Airtable vs Baserow: Which Database Tool is Best for Your Business in 2025?
Airtable vs Baserow: Which Database Tool is Best for Your Business in 2025
Compare the leading affordable database tools to find the best Airtable competitors for your specific business needs.
Overview: No-Code Database Solutions for Modern Businesses
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are increasingly turning to no-code database solutions to manage their operations efficiently. Airtable and Baserow stand out as two popular options in the database software comparison arena, each offering unique approaches to data management and organization.
Airtable, established in 2012, has gained significant popularity as a spreadsheet-database hybrid with a robust feature set and marketplace of extensions. Its intuitive interface resembles a spreadsheet but offers the power of a relational database, making it accessible to non-technical users while providing advanced capabilities for power users.
Baserow, on the other hand, emerged as an open-source alternative to Airtable, emphasizing data privacy, customization, and affordability. As one of the best Airtable competitors in the open-source space, Baserow offers self-hosting options and greater control over data, appealing to organizations with specific compliance requirements or budget constraints.
Both platforms fall under the category of affordable database tools that empower businesses to create custom applications without extensive coding knowledge. Let's explore how these two solutions compare across essential features to help determine which database tool is best for small business teams and enterprises alike.
Feature Comparison: What Sets These Database Tools Apart
User Interface and Ease of Use
Airtable:
- Polished, visually appealing interface with spreadsheet-like familiarity
- Extensive templates library with pre-built solutions for various industries
- Quick onboarding with interactive guides and tutorials
- Multiple view options including grid, kanban, calendar, and gallery
- More refined UI with smoother animations and visual feedback
Baserow:
- Clean, straightforward interface with minimal learning curve
- Open-source approach with community-contributed templates
- Simpler navigation with fewer nested menus
- Standard views like grid, gallery, and form
- More utilitarian design focused on functionality over aesthetics
Customization and Extensibility
Airtable:
- Robust marketplace with pre-built extensions and integrations
- Custom apps through Airtable Interface Designer
- Advanced formula capabilities with over 100 functions
- Scripting capabilities via Airtable Scripting app
- Automation features limited to higher-tier plans
Baserow:
- Complete access to source code for unlimited customization
- Self-hosted plugin architecture for developers
- Growing ecosystem of community-developed extensions
- Standard formula capabilities with essential functions
- More flexible backend modifications but requires technical expertise
Pricing and Value
Airtable:
- Free tier with basic features and 1,200 records per base
- Plus plan at \$10/user/month with 5,000 records per base
- Pro plan at \$20/user/month with 50,000 records per base
- Enterprise plan with custom pricing for advanced features
- Additional charges for specialized features and extensions
Baserow:
- Free tier with unlimited rows but limited features
- Premium self-hosted option at €5/user/month
- Cloud premium starting at €9/user/month
- Enterprise option with custom pricing for larger organizations
- No hidden costs for most features on paid tiers
Data Security and Compliance
Airtable:
- SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified
- Enterprise-grade security with SSO options
- Regular security audits and compliance updates
- Limited data residency options for international customers
- Comprehensive audit logs and access controls
Baserow:
- Self-hosted option for complete data control
- Customizable data residency options
- Regular updates and community-driven security improvements
- Compliance with GDPR and other regulations
- Granular access controls and audit logs
TableSprint: The Superior Alternative to Both Airtable and Baserow
While Airtable and Baserow both offer compelling features as no-code database solutions, TableSprint emerges as a more comprehensive alternative that addresses the limitations of both platforms while providing additional enterprise-grade capabilities.
TableSprint combines the intuitive interface of Airtable with the flexibility of open-source solutions like Baserow, but goes further with extended functionality that makes it ideal for businesses seeking affordable database tools without compromising on features.
How TableSprint Outperforms Both Alternatives
- Superior Forms Capability: TableSprint's form builder offers twice the functionality of leading solutions, including those found in Airtable and Baserow, rivaling dedicated platforms like Typeform.
- True App Building: Unlike Airtable's limited app interfaces or Baserow's basic views, TableSprint enables you to build fully functional applications that can be published on the Google Play Store through our partner network.
- Advanced Data Relationships: TableSprint's parent-child sheet concept allows you to build complex catalogs, order management systems, and even payment processing by simply connecting your Stripe API key.
- Enterprise-Grade Permissions: While Airtable offers basic permissions and Baserow has limited access controls, TableSprint provides intuitive row-level, field-level, or even cell-level access control—unmatched by either competitor.
- Practical Business Integrations: TableSprint seamlessly connects with email, WhatsApp, and payment gateways by simply plugging in API keys from services like Gmail, Mailtrap, Gupshup, Stripe, and Easebuzz.
When TableSprint Is Your Best Choice
- Cost Efficiency: Experience enterprise-grade features at a more affordable price point than Airtable with none of the technical overhead of Baserow.
- Data Security: Benefit from a multi-tenant architecture with dedicated database schemas per organization, providing superior isolation compared to Airtable's shared infrastructure.
- Scalability: Unlike Baserow's potential performance issues at scale and Airtable's record limitations, TableSprint uses a robust Postgres database designed for enterprise workloads.
- Business Process Integration: While both alternatives focus primarily on data management, TableSprint extends into complete business process automation covering critical workflows like Order-to-Cash and Procure-to-Pay.
- Mobile-First Design: Unlike both Airtable and Baserow's limited mobile experiences, TableSprint offers true mobile app capabilities with native features like barcode scanning.
Ready to experience how TableSprint can transform your database and application needs with superior functionality at a competitive price point?
Schedule a Demo