Focalboard
SeaTable
| Feature | Focalboard | SeaTable |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $7/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | self-hosters, mattermost-users, small-teams, open-source-advocates | privacy-conscious-teams, european-companies, self-hosters, research-teams |
| Founded | 2021 | 2020 |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Table View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Filters | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spreadsheet Interface | ✗ | ✓ |
| Python Scripting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Forms | ✗ | ✓ |
| Statistics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Plugins | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Focalboard Pros
- Completely free and open-source
- Self-hostable for data control
- Multiple view types (board, table, gallery)
- Integrates with Mattermost
✗ Focalboard Cons
- Limited to basic project tracking
- No built-in time tracking
- Smaller community than alternatives
✓ 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
Focalboard is built for self hosters and mattermost users, with a focus on kanban-boards and table-view. SeaTable targets privacy conscious teams and european companies and leads with spreadsheet-interface and python-scripting.
Focalboard uses custom enterprise pricing, while SeaTable starts at $7/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Both tools are a solid fit for self hosters — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
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.