ADoor vs NocoDB
NocoDB is an open-source, Airtable-style interface that can sit on top of existing SQL databases, in the cloud or self-hosted. ADoor is a data account for the records a team works from, with standard SQL underneath, where each person, app, assistant, device and job has its own access.
Where ADoor stands out
Capped at the person who connected it
NocoDB's MCP server runs the same service as its REST API, so validation, permissions and audit work the same way. ADoor adds one more rule: an assistant never gets more than the person who connected it, and it asks before reaching anything new.
Entry limits without a higher plan
NocoDB's Record-Level Security comes with the Scale plan at $45 per seat. In ADoor, access to the entries that match a value you choose is part of every space. It's a fixed-value match, not a per-user rule.
Short-lived CI access
A GitHub Actions job signs in to ADoor for 15 minutes by default, with no stored secret, and revoking stops it on the next request.
The products
NocoDB
NocoDB gives teams a spreadsheet UI with views, forms, workflows and an MCP server, open source and self-hostable.
- Assistants
- An MCP server for local clients, plus OAuth for Claude and ChatGPT on the web
- Access
- Table and field permissions; Record-Level Security on Scale
- Change history
- Per-record change history, and audit logs on higher plans
- Plans
- Free for up to 3 editors. Plus is $12 per seat a month billed yearly.
ADoor
ADoor is your data account. You keep lists and tables in a workspace you own, personal or team: a reading list, an incident log, a list of customers. Describe what you want to keep track of and it's set up for you, with real Postgres underneath. Every person, app, assistant, device and job gets its own access.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Cursor connect through MCP with a sign-in.
- Apps and scripts
- An HTTP API with keys, running the same actions assistants use
- Access
- Per space, list or field, or just the entries where a field equals a value you choose. Reading, adding, editing and deleting entries, and changing a list's fields, are separate permissions. An assistant never gets more than the person who connected it.
- Approvals
- Agents ask for more access and you approve or deny. A new device signs in only after you approve it and choose its access.
- CI jobs
- GitHub Actions signs in with short-lived access, 15 minutes by default and up to 30 days, with no stored secret.
- Revoking
- Takes effect on the next request. What was already saved stays.
- History
- A history of changes, with who made each one and the before and after
- Underneath
- Standard Postgres
- Plans
- Free for 3 tables and 100 rows. Pro is $10 a month per workspace, with 1 GB of storage.
Pricing
| Topic | ADoor | NocoDB |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 3 tables and 100 rows, with a few MB of storage | Up to 3 editors and 10 commenters |
| Paid plans | Pro: $10 a month per workspace, 1 GB of storage, no per-GB charges | Plus $12 per seat a month billed yearly, Business $24, Scale $45 |
Latency
| Topic | ADoor | NocoDB |
|---|---|---|
| Published figure | Not published | Not published |
ADoor doesn't publish a latency figure, and NocoDB doesn't publish one we could find. Speed depends on your network and on what you ask for.
Connectors and API
| Topic | ADoor | NocoDB |
|---|---|---|
| MCP server | Hosted, with OAuth sign-in. ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Cursor. | Local clients, and OAuth for Claude and ChatGPT on the web |
| HTTP API | HTTP API with keys: read, add, edit, delete, and change lists and fields | REST APIs, which the MCP tools share |
| SQL access | Standard Postgres SQL through MCP and the API, within your access | Can sit on an external SQL database |
| Access per agent | Its own access per assistant, app, device and job, down to specific fields, or just the entries that match a value you choose | Same permissions as the user and the REST API |
| OAuth or tokens | OAuth for assistants, keys for apps, short-lived sign-in for GitHub Actions | OAuth for web clients, tokens for local ones |
| SDKs | Coming soon | Not published |
| Webhooks | No | Managed through the MCP and API |
| Import and export | Export to CSV or JSON. Import by attaching CSV or JSON in an assistant. | Not published |
ADoor has no sync connectors and no file storage.
Which one should you use?
Use NocoDB when
you already have a SQL database and want a spreadsheet UI on top of it, possibly on your own servers.
- Your own database underneath. NocoDB can connect to an existing SQL database. ADoor doesn't connect to outside databases.
- Row-level security. Scale lets you choose exactly which rows each user sees, by role or team.
- Self-hosting. NocoDB is open source and can run on your infrastructure.
Use ADoor when
you want each assistant, device and CI job to have its own approved access, without running a database first.
Technical
- Your telemetry service writes device check-ins to an add-only Fleet list, and the on-call engineer queries it in SQL.
- An agent in production that updates order statuses can edit only the Status field, and a request for anything else waits for your approval.
Personal
- Your wine cellar: bottles, vintages, where each sits and when to drink it. You ask ChatGPT what to open with Sunday's roast.
- Blood pressure readings each morning. Your doctor gets read access to that list and nothing else.
Team
- Ops, finance and support share a Vendors list. Finance edits payment terms, ops edits contacts, and support reads.
- Each change to a vendor shows who made it and what it replaced.
Business
- Account managers edit only the customers where Owner is their name in a company-wide list, while leadership reads them all.
- A data vendor gets add-only access to one list for the length of a pilot, then you revoke it.
Questions people ask
NocoDB has row-level security. What does ADoor add?
Access per assistant capped at the person who connected it, approvals for agents and devices, and short-lived CI access, all without a database to run.
Can ADoor connect to my existing database?
No. ADoor keeps its own records. If you need a UI over your own database, NocoDB fits better.
Which assistants work with ADoor?
ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Cursor connect through MCP with a sign-in. You approve each one and choose what it can reach.
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Checked October 20, 2026. Sources: nocodb.com/pricing, NocoDB MCP server.