Grist

An open-source spreadsheet-database you can run on your own server, with an AI assistant that writes the formulas for you.

Records & databases Apps

Checked 25 Sep 2026

Open getgrist.com

What you'd use it for

A team that needs a database-backed spreadsheet but cannot put the data on someone else's server, and wants an AI assistant that writes the formulas.

Build linked tables with real column types that behave like a relational database, edited like a spreadsheet
Ask the AI assistant to write a formula or build a table structure from a plain-English description
Import an existing spreadsheet and have Grist infer the column types and structure
Self-host the whole application on your own server via Docker so the data never leaves your infrastructure

The verdict

Grist earns its place on one feature: a genuine self-hosted edition that puts a real database-backed spreadsheet on your own server, not just an export button. The AI assistant writes usable formulas, but calls are metered separately from the seat price, so a heavy user pays twice. It suits teams for whom keeping data off someone else's cloud is a hard requirement, not a preference; everyone else will find Airtable's larger template library and smoother interface the easier daily driver.

What it costs

Tier	Price	For	Includes
Free	$0	Individuals and teams on small projects.	Core spreadsheet-database features, shared API pool for AI calls.
Pro	$10/user/mo ($8/user/mo billed annually)	A small organisation outgrowing the free tier.	More AI calls per month, higher MCP limits.
Business	$30/user/mo ($24/user/mo billed annually)	Organisations wanting more power and flexibility.	Everything in Pro, plus expanded features (custom domain and branding require an additional add-on).
Community Edition	$0, self-hosted	Anyone comfortable running and maintaining their own server.	Free and open-source, hosted on your own infrastructure via GitHub.

Read from Grist's own pricing page on 25 Sep 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.

What you need to start

A free account at docs.getgrist.com (no credit card for the free tier)
For self-hosting only, Docker and a server of your own (Grist recommends 8GB RAM and 2 CPUs for a moderate workload)

A few minutes to a working free document on the hosted version; self-hosting adds a one-command Docker install plus a first-visit setup wizard, with fuller production configuration (reverse proxy, SSL, authentication) taking an afternoon.

Your first run Sign up at docs.getgrist.com with just an email and you land in a blank document or template gallery with an offered basics tutorial — a working table with real data and at least one formula is a few minutes away.

Where it breaks

Self-hosters with under $1M in total annual income (revenue plus any funding) may qualify for the hosted plans free — the page did not specify which tiers this applies to beyond "qualifying self-hosters."

Browser-based hosted version, plus a genuinely separate self-hosted Community Edition for anyone who wants the data to never leave their own server.

First entry in this reference. There is no previous check to compare it against.

When not to use it

Not for a solo operator who just wants the fastest AI-assisted spreadsheet — Airtable or Bricks gets there with less setup. And not for anyone weighing self-hosting without already having a server and the willingness to patch it, since Community Edition trades a lower price for the ongoing cost of running the thing yourself.

Grist is the honest answer to “what if Airtable were open source” — a spreadsheet that behaves like a database underneath, with the difference that you can run the whole thing on your own server if data sovereignty actually matters to you, rather than merely preferring it in the abstract.

That self-hosting option is why government agencies and non-profits show up disproportionately among its users: it is one of the few tools in this category where “we cannot put this in someone else’s cloud” is not a dead end.

The AI layer on top

Grist’s assistant writes formulas and helps build the structure from a description, the same job Airtable’s AI fields and Bricks’s AI spreadsheet do — but AI calls are metered separately from the base seat price, drawn from a shared pool on Free and expanding on Pro and Business.

Hosted versus self-hosted

The hosted plans ($10 and $30/user/mo) are the fast path: nothing to install, and you get the AI assistant working out of the box. The Community Edition is free but genuinely DIY — you are running the server, applying updates, and handling your own backups, which is the real cost even though no invoice arrives for it.

Alternatives

Records & databasesApps

Airtable

A database that looks like a spreadsheet, with an API, forms, views and AI fields on top — the place most small businesses end up keeping the records an automation needs to read and write.

Checked 15 Sep 2026

Records & databasesApps

Baserow

An open-source, self-hostable database with a spreadsheet-like interface and AI fields that classify or summarise rows for you automatically.

Checked 25 Sep 2026

Records & databasesApps

NocoDB

A spreadsheet-style interface laid over any database — your own Postgres, MySQL or a hosted table — so a non-technical team can view, filter and edit records without touching SQL.

Checked 25 Sep 2026