# Airtable Alternatives 2027: 10 Paid, Free & Open-Source

Source: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/airtable/
Prices checked: 2026-11-11 (Zekai Price Ledger)

The best Airtable alternatives in 2027 are Notion (best overall, $10/member/mo), Fibery (best free plan: 10 users, 10 databases) and Baserow (best open source, MIT). Airtable itself starts at $20/user/mo billed yearly. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 11 Nov 2026; 7 more are compared below, including 2 with a free plan and 4 open source.

| Tool | Type | Starting price | Free plan limit | Licence | Best for | Price checked | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtable (the tool being replaced) | — | $20/user/mo billed yearly | 1,000 records per base, 1 GB attachments | — | — | 2026-11-11 | [pricing](https://www.airtable.com/pricing) |
| Notion | Free plan + paid | $10/member/mo | Unlimited solo blocks, 5 MB files, 7-day history | — | Docs and databases in one workspace | 2026-11-11 | [site](https://www.notion.com) [pricing](https://www.notion.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/notion/) |
| monday.com | Free plan + paid | $9/seat/mo billed yearly | 2 seats, 3 boards, 3 docs | — | Board-based work management for teams | 2026-11-11 | [pricing](https://monday.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/monday-com/) |
| ClickUp | Free plan + paid | $9/user/mo billed yearly | 60 MB storage, 500 AI credits per workspace | — | Tasks, docs and custom fields cheaply | 2026-11-11 | [pricing](https://clickup.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/clickup/) |
| Smartsheet | Paid | $9/member/mo billed annually | No free plan | — | Spreadsheet-style project plans and reporting | 2026-11-11 | [pricing](https://www.smartsheet.com/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/smartsheet/) |
| Fibery | Free plan + paid | $12/user/mo billed annually | 10 users, 10 databases, 1 GB storage | — | Linked databases across teams on a free tier | 2026-11-11 | [pricing](https://fibery.io/pricing) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/ai-tools/fibery/) |
| AppFlowy | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | AGPL-3.0 | Open-source Notion-style notes and boards | 2026-11-11 | [code](https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/appflowy/) |
| NocoBase | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 | Self-hosted no-code business apps | 2026-11-11 | [code](https://github.com/nocobase/nocobase) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/nocobase/) |
| Baserow | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | MIT | Spreadsheet-style database you can self-host | 2026-11-11 | [code](https://github.com/baserow/baserow) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/baserow/) |
| NocoDB | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Sustainable | Spreadsheet UI over your own database | 2026-11-11 | [code](https://github.com/nocodb/nocodb) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/nocodb/) |
| Grist | Open source | Free (self-hosted) | No limit (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 | Relational spreadsheet with formula columns | 2026-11-11 | [code](https://github.com/gristlabs/grist-core) [Zekai page](https://zekaiwork.com/free-open-source/grist/) |

## How each alternative compares with Airtable

- **Notion** (Free plan + paid, $10/member/mo, checked 2026-11-11): Databases live beside pages and wikis in one workspace, with limited charts (one per database on Free) and Notion AI; Airtable is database-first with interface and automation tools. Switch if your tables are mostly notes, wikis and lightweight trackers that belong beside written pages. Stay with Airtable if you rely on large relational bases, automations and interfaces rather than documents.
- **monday.com** (Free plan + paid, $9/seat/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-11): Sells separate work management, CRM, service and dev products by seat, and its Free plan stops at 2 seats and 3 boards; plans start at three users. Switch if you run team workflows on boards and want ready-made CRM, service or dev products from one vendor. Stay with Airtable if you want one flexible base design that you shape into any app without buying vertical products.
- **ClickUp** (Free plan + paid, $9/user/mo billed yearly, checked 2026-11-11): Core gives unlimited storage and custom fields for $9 per user, against Airtable Team at $20; Free Forever caps storage at 60 MB and custom fields are a trial. Switch if you track tasks and projects with custom fields and want unlimited storage at less than half the seat price. Stay with Airtable if you need records far beyond task lists, with linked tables, sync and database-style views.
- **Smartsheet** (Paid, $9/member/mo billed annually, checked 2026-11-11): Grid-first sheets built around project plans, with Pro at $9 and Business at $19 per member billed annually; there is a 30-day trial and no free plan. Switch if your team plans work in spreadsheet-style sheets and wants timelines and reporting from a single grid. Stay with Airtable if you need a free plan or relational links between several tables rather than standalone sheets.
- **Fibery** (Free plan + paid, $12/user/mo billed annually, checked 2026-11-11): Free allows 10 users and 10 databases with unlimited entities, 1 GB storage, 250 automation runs a month and EU data residency. Switch if you want linked databases for up to ten people on a free plan with unlimited records. Stay with Airtable if you need more than ten collaborators on one workspace or Airtable's interface and extension tools.
- **AppFlowy** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): An AGPL-3.0 workspace built in Flutter and Rust with kanban boards and task databases, aimed at notes and wikis more than relational data. Switch if you want an open-source notes and wiki workspace with boards and task databases you can host yourself. Stay with Airtable if you need relational bases with lookups, rollups and an automation builder for business processes.
- **NocoBase** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): An Apache-2.0 no-code platform for building custom business systems on your own server, with a data model you design before choosing the interface. Switch if you want to build internal business apps on infrastructure you control under a permissive licence. Stay with Airtable if you prefer a hosted product with spreadsheet-style editing and no server to maintain.
- **Baserow** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Open-core with an MIT-licensed core, self-hosting with no storage restrictions or sign-up, and Docker, Helm and one-click installs; premium features sit behind separate licences. Switch if you want an Airtable-like spreadsheet database that you can host yourself with your data fully in-house. Stay with Airtable if you want Airtable's hosted interfaces and AI credits without running or updating a server.
- **NocoDB** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): Describes itself as a self-hostable Airtable alternative and can run on SQLite or Postgres, but its Sustainable Use License is source-available, not OSI open source. Switch if you want a spreadsheet-style interface and REST APIs on top of a database that you host. Stay with Airtable if you need a licence that is fully open source or a vendor-managed service with support.
- **Grist** (Open source, Free (self-hosted)): A relational spreadsheet whose named columns hold one data type and can be filled by formulas, with direct import from Airtable. Switch if you want formula-driven columns in a relational spreadsheet and can import your Airtable data directly. Stay with Airtable if you rely on Airtable's visual interface designer and hosted automations more than spreadsheet formulas.

