Baserow vs Monday.com: Open-Source Database vs Visual Work OS

Compare Baserow and Monday.com for project management and database needs. Baserow offers a free, open-source Airtable alternative with unlimited rows, while Monday.com provides a polished visual work platform starting at $9/seat/month.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

Baserow

Open-source no-code database platform

Freeunlimited users

Strengths

+Completely free self-hosted option with unlimited rows and users
+Open-source with full data ownership and control
+Real-time collaboration without seat-based pricing

Weaknesses

-Fewer pre-built templates than Monday.com
-Less polished UI and fewer visualization options
-Smaller ecosystem and fewer integrations

Best for

Teams wanting a free, self-hosted database solution with full control over their data and no per-user costs

Monday.com

Visual work operating system for teams

$9per seat/month

Strengths

+Highly visual and intuitive interface with multiple view types
+Extensive automation and integration capabilities
+Rich template library for various use cases

Weaknesses

-Expensive at scale with per-seat pricing model
-Free tier very limited (2 seats, 3 boards)
-Can become complex with many features to learn

Best for

Teams with budget who need a polished, visual project management platform with extensive features and integrations

Feature Comparison

Feature	Baserow	Monday.com
Free Tier	Unlimited rows, users, and databases (self-hosted)	Up to 2 seats, 3 boards, limited features
Starting Price	$0 (self-hosted) or $5/user/month (cloud)	$9/seat/month (minimum 3 seats)
Database Views	Grid, gallery, form, kanban	Kanban, timeline, calendar, chart, map, workload, more
API Access	Full REST API on all plans including free	Available on Pro plan and above ($12+/seat)
Automations	Basic webhooks and integrations	Advanced visual automation builder with 250+ actions
Collaboration	Real-time editing, comments, user permissions	Real-time updates, @mentions, file sharing, activity log
Templates	Growing library of community templates	200+ professional templates across industries
Data Export	CSV, JSON export, full database backup	Excel/CSV export on paid plans
Self-Hosting	Yes, fully supported with Docker	No, cloud-only
Mobile Apps	Basic mobile web interface	Native iOS and Android apps
Integrations	Zapier, Make, webhooks, API	70+ native integrations plus Zapier
Storage	Unlimited on self-hosted, 5GB on cloud free tier	5GB on free, 100GB+ on paid plans

The Verdict

Baserow wins for budget-conscious teams and those wanting data ownership through self-hosting—it's genuinely free with no artificial limits on the core product. Monday.com is the better choice if you have budget and need a polished, feature-rich platform with extensive integrations and professional templates. For small teams or personal projects, Baserow's free tier is unbeatable; for established teams with complex workflows, Monday.com's $9+/seat investment delivers more out-of-the-box functionality.

How to switch from Baserow to Monday.com

1Export every Baserow table you need using the built-in 'Export' feature, saving each as a CSV file (or JSON if you need to preserve field types and linked-table relationships).
2Sign up for a Monday.com account and create boards that mirror your Baserow tables, mapping Baserow field types (single select, date, link) to the closest Monday.com column types.
3Import each CSV into its matching Monday.com board using the built-in Excel/CSV import tool, then manually verify linked-record fields since Baserow's table relationships don't import automatically.
4Rebuild any Baserow webhooks or Zapier/Make automations as Monday.com automations or new Zaps/scenarios using Monday.com's native triggers and actions.
5Reconnect third-party tools (Slack, Google Drive, etc.) through Monday.com's native integrations or Zapier, since Baserow's API connections won't carry over automatically.
6Run both systems in parallel for one to two weeks, migrate remaining team members to Monday.com seats, then archive or shut down the Baserow instance once everyone has cut over.

Baserow vs Monday.com: common questions

How do I export my data from Baserow to move it into Monday.com?+

In Baserow, open each table and use the 'Export' option in the table menu to download a CSV file (JSON export is also available for structured data with field types). For self-hosted instances you can additionally run a full database backup via the admin panel or Docker volume, but for migrating to Monday.com the per-table CSV export is what you'll actually import.

What do I lose by switching from Baserow to Monday.com?+

You lose self-hosting and full data ownership—your data now lives on Monday.com's servers under their terms. You also lose Baserow's free unlimited rows/users model in exchange for per-seat pricing, and Baserow's flexible relational database views (linked tables, lookup fields) don't map 1:1 to Monday.com's board structure.

Is Monday.com's free plan enough for a small team?+

No—Monday.com's free plan caps out at 2 seats and 3 boards, which is too limited for most active teams beyond a solo user testing the product. Most small teams will need at least the Basic plan at $9/seat/month (3-seat minimum), so budget for roughly $27/month minimum before you start.

Will my Baserow integrations and webhooks work the same way in Monday.com?+

Not directly—Baserow's webhooks and API calls need to be rebuilt using Monday.com's own API, native integrations, or its visual automation builder (available from the Standard plan up). If you used Zapier or Make with Baserow, those same tools also connect to Monday.com, so Zap/scenario logic can often be recreated with a similar structure rather than copied outright.

How much more will Monday.com cost over time compared to Baserow?+

Baserow stays free indefinitely if self-hosted, or around $5/user/month on its cloud plan. Monday.com starts at $9/seat/month for Basic (3-seat minimum, so ~$27/month) and rises to $12-$19/seat/month for Standard or Pro tiers as you need automations, API access, or more views—for a 10-person team that's $1,080-$2,280/year versus $0-$600/year on Baserow.