Datasette vs Rowy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Datasette
Explore and publish data from SQLite databases
VS
Rowy
Spreadsheet-like UI for Firestore databases
| Feature | Datasette | Rowy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Office Suites |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source, binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,368 | ★ 6,832 |
| First released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Airtable | Airtable |
Why pick each one
Choose Datasette if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 11.4k GitHub stars
Choose Rowy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Datasette or Rowy better?
Datasette is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Rowy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Datasette and Rowy free and open-source?
Yes. Datasette is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Rowy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Datasette and Rowy with Docker?
Datasette: yes. Rowy: yes.