head to head · open source
NocoDB vs algernon
NocoDB has 65,002 GitHub stars, 5,055 forks, 710 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. algernon has 3,028 stars, 149 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. NocoDB leads on adoption by 2,047% (65,002 vs 3,028 stars). NocoDB is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; algernon is written in JavaScript under BSD-3-Clause. NocoDB has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, algernon 5%. NocoDB was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (postgresql), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| NocoDB | algernon | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 65K | ★ 3.0K |
| License | Custom / other | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 149 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick NocoDB if
- You weight community size — 65K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick algernon if
- You want the algernon feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and algernon fits your workflow better
About NocoDB
NocoDB is a free and self hostable open source Airtable alternative that turns an existing relational database into an intuitive spreadsheet interface, built for teams who want no code data management without moving their data into a hosted SaaS product.
read the full NocoDB overview →
About algernon
Algernon is a small, self contained web server written in pure Go that serves dynamic sites and applications from a single executable, with built in support for Lua, Teal, Markdown, Pongo2, TypeScript, npm less React 19, and a choice of SQLite, PostgreSQL, Redis and other database backends — aimed at developers and operators who want to run a web application without assembling and maintaining a separate runtime stack.
read the full algernon overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NocoDB or algernon more popular?
NocoDB has 65,002 GitHub stars and algernon has 3,028. NocoDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are NocoDB and algernon free?
Both are open source. NocoDB has no licence declared in this registry, and algernon is licensed under BSD-3-Clause. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between NocoDB and algernon?
NocoDB is written in TypeScript and algernon in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, NocoDB or algernon?
Choose NocoDB if you want the larger community (65,002 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose algernon if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.