Bottom line: Teable is an Airtable-style database with AI built in — AI fields, an AI chat sidebar and an app builder on top of a spreadsheet-like grid backed by real PostgreSQL. Its cloud Free plan is genuinely usable for a small project: 1,000 rows, 100 automation runs and 200 AI credits. The catch most coverage misses is that those 200 credits are a one-time bonus, not a monthly refill.
What does Teable actually do?
Teable combines a relational database with a familiar spreadsheet grid, plus form, kanban, gallery and calendar views, formulas, linked records and real-time collaboration. On top of that data it adds AI: AI Chat to work with your records in plain language, AI fields that summarise, tag or process text row by row, and an App Builder that turns your tables into dashboards, portals and internal apps.
It runs two ways: as a hosted cloud service, or self-hosted. That second route sounds like the free escape hatch — and for the core database it is. For the AI features, it is not, as the pricing detail below shows.
What is actually free, and what is not?
| Part | Free plan | Paid step up |
|---|---|---|
| Rows | 1,000 rows on cloud Free | Pro: 250,000 rows per space; Business: 1,000,000 rows |
| Automation runs | 100 automation runs | Higher allowances on paid plans |
| AI credits | 200 one-time bonus AI credits | Paid plans include per-seat AI credits |
| Price | $0 | Pro: $13 per seat/month billed annually; Business: $20 per seat/month billed annually |
| Self-hosted core database | Free Community Edition | AI and App Builder features require a paid level — Teable’s own comparison says self-hosted App Builder requires Business or above |
What the pricing page does not make obvious
The 200 free AI credits do not refill. Teable’s own site describes them, word for word, as “200 one-time bonus AI credits” on the Free plan. Once you have spent them testing AI fields and AI Chat, the free AI allowance is gone — it is a tasting budget, not a monthly allowance. Plan any evaluation around that: test AI on a small, representative set of records first, not on your whole table.
Self-hosting does not unlock the AI for free. The free self-hosted Community Edition covers the database core. Teable’s own NocoDB comparison states that, for self-hosted Teable, “App Builder requires Business or above.” If your reason for self-hosting was free AI apps, that is the line that changes the decision.
How Teable compares to other free spreadsheet tools
If you mainly want AI inside a spreadsheet for weekly reports, Rows gives you 5 free AI tasks a month on a free-forever plan, and Quadratic gives individuals a free AI spreadsheet with Python and SQL built in. Teable is the pick when the spreadsheet is really a database — linked orders, customers and products that other people and apps need to work from — rather than a single report.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Real relational database (PostgreSQL) underneath a simple spreadsheet grid
- AI Chat, AI fields and an App Builder in the same tool as your data
- Free cloud plan is enough for a real small project: 1,000 rows and 100 automation runs
- Cloud or self-hosted deployment, with a free self-hosted core edition
- Clear paid step up: Pro at $13 per seat/month billed annually for 250,000 rows
Cons
- The 200 free AI credits are one-time only and do not refill
- 1,000 rows is tight once a real operation grows past a pilot
- Self-hosted AI and App Builder features sit behind paid levels, not the free Community Edition
- Per-seat pricing means a large editing team should compare the whole team bill, not just the headline seat price
Who is Teable best for?
Small teams, founders and operators who have outgrown a plain spreadsheet and want a linked, Airtable-style database with AI help — summarising records, chatting with their data and building a simple app for the team — without paying anything for a pilot. It is less suited to a solo user who only needs a basic personal sheet, or to anyone who expects heavy daily AI use to stay free.
Frequently asked questions
Is Teable free?
Yes. The cloud Free plan costs $0 and includes 1,000 rows, 100 automation runs and 200 one-time bonus AI credits, per Teable’s own site. There is also a free self-hosted Community Edition for the core database.
Do Teable’s free AI credits renew every month?
No. Teable calls them “one-time bonus” credits. Once they are spent, you need a paid plan for more AI credits.
How much does Teable cost after the free plan?
Pro is $13 per seat/month billed annually with 250,000 rows per space, and Business is $20 per seat/month billed annually with 1,000,000 rows, per Teable’s own comparison pages.
Can I self-host Teable for free with AI?
You can self-host the core database free, but Teable says self-hosted App Builder requires Business or above — so the full AI app experience is not part of the free self-hosted edition.
Verdict: Teable’s free plan is a fair, honest pilot: enough rows and automations to run one real workflow and enough AI credits to learn whether the AI helps — as long as you know those credits are a one-time test budget. Spend them deliberately, and you will know within a week whether Pro at $13 a seat is worth it for your team.