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I've met people who survive on spreadsheets. With a wink and a swish and a zing (and an arsenal of carefully constructed formulas), life and business move frontwards with ease.

Do more with your information. Automate your database.

But there's a cap to how much you tin can achieve with spreadsheets solitary. If y'all want to do something with your data—more than but store it—you want a database tool. While philosophies on databases may differ, our goal is to nowadays the all-time database software to aid yous keep all your concern data in i place, create relationships between the data, and and then build something with those relationships.

Have you always needed a particular tool for your piece of work, but even after trying dozens of apps, couldn't find anything that fit your needs precisely? That'due south what these databases are for. Afterwards weeks of intensive testing, hither are the six best database app builders.

The 6 all-time database-powered app builders

Airtable for people who love spreadsheets
Podio for collaboration and project direction
Infinity for a ane-time payment with lots of features
Smartsheet for flexibility
Google AppSheet for building apps for all devices
Zoho Creator for building custom solutions

What makes database software great?

How we evaluate and test apps

All of our all-time apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. We spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to exist used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to whatsoever site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer accurate evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the total rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier weblog.

In one case yous empathise the difference between a spreadsheet and a database, you'll better empathize when information technology'southward time to make the switch. In a database, you tin can make queries to brandish simply specific, related pieces of data. Database-powered app builders take information technology one footstep further, allowing y'all to create views and dashboards to better understand your data—and fifty-fifty allowing you to build apps for internal apply (everything from forms to automated business processes).

I've spent a lot of time testing, writing about, and building apps using no-code tools. For this roundup, I spent dozens of hours researching and testing database tools, importing data, reviewing templates, and edifice my own mini-apps. I paid attending to everything from the speed and the complexity of the features to the user interface and learning curve of the app.

Each of the picks you'll read about has something unique to offering, but all of them were judged based on the aforementioned criteria:

Ease of utilize. This ways everything from a seamless user interface to helpful documentation for when you get stuck (because you almost definitely will).
Data visualization options. What kinds of visualizations are already available, and tin y'all prepare up your own using templates?
Flexibility. I was looking for tools that could piece of work across an organization and even hold all your business's processes in one place.
Integrations. Your work is complex, which means you'll certainly have other tools in your tech stack. I looked at how each database tool integrated with other apps, either with native integration back up or via Zapier. I as well explored what kinds of import and consign features were bachelor.
Value for money. I fabricated sure to consider the pricing model, the availability of free plans, and the value for money at the paid plans.

Considering the category is so big, you lot'll find that each platform has a unique arroyo, and the level of technical expertise required to use them also varies. To keep the scope intact, most open-concluded app-building solutions, enterprise suites, and business procedure management platforms were left out, equally the cadre of the experience and philosophy of that kind of software didn't match what we were looking for.

Each of these apps uses a dissimilar branded terminology to refer to databases and sheets. For comparing purposes, we'll use the following terms: databases (the files), spreadsheets or sheets (the pages within the file), and rows (the records or data within the spreadsheets).

Best database software for people who love spreadsheets

Airtable

A screenshot of Airtable, our pick for the best database app builder for people who love spreadsheets

If you're used to having spreadsheets run your business, Airtable is your best bet. It'due south still a spreadsheet at heart, simply with a collection of powerful features, including app-building. Information technology feels like the gold standard for the category; and the friendly user interface, along with a very intuitive experience and thorough aid content, will support y'all as y'all make the switch.

The onboarding process is actually thorough: it assists you through every step of importing data or starting from a template. Plus, there's a lot of help spread out in different spots in the app (and exterior of it), which gave me more than confidence to explore and tinker—more so than with the other apps on this list.

Configuring new views is a cakewalk. Once you have information, you lot just click the view type yous want to ready up on the left-side menu. I was able to create a calendar, a data entry form, and a kanban view of my original content strategy table in minutes, with very picayune tweaking. There are also light collaboration features: you tin mention your workspace buddies, leave comments on database entries, and receive notifications for changes. They're enough if yous want to go on a small team on the same folio, simply y'all'll notwithstanding take to depend heavily on your business communication apps.

The apps section offers even more than power, but some tinkering is definitely required. Well-nigh apps are piece of cake to build right onto your sheets, while some crave you lot to configure a third-political party service. You can do things like time-tracking or currency conversion directly within Airtable, simply if yous want to build something more powerful and comprehensive from scratch, the difficulty ramps upwardly pretty quickly to programmer-level.

Airtable also allows you to create custom dashboards, called Interfaces, where you can pull information from all your databases, apply formulas, and see how everything looks at a glance. It's non equally easy to configure every bit database views, but with a trivial digging and tinkering, I was able to build what I needed without a lot of hassle.

Overall, Airtable is a polished tool that'll make your transition from classic spreadsheets a painless experience—and let you practise so much more than. Yous tin can make Airtable even more powerful by connecting it to Zapier, allowing you to do things like create calendar events from new Airtable records or create new Airtable records from grade responses.

