Rows costs $8/mo.
These cost $0.
3 free alternatives to Rows, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Rows vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $8/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quadratic Personal | free | proprietary, free | Hosted | ★ $0 forever | Rows vs Quadratic Personal → |
| Stackby Free | free | proprietary, free | Hosted | ★ $0 forever | Rows vs Stackby Free → |
| Superhuman Docs Free | free | proprietary, free | Hosted | ★ $0 forever | Rows vs Superhuman Docs Free → |
The picks
3 free to use · ranked by fit
- 01
Quadratic Personal
freeproprietary, freeHostedA real analysis spreadsheet with database connections and programmable cells; API work is less point-and-click than Rows.
The catch vs RowsQuadratic makes database and API work more code- and query-driven, lacking Rows' large catalog of point-and-click integrations and API-powered spreadsheet functions.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webthey host it
- install
- Hosted signup in the browser
- engines
- Quadratic currently defaults to Claude Sonnet 5 and selects among frontier hosted models; self-hosted deployments can instead bring provider API keys
- your data
- Spreadsheet files live in Quadratic Cloud and can be downloaded or shared as local files; connected database data remains in the source and query results enter the sheet
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 02
Stackby Free
freeproprietary, freeHostedRows with tables instead of theatre: two live API columns, manual refresh, and 100 automations a month.
The catch vs RowsStackby is a database table with connected columns rather than a full spreadsheet, so cell-level formulas, analysis, and flexible connected calculations are weaker.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobilewebthey host it
- install
- Hosted signup
- engines
- AI co-builder is available with low free usage; AI fields/agents require paid plans and can connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google Gemini using user-supplied keys
- your data
- Stacks and attachments live in Stackby cloud; individual tables/views export to CSV and complete stacks can export to Excel
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 03
Superhuman Docs Free
freeproprietary, freeHostedConnected tables and manual-refresh integrations inside a formula-heavy doc; enough for small live reports, not data engineering.
The catch vs RowsIts connected tables and integrations are less spreadsheet-native and often refresh less automatically, making it weaker for live API-powered financial or operational models.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopmobilewebthey host it
- install
- Hosted signup
- engines
- Superhuman Docs AI is vendor-managed; the provider/model mix is not publicly fixed, and free workspaces receive only trial or limited AI usage
- your data
- Docs, tables, automations, and attachments live in the vendor cloud on AWS; owned docs export as text/Markdown-like files plus CSV tables, and pages can export to PDF
- checked
- 2026-08-10
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Rows open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Rows?+
The top free alternative to Rows is Quadratic Personal (free). A real analysis spreadsheet with database connections and programmable cells; API work is less point-and-click than Rows. Other popular Rows replacements include Stackby Free, Superhuman Docs Free.
How much does switching from Rows to a free alternative save?+
Rows starts at $8/month per seat ($96/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like Quadratic Personal saves $480 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own Rows clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Rows is KINDA (the core, yes. the polish, no). The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Rows, build connected spreadsheets with a limited set of API-powered cells. The hard boundary is integration catalog, formulas, ai, collaboration, and hosted computation, plus data model flexibility, collaboration, and integrations.
What is the catch when switching from Rows to Quadratic Personal?+
Quadratic makes database and API work more code- and query-driven, lacking Rows' large catalog of point-and-click integrations and API-powered spreadsheet functions.
