head to head · open source
NocoDB vs realm-swift
NocoDB has 65,002 GitHub stars, 5,055 forks, 710 open issues and last shipped yesterday. realm-swift has 16,609 stars, 2,241 forks, 499 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. NocoDB leads on adoption by 291% (65,002 vs 16,609 stars). NocoDB is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; realm-swift is written in Objective-C under Apache-2.0. NocoDB has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, realm-swift 13%. NocoDB was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| NocoDB | realm-swift | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 65K | ★ 17K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Objective-C |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 2.2K |
| 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 realm-swift if
- You want the realm-swift feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Objective-C
- You evaluated both and realm-swift 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 realm-swift
Realm Database is a mobile database that runs directly inside phones, tablets, and wearables, and it is for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS developers who need a replacement for Core Data and SQLite.
read the full realm-swift overview →
More in Infrastructure & Operations
Related comparisons
More Databases projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Databases field.
Frequently asked questions
Is NocoDB or realm-swift more popular?
NocoDB has 65,002 GitHub stars and realm-swift has 16,609. NocoDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are NocoDB and realm-swift free?
Both are open source. NocoDB has no licence declared in this registry, and realm-swift is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between NocoDB and realm-swift?
NocoDB is written in TypeScript and realm-swift in Objective-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 realm-swift?
Choose NocoDB if you want the larger community (65,002 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose realm-swift if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.