Rowy vs Teable
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted office suites options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Rowy | Teable |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 22 · At risk | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,842 | ★ 21,816 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Airtable | Airtable |
What are Rowy and Teable?
Rowy
Rowy is an open-source low-code platform that provides a spreadsheet-like interface for managing Firestore databases. It pairs data management with cloud functions.
- Spreadsheet UI for Firestore
- Cloud function automation
- Rich field types
- Low-code extensibility
Teable
Teable is an open-source, no-code database built on PostgreSQL. It provides a high-performance spreadsheet interface with rich field types and SQL access.
- Built directly on PostgreSQL
- High-performance grid
- Real-time collaboration
- Direct SQL access to data
Rowy vs Teable: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Rowy versus AGPL-3.0 for Teable. Rowy is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Teable. Rowy is the more established project (first released 2021), while Teable arrived in 2023. Teable has the considerably larger community, at 21,816 GitHub stars versus 6,842.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Teable if…
- Real Postgres underneath
- Fast with big tables
- Clean modern interface
Watch out for
- Some features enterprise-gated
- Younger than rivals
Frequently asked questions
Is Rowy or Teable better?
Neither is universally better. Teable has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Rowy and Teable free and open-source?
Yes. Rowy is licensed under MIT and Teable under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rowy and Teable with Docker?
Rowy: yes. Teable: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Rowy or Teable?
Rowy has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Teable. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.