Airtable difficulty: Beginner
Airtable pricing: Gratis programme available, with access to unlimited databases and 1,200 records (rows) per database. Paid plans start at $ten/month/user.

All-time database software for a one-time payment with lots of features

Infinity

Infinity, our pick for the best database-powered app builder with a one-time payment with lots of features

If you like Trello, yous'll experience at home in Infinity. The interface and navigation, down to how you can edit rows in your sheets, feels like Trello with a bunch of added database features. It's uncluttered and intuitive, and so you'll have an easy time jumping in.

Infinity is a potent database tool, with automation, dashboards, multiple views, integration with Zapier and a pocket-sized set up of other apps, and a solid support department to aid you make the most of information technology. I like the fact you can have multiple databases accessible straight from the left-side card and so create and nest the views inside it like folders.

It's kind of like a less-cluttered Airtable—but also a little lighter on the features. But at the end of the day, the reason Infinity made this list is because of its pricing model. Based on how many users y'all accept and how much storage yous need, you can pay a fixed cost once and take admission to all the features and support forever. In the hereafter, if yous demand to upgrade, yous'll simply pay the departure betwixt the tier you lot're in and the tier yous want to motion to.

Making a long-term commitment to a platform may feel risky. What if the developers stop updating information technology? Fortunately, Infinity has a public roadmap showing what'southward been implemented and what's in store for the future. Y'all tin take a await and approximate if the app is moving in the right management. There's no gratis trial, but y'all can test the functionality in the templates section. When you lot preview each 1, you lot're seeing an embedded version of Infinity, and you can get a feel of well-nigh of the features in that location.

If you have a lot of data and you know y'all'll demand a tool for the long haul, Infinity'due south combination of features and pricing model can maximize your dollars. Make the well-nigh of it past using Zapier'due south Infinity integrations, which will let yous practice things like create new Infinity items from calendar events or to-practise listing tasks.

Infinity difficulty: Beginner
Infinity pricing: One-time payment starting at $149

Best database software for collaboration and project management

Podio

Podio, our pick for the best database-powered app builder for collaboration and project management

Podio is kind of like a corporate Airtable alternative—but that's non the simply difference between the two apps. In add-on to everything you'd await from a database platform with app features, Podio invests heavily in team collaboration and project management. There's a feed and an activeness log page for each workspace, where you can meet what'south changed recently and view comments, updates, and requests all on ane page.

If you lot're a manager, at that place's a calendar for you to track how projects are going, a tab to come across how employees are doing in terms of workload, and an overview of the tasks on the firsthand horizon. It's a actually potent tool to keep everyone on runway. Information technology's a little more circuitous than Airtable, and I didn't love that some important actions are hidden in a card with a wrench icon that'south a little inconspicuous unless yous stop to browse the whole folio.

Podio calls each database an app: you can utilize templates or even consummate "App Packs" for things like man resources or marketing, to name a few. It's a cracking manner to get started on the right pes, which is great since the app is a bit circuitous. Unfortunately, you lot'll need to upgrade to higher-priced tiers to become admission to things like automation or advanced dashboards.

If you lot're running a team and circuitous projects, Podio offers features that non only keep track of your business's data but besides continue track of what'southward going on during execution. Have it upwardly a notch past using Zapier's Podio integrations to do things similar saving form submissions in Podio or adding Podio information to your email marketing tool.

Podio difficulty: Intermediate
Podio pricing: Complimentary programme available but limited to 500 rows; paid plans start at $7.twenty/calendar month

Best database software for flexibility

Smartsheet

Smartsheet, our pick for the best database-powered app builder for flexibility

Smartsheet strikes the all-time rest betwixt collaboration (east.k., diverse user types and conversations), project management (due east.thou., task view across projects), and all the features you lot'd expect from a database, leaning a chip on an enterprise approach.

I liked the onboarding process: information technology was in-depth without keeping me there too long. (If yous need help later on, there's a help center with learning tracks, which is like a bunch of online courses for Smartsheet.) The interface and utilities are similar to Google Sheets, so you'll feel at home if you lot're upgrading from at that place. It's a bit cluttered, but information technology's intuitive enough—you won't spend a lot of time looking for what you lot need.

One thing that was super frustrating as I was tinkering with my database and building an app is that Smartsheet doesn't take immediate autosave: the data that you enter isn't saved right abroad (you have to do it manually). It'll only autosave if you exit a sheet open and move abroad for three minutes. Close tabs at your ain take chances!

The app-building features beginning at a pretty high price point (Enterprise), but Smartsheet made it onto this list because of its versatility. And you can practice even more with Smartsheet by connecting it to Zapier: get notifications for new rows, create tasks in other apps when in that location are new Smartsheet rows, and more.

