# Mathesar review (2026): is it any good? > Open-source spreadsheet-like interface for Postgres Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Mathesar is an open-source interface for viewing, editing and querying PostgreSQL data in a spreadsheet-like UI. It runs on your own infrastructure, uses Postgres permissions for access control, and is maintained by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. A hosted Mathesar Cloud is in early beta. - **Category:** Spreadsheets & Databases - **Made by:** Mathesar Foundation - **Website:** https://mathesar.org - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you don't have a Postgres database, as it works with nothing else. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Mathesar is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Self-hosted | $0 | Open-source software you install and host yourself, with Docker; no paid plan is listed. | Read from https://mathesar.org/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Mathesar before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Teams with a Postgres database who want a non-technical editing UI - Organizations that must keep data on their own servers ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Mathesar is an open-source interface that lets you view, edit and query PostgreSQL data in a spreadsheet-like screen, using Postgres permissions for access. You host it yourself, it only works with Postgres, and the hosted cloud is still an early beta with no price. - **Value for money: C.** Free 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: B.** There is no paid plan and no cap, so everything is free once you have somewhere to run it. The server is your cost. - **Features: C.** Spreadsheet-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: D.** No 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: C.** Web only, and PostgreSQL only. No desktop or phone app is listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Mathesar's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among spreadsheet and database tools - Mathesar's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 4 of the 42 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade, and level with 4. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 20 of 42) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Mathesar has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/spreadsheets ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Mathesar is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 34 of the 42 other spreadsheet and database tools grade higher. - You could make: Forms: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: A spreadsheet engine with its formulas. - You could not: Databases with views, filters and links between them. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on and roles and permissions. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with PostgreSQL **Tags:** Databases, Spreadsheets, Open source, Self-hostable, Forms ## Alternatives - [NocoDB](https://toolgpa.com/tools/nocodb): No-code database with a spreadsheet interface, cloud or self-hosted. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mathesar-vs-nocodb) - [Baserow](https://toolgpa.com/tools/baserow): Open-source no-code database and application builder. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/baserow-vs-mathesar) - [Grist](https://toolgpa.com/tools/grist): Open-source relational spreadsheet with Python formulas. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/grist-vs-mathesar) - [Rowy](https://toolgpa.com/tools/rowy): Spreadsheet-style UI and low-code backend for Firebase. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mathesar-vs-rowy) - [SeaTable](https://toolgpa.com/tools/seatable): No-code database and app builder, in the cloud or self-hosted. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mathesar-vs-seatable) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://mathesar.org/ - https://mathesar.org/product - https://mathesar.org/about - https://docs.mathesar.org/latest/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/mathesar Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).