Spreadsheets · head to head
APITable vs Teable
APITable
Spreadsheets
Open source spreadsheet database with an API first design and an embeddable widget system
- 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: APITable records are held in the product own schema rather than as native database tables, so the practical row ceiling is a product limit and large tables should be load tested before commitment.; 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: APITable covers API first design, Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which APITable 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 APITable
- API first design
- Widget SDK
- Embeddable views
- Multiple view types
- Linked records and formulas
- Self hosting
Only in Teable
- PostgreSQL native storage
- Multiple views
- Linked records and rollups
- Generated REST API
- Self hosting via Docker
- Field level permissions
Both cover
- Real time collaboration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
APITable
- Embedding an editable table view inside a product you are building, rather than sending users to another toolnot Teable
- An internal platform where tables are read and written mostly by code through the API and only occasionally by peoplenot Teable
- A self hosted replacement for a per seat spreadsheet database where seat count is the cost drivernot Teable
- Building a custom dashboard widget that sits beside the data instead of in a separate reporting toolnot Teable
Teable
- A team that has hit the record ceiling of a hosted spreadsheet database and does not want to move to raw SQLnot APITable
- Operational data that a business intelligence tool must also read directly, without an export or a sync jobnot APITable
- A regulated or data resident organisation that needs the underlying database inside its own infrastructurenot APITable
- An internal tool where a grid interface and a REST API over the same table are both requirednot APITable
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
APITable
- Records are held in the product own schema rather than as native database tables, so the practical row ceiling is a product limit and large tables should be load tested before commitment.
- The hosted free tier caps records per space, so evaluating on the cloud version gives a misleading picture of what the software can do when self hosted.
- Automation is thin compared with the commercial alternatives, and most real workflows end up in an external automation tool.
- The self hosted deployment is heavier than a single container, so running it properly means managing several services rather than one.
- Documentation and community activity are uneven in English, and finding an answer to an operational problem can take longer than the problem itself deserves.
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
APITable
Free- Self hosted open sourceFree
- No licence fee
- No product record cap on self hosted deployments
- Docker and Kubernetes deployment
Teable
Free- Self hosted open sourceFree
- No licence fee
- Unlimited rows subject to your PostgreSQL capacity
- Docker deployment
Which should you pick?
Choose APITable if
- You need api first design.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Linux.
- You also want widget sdk.
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 APITable or Teable better?
- Neither clearly leads. APITable 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, APITable or Teable?
- APITable starts at Free and Teable at Free.
- Does APITable or Teable run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use APITable for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is APITable best used for?
- APITable is most often used for embedding an editable table view inside a product you are building, rather than sending users to another tool, an internal platform where tables are read and written mostly by code through the api and only occasionally by people, a self hosted replacement for a per seat spreadsheet database where seat count is the cost driver, building a custom dashboard widget that sits beside the data instead of in a separate reporting tool. Of those, embedding an editable table view inside a product you are building, rather than sending users to another tool and an internal platform where tables are read and written mostly by code through the api and only occasionally by people are not what Teable is typically brought in for.
- What can APITable do that Teable cannot?
- APITable covers API first design, Widget SDK, Embeddable views, Multiple view types. Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage, Multiple views, Linked records and rollups, Generated REST API. Both handle Real time collaboration.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
APITable: What is the record limit?
The self hosted edition has no product cap, but performance is bounded by the internal schema rather than by your database. Test at your expected size.
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.
APITable: Can I embed it in my own product?
Yes, and that is the main reason to choose it. Views embed and the widget SDK extends them.
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.
APITable: Is the hosted version representative?
No. Its free tier caps records per space, which is a commercial limit rather than a technical one.
Teable: Is self hosting genuinely free?
The licence is. The database server, backups and the engineer maintaining them are not.
APITable: How hard is self hosting?
Harder than a single container. Plan for several services and someone to keep them running.
Teable: Does it replace Airtable feature for feature?
No. Views and field types are close; automations, apps and the integration catalogue are not.
APITable: Does it do automations?
Lightly. Expect to pair it with an external automation tool for anything multi step.
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
- APITable vs Baserow
- APITable vs NocoDB
- APITable vs SeaTable
- APITable vs Mathesar
- APITable vs Rowy
- APITable vs Cube Software
- APITable vs Sigma Computing
- APITable vs Numbers
- APITable vs Tableau
- APITable vs Metabase
- APITable vs Looker
- APITable vs Equals
- APITable vs Coefficient
- APITable vs Quadratic
- Teable vs Baserow
- Teable vs NocoDB
- Teable vs SeaTable
- Teable vs Mathesar
- Teable vs Rowy
- Teable vs Cube Software
- Teable vs Sigma Computing
- Teable vs Numbers
- Teable vs Tableau
- Teable vs Metabase
- Teable vs Looker
- Teable vs Equals
- Teable vs Coefficient
- Teable vs Quadratic