head to head · open source
NocoDB vs Grist
NocoDB has 64,998 GitHub stars, 5,054 forks, 710 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Grist has 11,815 stars, 644 forks, 727 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. NocoDB leads on adoption by 450% (64,998 vs 11,815 stars). NocoDB is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Grist is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. NocoDB has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Grist 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 (spreadsheet), 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 | Grist | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 65K | ★ 12K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 644 |
| 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 Grist if
- You want the Grist feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Grist 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 Grist
Grist is a modern relational spreadsheet that combines spreadsheet flexibility with database robustness. It lives in the open source database and spreadsheet ecosystem, and the grist core repository provides the server needed to host spreadsheets. The project is positioned as an open alternative to Airtable and Microsoft Excel. Grist Community edition is also known as grist core.
read the full Grist overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NocoDB or Grist more popular?
NocoDB has 64,998 GitHub stars and Grist has 11,815. NocoDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are NocoDB and Grist free?
Both are open source. NocoDB has no licence declared in this registry, and Grist is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between NocoDB and Grist?
NocoDB is written in TypeScript and Grist in TypeScript. 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 Grist?
Choose NocoDB if you want the larger community (64,998 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Grist if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.