head to head · open source
NocoDB vs OceanBase
NocoDB has 64,998 GitHub stars, 5,054 forks, 710 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OceanBase has 10,280 stars, 1,919 forks, 599 open issues and last shipped yesterday. NocoDB leads on adoption by 532% (64,998 vs 10,280 stars). NocoDB is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; OceanBase is written in C++ under Apache-2.0. NocoDB has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, OceanBase 19%. NocoDB was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (hacktoberfest), 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 | OceanBase | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 65K | ★ 10K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 1.9K |
| 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 OceanBase if
- You want the OceanBase feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and OceanBase 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 OceanBase
OceanBase is an open source distributed relational database written in C++ and licensed under Apache 2.0. It is developed by Ant Group and built on a common server cluster, using the Paxos protocol and a distributed structure to provide high availability and linear scalability. The project belongs to the MySQL compatible distributed database ecosystem, and its README presents it as a unified engine for demanding workloads.
read the full OceanBase overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NocoDB or OceanBase more popular?
NocoDB has 64,998 GitHub stars and OceanBase has 10,280. NocoDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are NocoDB and OceanBase free?
Both are open source. NocoDB has no licence declared in this registry, and OceanBase is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between NocoDB and OceanBase?
NocoDB is written in TypeScript and OceanBase in C++. 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 OceanBase?
Choose NocoDB if you want the larger community (64,998 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose OceanBase if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.