Spreadsheets are fantastic. You can put together an accounting system, a task manager, or an inventory tracker with columns, rows, and formulas—all without slamming into a wall of code at any point.
But there’s a cap to how much you can achieve with spreadsheets alone. If you want to view, manipulate, and understand your data better, you want a database tool. Not all databases are flexible and easy to use, though, which is why I rounded up the ones that are right on the money: a perfect blend of database-oriented features and an accessible information management system.
After years of following these apps and a few weeks of intensive testing, here’s the latest update on the best database app builders.
The best database-powered app builders
What makes the best database software?
How we evaluate and test apps
Our best apps roundups are written by humans who’ve spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it’s intended to be 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 any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.
Once you understand the difference between a spreadsheet and a database, you’ll better understand when it’s time to make the switch. In a spreadsheet, you let go of a smooth user experience to gain powerful functionality. In a database, you can make queries to display only specific, related pieces of data—but you need to be comfortable with writing SQL and packing the insights into a report.
These database-powered app builders are the middle path. They offer dependable user experience and functionality without ever requiring you to write code or queries if you don’t want to. You can enter your data and create filtered views or dashboards to see the big picture. And if you want to take it a step further, you can build apps for internal use, with a combination of forms, action buttons, and automated flows.
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 building my own mini-apps. I paid attention 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 offer, but all of them were judged based on the same criteria:
-
Ease of use. This means 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? Can you speed up this process by starting from a template?
-
Flexibility. I was looking for tools that could 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 support or via Zapier. I also explored what kinds of import and export features were available.
-
Value for money. I made sure to consider the pricing model, the availability of free plans, and the value for money at the paid plans.
Need more freedom and power? Internal tools are great, but when you want to create a custom system, build a digital product, or launch the next industry-changing SaaS, not all the apps on this list will be the best fit. Instead, consider picking up one of the best no-code app builders or the best AI app builders: they’ll require a bit more investment in terms of time, but you’ll have a lot more freedom to build the exact features you want.
The best database-powered app builders at a glance
|
Best for |
Standout feature |
Pricing |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Airtable |
People who love spreadsheets |
Extremely flexible |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $24/user/month |
|
Zapier |
AI orchestration |
Deep connection to over 7,000 apps and built-in AI |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $20/month |
|
Podio |
Collaboration |
Well-developed templates with team visibility |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $14/user/month |
|
Google AppSheet |
Building apps for all devices |
Quick development process |
Free to build; deploying an app starts at $5/user/month |
|
Zenkit |
Unique views |
Hierarchy and mind map views |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $9/month |
|
Smartsheet |
Enterprise-grade project management |
Lots of reporting tools with resource and portfolio management |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $12/user/month |
Best database software for people who use spreadsheets for everything
Airtable (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Airtable pros:
-
Extremely flexible
-
Great user interface
Airtable cons:
If you’re used to having spreadsheets run your business, Airtable is your best bet. It’s still a spreadsheet at heart, but with a collection of powerful features, including app-building. It feels like the gold standard for the category; and the friendly user interface, along with a very intuitive experience and thorough help content, will support you as you make the switch.
Configuring new views is a breeze. Once you have data, you just click the view type you want to set 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 little tweaking. There are also light collaboration features: you can mention your workspace buddies, leave comments on database entries, and receive notifications for changes. They’re enough if you want to keep a small team on the same page, but you’ll still have to depend heavily on your business communication apps.
On the right side of your base, you’ll find an area for extensions. These add features like time-tracking, currency conversion, or sending an SMS to a phone number—you can browse the marketplace for more possibilities.
Airtable’s Interface Designer—where most of the app-building features live—is a joy to use, especially considering it used to be a nightmare a few years ago. It’s so easy to select your bases, pick the best view for each of them, and then fine-tune the presentation and actions. It’s a great fit for streamlining complex internal workflows or creating a customer-facing portal.
Airtable AI has gotten plenty of upgrades since last year. Now, it can generate apps from a prompt, ready with all the bases and views you need, so you only need to tweak them in the Interface Designer before sharing them. Beyond that, you can add AI fields to your bases, summarizing, categorizing, or generating content. And soon, the Airtable AI Assistant will be ready to analyze and answer questions about your data.
Overall, Airtable is a polished tool that’ll make your transition from classic spreadsheets a painless experience—and let you do so much more. You 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 form responses. Learn more about how to automate Airtable, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Airtable pricing: Free plan available, with access to unlimited databases and 1,000 records (rows) per database. Paid plans start at $24/user/month, increasing the record limit to 50,000 per database and the attachment storage to 20GB.
Looking for Airtable alternatives for app building? If pricing is an issue, Grist is a lower-cost alternative with a comparable feature set.
Best database app builder for AI orchestration
Zapier (Web)
Zapier pros:
-
Very easy and intuitive to use
-
Deep connection to over 7,000 apps you already use
-
Built-in AI features
Zapier cons:
Zapier is AI orchestration software that connects all the apps you use. But in addition to automation, it offers products that turn it into a fully-fledged app builder: Tables and Interfaces.
