The NocoBase Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about NocoBase in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
NocoBase
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source platform for building business systems with AI agents
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among spreadsheet and database tools, read from NocoBase’s own pages.
Made by NocoBase · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from NocoBase’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on NocoBase’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 17 of the 63 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade
NocoBase is an open-source platform for building and running internal business systems. NocoBase Core supplies building blocks such as permissions, workflows, files and notifications, and Studio manages teams of coding agents. Core is free to self-host, and paid editions are sold as one-time perpetual licenses rather than subscriptions.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about NocoBase, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Self-hosted only: you install it, run the servers and look after upgrades.
- 1
Best for self-hosted business systems you own
NocoBase is an open-source platform for building business systems, with its own building blocks and ready-made solution apps.
- 2
What it costs
Paid plans start at $8,000 one-time.
- 3
There is a free plan
Community edition: free, open source and self-hosted, with Core building blocks, Solution apps and community support; free for production and client delivery.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Core building blocks
Core provides over 20 ready blocks, including permissions, workflows, files and notifications, so builders write only business-specific logic.
- 6
Databases and external sources
Core runs on SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server or Oracle and can connect existing databases as external data sources.
- 7
Permissions and SSO
Role-based access covers pages, actions and data, with the same rules applied to people and agents. SAML and LDAP SSO is a paid feature.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 17 of 63
That is against the other spreadsheet and database tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace NocoBase you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
NocoBase at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $8,000 one-time
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- NocoBase
- Category
- Spreadsheets & Databases
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for self-hosted business systems you own
NocoBase is an open-source platform for building business systems, with its own building blocks and ready-made solution apps. The core is free, but you run it yourself, and Studio, advanced approvals and enterprise sign-in need the $8,000 Professional licence.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | The software is free but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. The paid Professional licence is $8,000 once, with a year of upgrades and support. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The Community edition is free, open source and allowed for production and client work. You pay your own server and model providers. |
| Features | C | Building blocks, external databases, permissions and solution apps. Studio, advanced approvals and enterprise SSO sit on the $8,000 tier. |
| Ease of use | D | Self-hosted only: you install it, run the servers and look after upgrades. No store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web with a real list of connections: PostgreSQL, MySQL, S3, Claude Code, Codex, Feishu and DingTalk. No desktop or phone app is listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who NocoBase is for
- Fits if you have someone who can run a server and want to own the data
- Works for agencies that deliver systems to clients and don't want per-seat fees
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, as the listing offers self-hosting only
- Not for you if nobody on your team can maintain a server
- Pricey if you need Studio, advanced approvals or SSO, all on the $8,000 Professional licence
- Watch out: an older NocoBase page still shows an $800 Standard edition the current page doesn't, and renewal cost after year one isn't stated
Good to know
Good for
- Developer teams building internal tools on their own servers
- Organizations that prefer a one-time license to subscriptions
- Teams that want to put coding agents under one governed workflow
Worth knowing
- Self-hosted only: you run the servers, models and agents, and pay those providers yourself.
- An older NocoBase 2 pricing page still lists a $800 Standard edition, which the current pricing page does not show.
- Studio, advanced approvals and enterprise SSO need the $8,000 Professional edition.
- Upgrades and support are included for 1 year with each paid license; the page does not state what a renewal costs.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$8,000 one-time
To start. There is a free plan too
NocoBase has a free plan. Paid plans start at $8,000 one-time.
The software is free but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server.
Community
$0
Open-source Core and every Solution app, which you host yourself, with docs and community support.
Professional
$8,000
one-time, perpetual license with 1 year of upgrades and support
Adds Studio, advanced approvals, enterprise SSO and one deployment done by the NocoBase team.
Enterprise
Custom
Adds clustering, multi-tenant and multi-app setups, audit logs, air-gapped delivery and priority support; also a one-time license.
The free plan
Community edition: free, open source and self-hosted, with Core building blocks, Solution apps and community support; free for production and client delivery.
Read from nocobase.com on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Lifetime license
One-time perpetual license
Professional is $8,000 once, with a perpetual license and 1 year of upgrades and support; Enterprise is a custom-quoted one-time license.
Stated on nocobase.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Open-source platform for building business systems with AI agents. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, databases, workflow automation, AI agents, app builder, no-code.
Building blocks, external databases, permissions and solution apps.
- Core building blocks
- Core provides over 20 ready blocks, including permissions, workflows, files and notifications, so builders write only business-specific logic.
