Microsoft Access Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options

Microsoft Access today: See pricing page (Microsoft Access pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Why people look for Microsoft Access alternatives

An Access database is capped at 2 GB minus space for system objects; Microsoft's workaround is linking tables stored in other Access databases. Limits also include 255 concurrent users, 255 fields per table, 32 indexes per table and 255 characters in a Short Text field. Projects that outgrow those ceilings have to move their data to a server database.

LibreOffice

Compared with Microsoft Access: Includes Base, a desktop database front end, free under MPL-2.0 on Windows, macOS and Linux. Base is less polished than Access for forms and reports, but it runs on Mac and Linux where Access does not.

Price: Free (download and use at no cost per its site) (LibreOffice pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. MPL-2.0 (open source).

Best for: A free desktop database on any OS.

Worth knowing: Desktop suite of Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math; it has no built-in cloud storage or email.

Baserow

Compared with Microsoft Access: MIT-core web database with a spreadsheet-like grid; the free plan allows 3,000 rows and 2 GB per workspace. You lose Access's VBA and report designer but gain browser access for a whole team.

Price: Free (Free plan: 3,000 rows and 2 GB of storage per workspace); paid from $10 per user/month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly; Premium) (Baserow pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. MIT (core) (open source).

Project activity: 6.2k GitHub stars · latest release 2.4.1 (Oct 13, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Moving tables to the web.

NocoDB

Compared with Microsoft Access: Turns a database into a spreadsheet-style web interface; Cloud Free has 3 editor seats and 1,000 records, and the self-hosted edition has no record cap. License is source-available, not OSI open source.

Price: Free (Cloud Free has 3 editor seats, 1,000 records and 1 GB; the self-hosted Community edition has unlimited records, storage and seats but only 2 workflows per base); paid from $12 per seat/month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly, Plus) (NocoDB pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. Sustainable Use License (source-available, not OSI open source).

Best for: Putting a UI on an existing SQL database.

Worth knowing: Self-hosted use is under a source-available license, not an OSI-approved open-source one.

Airtable

Compared with Microsoft Access: Hosted database with views and forms and a free plan, so check its pricing page for the limits. Team starts at $20 per user a month billed annually, which costs more than Access inside a Microsoft 365 plan.

Price: Free; paid from $20 per user/month, billed annually (Team) (Airtable pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.

Best for: Teams who want forms and shared views.

Budibase

Compared with Microsoft Access: Open-source app builder you self-host with unlimited apps and users on the free plan. Where Access gives you forms bound to tables, Budibase builds web apps instead; Pro starts at $19 a month with the unit unstated.

Price: Free (Open source plan is free and self-hosted with unlimited apps, automations and users; 1 workspace, 1-day automation log retention, community support); paid from $19 per month (Pro) (Budibase pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. GPL-3.0 (client and component libraries MPL-2.0; paid features under BSL) (open source).

Project activity: 28.4k GitHub stars · latest release v3.50.0 (Oct 19, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Replacing Access forms with web apps.

Which one to pick

• You need a free desktop database on Mac or Linux: LibreOffice
• Several people edit the same tables from a browser: Baserow
• Your data already sits in a SQL database: NocoDB
• Your Access forms hold business logic you want as web apps: Budibase