Tables, as the name implies, is all about storing data. You’ll see it stacked in a grid, with controls to search, filter, or hide fields. You can save the views, but you can’t see the data in board, cards, or Gantt views. Is this a limitation, though? Not really: this is just for data storage—you won’t be interacting a lot with your data here.
The place where that happens is in Interfaces. As you create new pages in Interfaces, you can display the data from your tables in table, Kanban, card, and inbox views. The real magic happens if these screens are interactive, and that’s where automation and AI come in. In addition to the basic operations—creating, reading, updating, and deleting data—Zapier can move data into any other apps you use or trigger other actions within them. All of this with a click of a button inside the app you created.
When you’re done filling your Tables and building your Interfaces, take a look at Zapier’s other AI features. Beyond configuring AI steps within a Zap—for example, prompting an OpenAI model for a response you can use later in the automation—you can also access AI chatbots trained with your data (which you can embed within your apps) and AI agents that look for triggers, reason based on data, and start actions across connected apps. This is the equivalent of putting an employee in charge of a control board of your data and automation, carrying out actions accurately based on your instructions.
The fact that it’s so modular and highly connected makes it a great choice if you’re a SaaS lover but hate to spend time keeping data synced properly. Of course, this is the Zapier blog, so I encourage you to check it out for yourself to see if you agree. You can start by using one of these pre-made templates.
Lead Hub Template
Create a lead hub for your team or clients to review, contact, and add leads to their CRM.
Approval Request Template
Easily approve or reject requests and send automatic messages to the requester.
Zapier price: Tables is free for 2,500 records and 100 fields, while Interfaces is free for up to 2 interfaces. Each of these products start at $20/month for their premium features.
Best database software for collaboration
Podio (Web, iOS, Android)
Podio pros:
Podio cons:
Podio is kind of like a corporate Airtable alternative—but that’s not the only difference between the two apps. In addition to everything you’d expect from a database platform with app features, Podio invests heavily in team collaboration and project management. There’s a feed and an activity log page for each workspace, where you can see what’s changed recently and view comments, updates, and requests all on one page.
Once you’ve caught up with the latest news from your team, you can click on the tabs to the right of the activity log and see each of your databases. You can add and save filters on the list to the left of the screen, useful to quickly check up on things when dealing with endless pits of data.
If you’re a manager, there’s a calendar for you to track how projects are going, a tab to see how employees are doing in terms of workload, and an overview of the tasks on the immediate horizon. It’s a really strong tool to keep everyone on track. It’s more complex than Airtable, and I didn’t love that some important actions are hidden in a menu with a wrench icon that’s a little inconspicuous unless you stop to scan the whole page.
Podio calls each database an app: you can use templates or even complete “App Packs” for things like human resources or marketing, to name a few. It’s a great way to get started on the right foot, which is great since the app is a bit complex. And even if you don’t land on the right app pack at the start, there are hundreds of templates to try out. Unfortunately, you’ll need to upgrade to higher-priced tiers to get access to things like automation or advanced dashboards.
If you’re running a team and complex projects, Podio offers features that keep track of not only your business’s data but also what’s going on during execution. Take it up a notch by using Zapier’s Podio integrations to do things like saving form submissions in Podio or adding Podio data to your email marketing tool. Learn more about how to automate Podio, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Podio pricing: Free plan available but limited to 100 records per organization; paid plans start at $14/user/month, offering unlimited records and unlimited external users.
Best database software for building apps for all devices
Google AppSheet (Web)
AppSheet pros:
AppSheet cons:
All the solutions above have a core spreadsheet user experience, and then take that to the next level with a combination of form-building, interactive dashboards, or app configuration. Some tools even throw in project management features and team collaboration.
Google AppSheet has a different philosophy. Upload one of your spreadsheets, and AppSheet will use its AI engine to sketch an app you can use to interact with the data and data types on it. After that, you can customize each page of the app with a set of menus that have the cleanliness that Google has made us expect, but with features that already have a logic closer to a no-code tool. The whole user experience is very Google, both while building the app and in terms of how your final app feels. The terminology is a bit advanced in some of the interactions, but there’s a lot of help (including a free Udemy 57-minute video course) to support you 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 five minutes, I was able to create a form 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 any device. You can even include features that smartphones can take advantage of, like barcode scanning (albeit those features come at a higher price point). Other interesting features include machine learning and text recognition to add some artificial intelligence to your builds.
AppSheet now integrates with Gemini and Gmail natively: you can run AI actions inside your apps and shoot out emails as you do so. It also introduced better connections with other SaaS platforms via platform connectors, though some still require you to log in to Google Cloud Platform to set up—this is their developer-grade cloud computing platform.