- Databases and external sources
- Core runs on SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server or Oracle and can connect existing databases as external data sources.
- Permissions and SSO
- Role-based access covers pages, actions and data, with the same rules applied to people and agents. SAML and LDAP SSO is a paid feature.
- Studio for agent teams
- Studio connects Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode as an agent team with checks, review and human sign-off before every merge.
- Solution apps
- Ready apps such as NocoCRM, NocoITAM and NocoReach are built on Core, are free and open source, and run on your own servers.
- Own your data and models
- Code and data stay in your repositories and on your servers, and you pay your chosen model and agent providers directly.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Claude Code
- Codex
- OpenCode
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- S3
- Feishu
- DingTalk
NocoBase is made by NocoBase.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
17/63
Other spreadsheet and database tools it is graded above
NocoBase's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 17 of the 63 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 31 of 63) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 64 spreadsheet and database tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. NocoBase’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 12 of 63
- BFree plan and trialAbove 31 of 63
- CFeaturesAbove 5 of 63
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 63
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 21 of 63
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace NocoBase you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 36 of the 63 other spreadsheet and database tools grade higher. It costs $8,000, paid once. NocoBase is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- A builder that other people can use without writing code.
- A tool that builds and hosts other apps.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Databases with views, filters and links between them.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on and roles and permissions.
What this rests on. NocoBase’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
NocoDB, Baserow, Teable, Grist and Rowy
The 5 tools NocoBase is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
NocoDB
Free plan · from $12/mo
No-code database with a spreadsheet interface, cloud or self-hosted.
- NocoBase is open source, according to its own site.
- NocoBase also covers AI agents and app builder.
- NocoDB also covers kanban boards and forms.
- 2.6GPA
Baserow
Free plan · from $10/mo
Open-source no-code database and application builder.
- NocoBase also covers AI agents.
- 2.6GPA
Teable
Free plan · from $13/mo
AI spreadsheet-database with app builder and automations.
- NocoBase also covers AI agents.
- 2.6GPA
Grist
Free plan · from $8/mo
Open-source relational spreadsheet with Python formulas.
- Only Grist lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- NocoBase also covers workflow automation, AI agents, app builder and no-code.
- Grist also covers spreadsheets.
- 2.2GPA
Rowy
Free plan · from $12/mo
Spreadsheet-style UI and low-code backend for Firebase.
- NocoBase also covers AI agents, app builder and no-code.
- Rowy also covers spreadsheets.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is NocoBase free?
NocoBase has a free plan. Community edition: free, open source and self-hosted, with Core building blocks, Solution apps and community support; free for production and client delivery.
How much does NocoBase cost?
NocoBase lists 3 plans. Community: $0.
What platforms does NocoBase work on?
NocoBase is available on Web.
Does NocoBase offer any discounts?
NocoBase publicly lists the following: One-time perpetual license.
Does NocoBase have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. NocoBase is listed for Web.
Does NocoBase have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. NocoBase is listed for Web.
Is NocoBase open source?
Yes. NocoBase is open source, according to its own site.
What does NocoBase integrate with?
NocoBase's listing names Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, PostgreSQL, MySQL, S3, Feishu and DingTalk.
Who makes NocoBase?
NocoBase is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to NocoBase?
The closest alternatives to NocoBase in our directory are NocoDB, Baserow, Teable, Grist and Rowy.
How does NocoBase compare with other spreadsheet and database tools?
NocoBase's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 17 of the 63 other spreadsheet and database tools we grade, and level with 10.
Could I make my own version of NocoBase?
To replace NocoBase you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from NocoBase’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from NocoBase's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by NocoBase. Prices change, so check nocobase.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- NocoBase, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/nocobase
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "NocoBase: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/nocobase
Know someone choosing between spreadsheet and database tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/nocobase/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded spreadsheet and database tools after NocoBase, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Spreadsheets & Databases Insider's GuideEvery one of the 64 spreadsheet and database tools we grade, compared
- Zoho Sheet Insider's GuideCollaborative online spreadsheet with a free version3.6 GPA
- Google Sheets Insider's GuideBrowser-based spreadsheet, free with a Google Account3.4 GPA
- Microsoft Excel Insider's GuideSpreadsheet app sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser3.4 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what NocoBase’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. NocoBase is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by NocoBase. Prices and plans change: check nocobase.com before you buy.