roles and branding
- Organizations can manage teams, set roles and grant personal or team access. Team plan accounts can apply custom branding.
- Airtable import and public API
- Airtable bases can be imported without a third-party connector, and a public API is included in the Team plan.
Plans
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.
Retable
Team$12
per user / month, billed monthly ($120 per user billed yearly)
Unlimited workspaces and projects, 50,000 records per project, 10 GB attachments per workspace, 10 automations with 1,000 runs per project a month, public API.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users and records, unlimited automations, on-prem or dedicated cloud, priority support, with SAML SSO, SCIM and a 99.9% uptime SLA.
Ways to pay less
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.
Retable
- Annual discount
Annual billing price on Team
The Team plan shows $144 struck through and $120 a year per user for annual billing, against $12 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, NocoDB or Retable?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. NocoDB starts at $12 per seat / month, billed annually, and Retable starts at $12 per user / month, billed monthly ($120 per user billed yearly).
Which has a free plan, NocoDB or Retable?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only NocoDB has a free plan. Retable does not, though it has a free trial.
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.