You can do even more with AppSheet by connecting it to Zapier to do things like creating a new record based on a sale or form submission. With Zapier, you can connect AppSheet to thousands of other apps—here are just a few example workflows.
Google AppSheet pricing: Free to build; deploying an app starts at $5/user/month with basic application and automation features.
Best database app builder for unique views
Zenkit (Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux)
Zenkit pros:
Zenkit cons:
The dark theme and colorful background that Zenkit sports when you log in are bold. I liked the vibe, along with the minimalism in the icons and the screens—even though some advanced features are hidden in back-alley menus. Not a critical issue: after a few days, you’ll be able to navigate it blindfolded.
But there are more important things than the visual effect. Zenkit brings new views and features into this category, letting you study your data from new angles. In addition to the traditional lists and Kanban boards offered by the competition, Zenkit built in:
-
Hierarchy, letting you add items and sub-items, for connecting tasks that have dependencies with one another, for example.
-
Mind map, giving a visual representation of how items in your spreadsheet are connected—great for ideation and to understand the sequence in which things need to be done.
-
Wiki, which introduces the wiki experience into the database scene.
-
Files, a view that just shows everything that you’ve uploaded.
This tool used to be part of Zenkit’s software suite (it was called Base). They changed their strategy and integrated everything they used to offer as separate products into a single platform. Beyond database-powered app building, you can also take care of your notes, projects, chats and forms. Unfortunately, the pricing wasn’t streamlined: you still have to pay a separate subscription for each feature set.
If these don’t fulfill your needs, you can connect Zenkit with Zapier and browse the thousands of integrations available. Here are a couple of examples.
Sometimes, a solution to a problem doesn’t lie in confronting it head on; sometimes, it’s about finding a new angle. Zenkit’s unique views will help you disengage, change your view, and work toward a more adequate solution.
Zenkit pricing: Free plan available, limited to 100 databases and 500 rows. Lowest paid plan (Plus) at $9/month. Software suite bundles available on request.
Best database app builder for enterprise-grade project management
Smartsheet (Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac)
Smartsheet pros:
Smartsheet cons:
Looks can be deceiving. Smartsheet looks like a spreadsheet app, sure. But when you start to use the advanced features, you’ll see that it’s much, much more. It’s a great match for enterprise-grade projects due to its resource and portfolio management tools.
Big businesses have lots of projects going on at the same time, all powered by their teams. Portfolio management helps you group all your internal projects into one dashboard, see their status, and understand how your teams are getting them done. The flip side of this is understanding how these projects are affecting your teams. Resource management helps exactly with that: you can dig into workloads, plan projects, and see if you need to budget for a new hire.
These advanced features live on top of a user experience you’re used to: spreadsheets. Each one comes with its stock rows and columns, cell formatting, and formulas, a lot like a simpler Excel. Unlike Excel, you can indent rows to create parent/child relationships, which is great for creating tasks and subtasks. You can add as many sheets as you need to track work, or other things such as assets or locations. And if you want to see your data from a different perspective, you can quickly switch to card, Gantt, or calendar views.
Visibility is important, and that’s why you can take it a little further by creating custom reports and dashboards. Line up, filter, and group any categories to create the perfect view. All of these sheets, reports, and dashboards are organized in a files and folders navigation style, so everyone can find their way to the data they need. When you outgrow these tools, Smartsheet’s WorkApps let you create apps to streamline workflows, manage data permissions, and interface with external contractors.
Like any growing app in 2025, Smartsheet has AI tools too. But, unlike the competition, it’s taking a slower, perhaps more thoughtful approach, definitely grounded in current client needs. You can analyze data with AI-generated charts and metrics, ask questions about your data, summarize text fields, and generate formulas. More AI features are coming soon, focused on project or portfolio management. The slow release pace is more understandable now: these are complicated problems in high-risk settings, so you need to make sure these tools work well before they advise you to change anything.
Amazing how something that looks so simple can go such a long way, isn’t it? If this year is the one you’ll be focusing on efficiency, Smartsheet is the tool you’re looking for. And if you want to double down by doing less repetitive work and keeping all your other apps in the fold, connect Smartsheet to Zapier and start automating. Learn more about how to automate Smartsheet, or get started with a pre-built template.
Smartsheet price: Pro plan at $12/user/month, unlocking all views for up to 10 editors with unlimited sheets.
Finding the best 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. All the platforms I mentioned in this roundup have either free tiers, a free trial, or a free way to test the basic features. Take them out for a spin, take your time to experiment, and choose the best to add to your business toolbox.
Once you’ve built a database-powered internal tool, you might be tempted to stop there. But don’t: your internal tool might be useful on its own, but it’ll be far more useful if you integrate it with other apps to automatically import data, send notifications, and more. Your database builder may include features to send basic notifications and import data, but for everything else, you can connect your database tool to Zapier.
Read more:
This article was originally published in June 2015 by Matthew Guay. The most recent update was in June 2025.
