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Microsoft Access vs Grist: catalog facts
Microsoft Access	Grist
Paid Available through Microsoft 365 plans; a free trial is offered.	Freemium Open-source self-hosting is free; the hosted service has a free plan and paid tiers.
Windows	Web, Self-hosted
Builds desktop databases and custom database apps Forms and reports for working with data without writing code	Relational tables in a spreadsheet interface Cell-level access rules
Requires a paid Microsoft license Desktop-focused rather than a web database	Relational model takes some learning for plain spreadsheet users Some features depend on the hosted plans
Downloadable app	Web application, Self-hosted
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.