Productivity
3 open source tools compared. Sorted by stars — scroll down for our analysis.
| Tool | Stars | Velocity | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
 grist-core Grist is the evolution of spreadsheets. | 10.9k | — | 55 |
 baserow Build databases, automations, apps & agents with AI — no code. Open source platform available on cloud and self-hosted. GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 compliant. Best Airtable alternative. | 4.6k | — | 47 |
 MouseInc.Settings MouseInc设置界面 | 1.0k | +3/wk | 55 |
Our Analysis
Grist is a spreadsheet-database hybrid. Rows are records, columns are typed fields, and formulas are Python. You get the layout flexibility of a spreadsheet with the structure of a relational database, without the proprietary lock-in of Airtable. Apache-licensed, free to self-host. Docker single-container deployment. It runs comfortably on a small VPS. The Python formula language is genuinely powerful. Access rules let you share specific views of data with external users or clients without exposing everything. Teams that outgrew Excel but find Airtable too restrictive or too expensive for their use case should evaluate Grist. The Python formula support is the differentiator: real computation, not just cell references. The catch: the UI is less polished than Airtable and the mobile experience is limited. It looks and feels like productivity software from 2018. The underlying data model is excellent; the surface needs work.
Baserow is a no-code database builder you can self-host. It looks like Airtable: tables, views, forms, linked records, and a clean grid interface. All the common field types. Django-powered backend, MIT-licensed. Docker Compose deployment is straightforward. The application server, Celery workers, and Postgres database all spin up together. Reasonably lightweight. The API is REST-based and documented. Premium features (more views, more storage, SAML) are on paid tiers but the free self-hosted version covers most teams. Teams replacing Airtable or looking for a self-hosted no-code database platform get a clean, functional tool here. Non-technical users can use it without training. The Airtable similarity is intentional and works well for onboarding teams. The catch: it does not have Airtable's automation builder or third-party integration depth. It is primarily a database with views, not a workflow automation tool. Import from Airtable exists but expect cleanup work.