head to head · open source
NocoDB vs pgcli
NocoDB has 65,002 GitHub stars, 5,055 forks, 710 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pgcli has 13,392 stars, 613 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. NocoDB leads on adoption by 385% (65,002 vs 13,392 stars). NocoDB is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; pgcli is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. NocoDB has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, pgcli 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 | pgcli | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 65K | ★ 13K |
| License | Custom / other | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 613 |
| 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 pgcli if
- You want the pgcli feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and pgcli 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 pgcli
pgcli is a Python command line REPL for PostgreSQL, distributed under the BSD 3 Clause licence, that replaces psql for interactive sessions by adding autocompletion and syntax highlighting for developers, DBAs, and analysts who work in a terminal.
read the full pgcli overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NocoDB or pgcli more popular?
NocoDB has 65,002 GitHub stars and pgcli has 13,392. NocoDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are NocoDB and pgcli free?
Both are open source. NocoDB has no licence declared in this registry, and pgcli is licensed under BSD-3-Clause. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between NocoDB and pgcli?
NocoDB is written in TypeScript and pgcli in Python. 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 pgcli?
Choose NocoDB if you want the larger community (65,002 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose pgcli if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.