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Should I self-host Baserow?
The cloud plan charges $12/user for the open-source software's hosted convenience. Baserow's all-in-one image (embedded Postgres and Redis) took the longest first boot of this batch but runs itself afterwards.
The math (nothing hidden, including your time)
| Baserow (Premium, per seat) | $12.00/mo |
| VPS share + storage | −$1.00/mo |
| Your maintenance: 25 min/mo at $20/h | −$8.33/mo |
| Net saving | $2.67/mo |
| Setup: 27 min measured (one-time) | $9.00 |
| Break-even | 3.4 months |
| Markup Index (price ÷ real self-host cost) | 1.3× |
Price: source, checked 2026-08-07. Inputs are stored in git; every number above is derived, never hand-written.
What you lose
- Managed scaling and premium plan features (some are license-gated)
What you're paying Baserow for
- no-code database
- grid & gallery views
- collaboration
- REST API
Ranked alternatives
The same grids, forms, formulas and API Baserow's cloud sells, from one container on your own server.
A spreadsheet with a real database underneath: Python formulas, linked records and row-level access rules, in one container.
Hardware
Runs comfortably on a real VPS (2 GB+).
The tested compose file (our evidence, CI-booted)
# Baserow — all-in-one image (embedded postgres+redis) for the test protocol
services:
baserow:
image: baserow/baserow:1.30.1
container_name: baserow
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
BASEROW_PUBLIC_URL: http://localhost:8104
ports:
- "8104:80"
volumes:
- baserow-data:/baserow/data
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "curl -sf http://localhost:80/api/_health/ >/dev/null || exit 1"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 10s
retries: 60
start_period: 90s
volumes:
baserow-data:
Want a guided install instead? caniselfhostit.com/baserow-cloud has AI-agent prompts that assume a bare machine — that's their half of the stool, and it's good.
Verification
Protocol v1 · verified by zernonia on 2026-08-10 · setup measured at 27 min · AI assistant: claude-code (allowed & stated)
What broke
- Boot to healthy measured at 91s on the 2GB reference env
Full timed log
# Baserow — verdict log - **Date:** 2026-08-10 - **Verdict:** YES — worth it - **Protocol:** v1 (2GB reference env, Docker preinstalled, AI assistant: claude-code) ## Setup evidence - Compose: `compose/baserow-cloud-baserow.yml` - Boot to healthy: **91s** measured this session - Setup time recorded: 27 min (boot + configuration to first working workflow) ## What broke / notes - Boot to healthy measured at 91s on the 2GB reference env ## The call The cloud plan charges $12/user for the open-source software's hosted convenience. Baserow's all-in-one image (embedded Postgres and Redis) took the longest first boot of this batch but runs itself afterwards.
Verdict history
- 2026-08-10: unscored → YES — Initial verdict: The cloud plan charges $12/user for the open-source software's hosted convenience.