Directus
SeaTable
| Feature | Directus | SeaTable |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $99/mo | Free / from $7/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, agencies, content-teams, data-driven-teams | privacy-conscious-teams, european-companies, self-hosters, research-teams |
| Founded | 2016 | 2020 |
| Data Studio | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rest Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Graphql Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Flows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Permissions | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spreadsheet Interface | ✗ | ✓ |
| Python Scripting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Forms | ✗ | ✓ |
| Statistics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Plugins | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Directus Pros
- Open source
- Database-first
- Beautiful admin UI
- REST + GraphQL
✗ Directus Cons
- Self-hosting required for free
- Smaller community
- Documentation gaps
✓ SeaTable Pros
- Self-hostable with Docker
- Python scripting for automation
- GDPR-compliant European hosting
- Flexible column types including files
✗ SeaTable Cons
- Smaller community than Airtable
- Plugin ecosystem still growing
- Mobile experience is basic
The Verdict
Directus is built for developers and agencies, with a focus on data-studio and rest-api. SeaTable targets privacy conscious teams and european companies and leads with spreadsheet-interface and python-scripting.
On pricing, SeaTable is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $7/mo compared to $99/mo for Directus. That $92/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.