Spreadsheets · head to head
Mathesar vs Teable
Mathesar
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheet style interface that edits an existing PostgreSQL database directly, with no schema of its own
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Teable
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheet interface over real PostgreSQL tables, so the data stays queryable by anything that speaks SQL
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Mathesar there is no hosted offering of any kind, so a team without someone who can run and secure a server cannot use it at all.; 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: Mathesar covers Direct PostgreSQL editing, Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mathesar and Teable actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Linux), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Spreadsheets).
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 Mathesar
- Direct PostgreSQL editing
- PostgreSQL permissions
- Schema editing
- Data exploration
- Relationship navigation
- Import of tabular files
- Self hosted only
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.
Mathesar
- A nonprofit or research group whose data is already in PostgreSQL and whose staff cannot write SQLnot Teable
- Giving analysts a safe editing interface governed by database roles that already existnot Teable
- Replacing a hand built Django or Rails admin screen that nobody wants to maintainnot Teable
- Editing production reference data where an export, edit and reimport cycle would risk losing concurrent changesnot Teable
Teable
- A team that has hit the record ceiling of a hosted spreadsheet database and does not want to move to raw SQLnot Mathesar
- Operational data that a business intelligence tool must also read directly, without an export or a sync jobnot Mathesar
- A regulated or data resident organisation that needs the underlying database inside its own infrastructurenot Mathesar
- An internal tool where a grid interface and a REST API over the same table are both requirednot Mathesar
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Mathesar
- There is no hosted offering of any kind, so a team without someone who can run and secure a server cannot use it at all.
- It works only with PostgreSQL, so a MySQL, SQL Server or SQLite estate is excluded outright.
- There are no automations, no webhooks and effectively no integration catalogue, so it edits data and does nothing else.
- Because it writes to the live database, a careless bulk edit or column type change is a production change with no staging step and no undo.
- Development is grant and community funded rather than commercially funded, so roadmap pace and long term continuity carry a different risk profile from a venture backed vendor.
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
Mathesar
Free- Self hosted open sourceFree
- No licence fee
- No hosted option offered
- Connects to your existing PostgreSQL database
Teable
Free- Self hosted open sourceFree
- No licence fee
- Unlimited rows subject to your PostgreSQL capacity
- Docker deployment
Which should you pick?
Choose Mathesar if
- You need direct postgresql editing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Linux.
- You also want postgresql permissions.
Choose Teable if
- You need postgresql native storage.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Linux.
- You also want multiple views.
Questions people ask
- Is Mathesar or Teable better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mathesar 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, Mathesar or Teable?
- Mathesar starts at Free and Teable at Free.
- Does Mathesar or Teable run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Mathesar for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Mathesar best used for?
- Mathesar is most often used for a nonprofit or research group whose data is already in postgresql and whose staff cannot write sql, giving analysts a safe editing interface governed by database roles that already exist, replacing a hand built django or rails admin screen that nobody wants to maintain, editing production reference data where an export, edit and reimport cycle would risk losing concurrent changes. Of those, a nonprofit or research group whose data is already in postgresql and whose staff cannot write sql and giving analysts a safe editing interface governed by database roles that already exist are not what Teable is typically brought in for.
- What can Mathesar do that Teable cannot?
- Mathesar covers Direct PostgreSQL editing, PostgreSQL permissions, Schema editing, Data exploration. Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage, Multiple views, Linked records and rollups, Generated REST API.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Mathesar: Is there a cloud version?
No. Self hosting is the only option, and that is a deliberate project decision rather than a gap waiting to be filled.
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.
Mathesar: How does it handle permissions?
Through PostgreSQL roles and privileges directly, so there is no second permission model to keep in step.
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.
Mathesar: What is the row limit?
Whatever PostgreSQL can handle. Mathesar adds no storage layer of its own.
Teable: Is self hosting genuinely free?
The licence is. The database server, backups and the engineer maintaining them are not.
Mathesar: Does it support databases other than PostgreSQL?
No.
Teable: Does it replace Airtable feature for feature?
No. Views and field types are close; automations, apps and the integration catalogue are not.
Mathesar: Can it replace Airtable?
Only for editing and exploring data. There are no automations, apps or integrations.
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.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- Mathesar vs Baserow
- Mathesar vs NocoDB
- Mathesar vs Rowy
- Mathesar vs SeaTable
- Mathesar vs APITable
- Mathesar vs Google Sheets
- Mathesar vs Zoho Sheet
- Mathesar vs Sigma Computing
- Mathesar vs Redash
- Mathesar vs Fibery
- Mathesar vs Budibase
- Mathesar vs Equals
- Mathesar vs Coefficient
- Mathesar vs Looker
- Mathesar vs Numbers
- Mathesar vs Cube Software
- Mathesar vs Quadratic
- Mathesar vs Tableau
- Teable vs Baserow
- Teable vs NocoDB
- Teable vs Rowy
- Teable vs SeaTable
- Teable vs APITable
- Teable vs Google Sheets
- Teable vs Zoho Sheet
- Teable vs Sigma Computing
- Teable vs Redash
- Teable vs Fibery
- Teable vs Budibase
- Teable vs Equals
- Teable vs Coefficient
- Teable vs Looker
- Teable vs Numbers
- Teable vs Cube Software
- Teable vs Quadratic
- Teable vs Tableau