head to head · open source
NocoDB vs Grist
NocoDB has 65,408 GitHub stars, 5,131 forks, 710 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Grist has 12,042 stars, 679 forks, 727 open issues and last shipped yesterday. NocoDB leads on adoption by 443% (65,408 vs 12,042 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 6%. Grist 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 | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 679 |
| 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 the fastest and easiest way to build databases online. Website • Discord • Community • Twitter • Reddit • Documentation See other languages » Join Our Community Installation Docker with SQLite Docker with PG Auto upstall Auto upstall is a single command that sets up NocoDB on a server for production usage. Behind the scenes it auto generates docker compose for you. bash bash install.nocodb.com/noco.sh script can be found here in our github Other Methods Binaries are only for quick testing locally. When running locally access nocodb by visiting: For more installation methods, please refer to our docs…
read the full NocoDB overview →
About Grist
Grist Grist is a modern relational spreadsheet. It combines the flexibility of a spreadsheet with the robustness of a database. grist core (this repo – also known as Grist Community edition) has what you need to run a powerful server for hosting spreadsheets. grist desktop is a Linux/macOS/Windows desktop app for viewing and editing spreadsheets stored locally. grist static is a fully in browser build of Grist for displaying spreadsheets on a website without back end support. Grist is developed by Grist Labs, an NYC based company 🇺🇸🗽. The French government 🇫🇷 organizations ANCT Données et Territoires and…
read the full Grist overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NocoDB or Grist more popular?
NocoDB has 65,408 GitHub stars and Grist has 12,042. 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 (65,408 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.