head to head · open source
NocoDB vs Mathesar
NocoDB has 64,998 GitHub stars, 5,054 forks, 710 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Mathesar has 5,124 stars, 485 forks, 317 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. NocoDB leads on adoption by 1,169% (64,998 vs 5,124 stars). NocoDB is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Mathesar is written in Svelte under GPL-3.0. NocoDB has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Mathesar 9%. NocoDB was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (airtable-alternative, automatic-api, 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 | Mathesar | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 65K | ★ 5.1K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Svelte |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 485 |
| 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 Mathesar if
- You want the Mathesar feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Svelte
- You evaluated both and Mathesar 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 Mathesar
Mathesar is a self hosted, open source web application that provides a spreadsheet like interface for PostgreSQL databases, designed for users of all technical skill levels to view, edit, query, and collaborate on data without writing code.
read the full Mathesar overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NocoDB or Mathesar more popular?
NocoDB has 64,998 GitHub stars and Mathesar has 5,124. NocoDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are NocoDB and Mathesar free?
Both are open source. NocoDB has no licence declared in this registry, and Mathesar is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between NocoDB and Mathesar?
NocoDB is written in TypeScript and Mathesar in Svelte. 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 Mathesar?
Choose NocoDB if you want the larger community (64,998 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Mathesar if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.