Smartsheet difficulty: Intermediate
Smartsheet pricing: Plans start at $7/user/month, but app-edifice features are only bachelor on the Enterprise level (custom quotes)

Best database software for building apps for all devices

Google AppSheet

Google AppSheet, our pick for the best database-powered app builder for building apps on all devices

All the solutions to a higher place have a core spreadsheet user feel, and and so take that to the adjacent level with a combination of form-building, interactive dashboards, or app configuration. Some tools even throw in project direction features and squad collaboration.

Google AppSheet has a different philosophy. Upload i of your spreadsheets, and AppSheet will use its AI engine to sketch an app you tin can use to interact with the data and data types on it. After that, you can customize each page of the app with a gear up of menus that accept the cleanliness that Google has made the states look, simply with features that already accept a logic closer to a no-code tool. The whole user experience is very Google, both while edifice the app and in terms of how your terminal app feels. The terminology is a bit advanced in some of the interactions, but there'south a lot of help (including a free Udemy 57-infinitesimal video course) to support yous through the process.

I uploaded a spreadsheet with data for fictional employees, and AppSheet built a simple profile view and button to let me edit each entry. In 5 minutes, I was able to create a course to add new employees with a quick Google search and a couple of clicks.

The best part: AppSheet builds apps that are responsive, looking great on whatever device. You can even include features that smartphones tin take reward of, similar barcode scanning (albeit those features come up at a college toll betoken). Other interesting features include machine learning and text recognition to add some artificial intelligence to your builds.

You can build and edit all y'all want, for as long as you want. AppSheet volition only start charging when you're ready to deploy your app to a live setting. While the setup time for Google AppSheet is longer and the learning curve a bit steeper, the range of solutions you lot can create is potentially much wider.

You can do fifty-fifty more than with AppSheet by connecting it to Zapier to practise things like creating a new record based on a sale or form submission.

Google AppSheet difficulty: Intermediate
Google AppSheet pricing: Free to build; deploying an app starts at $5/user/month

Best database software for building custom solutions

Zoho Creator

Zoho Creator, our pick for the best database-powered app builder for custom solutions

Moving one step further abroad from spreadsheets and one step closer to app building, Zoho Creator brands itself every bit a depression-code tool.

In one case you land on the dashboard, you lot'll discover the terminology is different. You can create applications, microservices, and fifty-fifty add analytics tools. You can start with a template (they're very complete, each one with a custom interface, covering multiple apply cases), or past adding your own spreadsheets. In one case you upload your data, Zoho Creator automatically creates a class to update and add new records to it, also equally a basic report you can configure.

While testing, I was on my style to the marketing templates section when a "Gym Management" template caught my eye. Half an hour after, I had 4 trainers, a selection of belatedly-nighttime yoga classes, and a way to track the elevation and weight of each trainee. All with a clean dashboard ready to prove membership strength and attendance over the terminal five weeks, among other useful stats.

The level of freedom is much higher than in other apps I tested, but and then is the difficulty to go started. Unless you lot have some experience with depression- or no-code app-builders, jumping into Zoho Creator isn't going to feel intuitive. But later on going through the quick-start guide and installing a few templates (and editing them to see what'south going on behind the scenes), Zoho Creator shows its potential to let you build any solution y'all want—as long as y'all have a lot of fourth dimension and a decent corporeality of patience.

If you're looking for a more streamlined, plug-and-play feel, then the other tools in this roundup will serve you ameliorate. Merely if freedom is what you're looking for, this is it. If you go for it, you tin can automate Zoho Creator by connecting it to Zapier to do things like creating cloud storage folders or project management tasks whenever there are new records in Zoho Creator.

Zoho Creator difficulty: Challenging
Zoho Creator pricing: Paid plans showtime at $25/user/calendar month

Need more liberty and power?

If you go past Zoho Creator, you enter the realm of open-concluded app-building platforms, like Chimera. These depression-lawmaking/no-code platforms offer a range of features that allow you lot to host, build, scale, and distribute apps within your own company, or fifty-fifty to create new products and services yous tin sell to customers.

If you're looking for more information on this topic, search for low-lawmaking/no-code, the no-code movement, and no-code platforms. These are more avant-garde and require more fourth dimension to get used to, but the investment tin can pay off immensely.

Finding the all-time database-powered app builders

Database-powered app builders range from upgrading your spreadsheets to allowing you to create fully-functional apps to solve business problems. How much power you need is up to what you're trying to achieve. All the platforms we mentioned in this roundup accept either free tiers, a free trial, or a free way to exam the basic features. Accept them out for a spin, accept your time to experiment, and choose the best to add to your business toolbox.

And once you've built a database-powered internal tool, you might be tempted to stop at that place. But don't: your internal tool might exist useful on its own, simply information technology'll be far more useful if you lot integrate it with other apps to automatically import data, send notifications, and more than. Your database architect may include features to send basic notifications and import information, but for everything else, you lot can connect your database tool to Zapier.

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