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No-Code · head to head

Directual vs Teable

Directual logo

Directual

No-Code

No-code backend with a visual workflow engine, used behind other tools rather than instead of them

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Teable logo

Teable

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet interface over real PostgreSQL tables, so the data stays queryable by anything that speaks SQL

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Directual the front-end builder is basic, so any project needing a designed interface means learning and paying for a second tool, and time to launch is closer to a two-system build than a one-tool build.; Teable the automation builder is far less capable than the established commercial alternatives, so multi step workflows usually end up in an external tool that must be paid for and maintained separately.
  • They diverge on capability: Directual covers Visual database designer, Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Directual and Teable actually diverge.

Attributes where Directual and Teable differ
AttributeDirectualTeable
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWebWeb, Linux
CategoryNo-CodeSpreadsheets

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Directual

  • Visual database designer
  • Scenario builder
  • Generated API endpoints
  • Event-driven triggers
  • Role and permission model
  • Scheduled jobs
  • Basic web page builder
  • Self-hosted deployment

Only in Teable

  • PostgreSQL native storage
  • Multiple views
  • Linked records and rollups
  • Generated REST API
  • Real time collaboration
  • Self hosting via Docker
  • Field level permissions

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Directual

  • Providing the backend for a Webflow or FlutterFlow front end that needs real data, authentication and logicnot Teable
  • Replacing an Airtable base that has outgrown its row limits without hiring a backend developernot Teable
  • Event-driven workflows such as order processing or scheduled billing runs that must run without a person triggering themnot Teable
  • Organisations with a data residency requirement that rules out most no-code platforms, using the self-hosted tiernot Teable

Teable

  • A team that has hit the record ceiling of a hosted spreadsheet database and does not want to move to raw SQLnot Directual
  • Operational data that a business intelligence tool must also read directly, without an export or a sync jobnot Directual
  • A regulated or data resident organisation that needs the underlying database inside its own infrastructurenot Directual
  • An internal tool where a grid interface and a REST API over the same table are both requirednot Directual

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Directual

  • The front-end builder is basic, so any project needing a designed interface means learning and paying for a second tool, and time to launch is closer to a two-system build than a one-tool build.
  • Visual scenarios become unreadable once the logic is non-trivial; a workflow that would be forty lines of code sprawls across a canvas, and reviewing what a colleague built is slow.
  • Debugging asynchronous, event-triggered scenarios is harder than debugging code, because failures surface as records left in an unexpected state rather than as a stack trace at the point of failure.
  • Self-hosting is confined to the top commercial tier, so the ownership advantage is available only to buyers already spending at the high end.
  • The pool of agencies and freelancers who know Directual is small next to Bubble or Airtable, so handing a finished system to someone else to maintain is harder and more expensive.

Teable

  • The automation builder is far less capable than the established commercial alternatives, so multi step workflows usually end up in an external tool that must be paid for and maintained separately.
  • Self hosting moves PostgreSQL backups, version upgrades, connection pooling and capacity planning onto your team, and the licence saving disappears if that time is costed honestly.
  • The integration catalogue is small, so connecting to a common business system often means writing against the REST API rather than installing a connector.
  • The project is young relative to the products it replaces, and interface and API changes still arrive at a pace that requires reading release notes before upgrading.
  • Storing every table as a real PostgreSQL table means schema changes are real migrations, so a careless field type change on a large table can lock it far longer than a spreadsheet user would expect.

Pricing, plan by plan

Directual

Free
  • Directual$undefined/month
    • Free tier with capped records and API calls
    • Paid tiers priced by database rows, API calls and scenario runs
    • Self-hosted deployment on the top tier only

Teable

Free
  • Self hosted open sourceFree
    • No licence fee
    • Unlimited rows subject to your PostgreSQL capacity
    • Docker deployment

Which should you pick?

Choose Directual if

  • You need visual database designer.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want scenario builder.
Directual review

Choose Teable if

  • You need postgresql native storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want multiple views.
Teable review

Questions people ask

Is Directual or Teable better?
Neither clearly leads. Directual starts at Free and Teable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Directual or Teable?
Directual starts at Free and Teable at Free.
Does Directual or Teable run on more platforms?
Directual runs on Web. Teable runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Directual for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Directual best used for?
Directual is most often used for providing the backend for a webflow or flutterflow front end that needs real data, authentication and logic, replacing an airtable base that has outgrown its row limits without hiring a backend developer, event-driven workflows such as order processing or scheduled billing runs that must run without a person triggering them, organisations with a data residency requirement that rules out most no-code platforms, using the self-hosted tier. Of those, providing the backend for a webflow or flutterflow front end that needs real data, authentication and logic and replacing an airtable base that has outgrown its row limits without hiring a backend developer are not what Teable is typically brought in for.
What can Directual do that Teable cannot?
Directual covers Visual database designer, Scenario builder, Generated API endpoints, Event-driven triggers. Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage, Multiple views, Linked records and rollups, Generated REST API.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Directual: Is Directual a replacement for Bubble?

Not directly. Bubble builds the whole application; Directual builds the backend and expects you to bring a front end such as Webflow or FlutterFlow.

Teable: How many rows can it actually hold?

As many as your PostgreSQL instance can serve. There is no product imposed record limit on the self hosted edition, which is the main reason to choose it.

Directual: Can I host it myself?

Yes, on the top commercial tier. That is unusual in no-code and it is the main reason regulated buyers look at it at all.

Teable: Can I query the data with SQL directly?

Yes. Tables are real PostgreSQL tables, so any SQL client or reporting tool can read them.

Directual: How does it cope with large data volumes?

It is built on a real database with indexing rather than a spreadsheet abstraction, so record counts that break Airtable-class tools are within its normal range.

Teable: Is self hosting genuinely free?

The licence is. The database server, backups and the engineer maintaining them are not.

Directual: What happens to my logic if I leave?

The data exports and the API is documented, but scenarios are platform-specific and have to be reimplemented, unless you are already on the self-hosted tier.

Teable: Does it replace Airtable feature for feature?

No. Views and field types are close; automations, apps and the integration catalogue are not.

Teable: What happens to my data if the project stops?

It remains in a standard PostgreSQL database that you control, which is a materially better exit than a proprietary export format.

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