## Open-source options in detail

- **AppFlowy** (https://github.com/AppFlowy-IO/AppFlowy): Licence: AGPL-3.0
- **NocoBase** (https://github.com/nocobase/nocobase): Licence: Apache-2.0
- **Baserow** (https://github.com/baserow/baserow): Licence: MIT
- **NocoDB** (https://github.com/nocodb/nocodb): Licence: Sustainable
- **Grist** (https://github.com/gristlabs/grist-core): Licence: Apache-2.0

## Questions

### What is the best alternative to Airtable in 2027?
Notion is the best overall Airtable alternative on this page ($10/member/mo). For no cost, Fibery has a free plan (10 users, 10 databases, 1 GB storage). To self-host, Baserow is open source (MIT).

### Is there a free version of Airtable?
Yes. Airtable has a free plan: 1,000 records per base, 1 GB attachments. Paid plans start at $20/user/mo billed yearly, checked on 11 Nov 2026.

### Is there a 100% free alternative to Airtable?
Yes. AppFlowy, NocoBase, Baserow, NocoDB, Grist are open source and free to self-host. Notion, monday.com, ClickUp, Fibery have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

### What is cheaper than Airtable?
ClickUp starts at $9/user/mo billed yearly, against $20/user/mo billed yearly for Airtable, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 11 Nov 2026.

### How much do Airtable alternatives cost for a team of 5?
If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 11 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is monday.com $45/mo, ClickUp $45/mo, Smartsheet $45/mo, against Airtable $100/mo for Airtable. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

### Which is better, Notion or Airtable?
Databases live beside pages and wikis in one workspace, with limited charts (one per database on Free) and Notion AI; Airtable is database-first with interface and automation tools. Choose Notion if your tables are mostly notes, wikis and lightweight trackers that belong beside written pages. Stay with Airtable if you rely on large relational bases, automations and interfaces rather than documents.

### Why are people leaving Airtable?
The documented reasons are: Airtable's August 2023 plan changes renamed Pro to Team at $20 per user billed annually ($24 monthly), cut Pro automation runs from 50,000 to 25,000 and capped API calls at 100,000 per workspace a month (23 Aug 2023); Airtable's Free plan is capped at 1,000 records per base and reaching the record or attachment limit blocks new records or attachments until you upgrade (11 Nov 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

### Is there an open source alternative to Airtable?
Yes. Baserow and Grist are the closest to the spreadsheet-database model, and NocoBase suits building internal apps. NocoDB is source-available rather than strictly open source.

## Related on Zekai

- [Notion alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/notion/)
- [ClickUp alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/clickup/)
- [Asana alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/asana/)
- [Jira alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/jira/)
- [Trello alternatives](https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/trello/)
- [AI for Project Management & Agile](https://zekaiwork.com/professions/ai-project-management-agile/)

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Live table, team cost finder and price alerts: https://zekaiwork.com/alternatives/airtable/