Best for
Best for teams on Google Workspace that want mobile and web apps over data already sitting in spreadsheets and cloud databases.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
AI App Builders Comparison
AppSheet vs. Softr
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for teams building client portals and internal tools on top of existing data without writing code.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | AppSheet | Softr |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | lower value Free for prototyping; paid plans from $5 / user / month Starter $5, Core $10 and Enterprise Plus $20 per user per month. Core is included with most paid Google Workspace plans. Publisher Pro is priced per app instead, at $50 per app per month, and serves unlimited users. | Free; paid plans from $19 / month Rates on annual billing: Basic $19, Pro $99 and Business $329 per month, Enterprise on request. Nonprofit and educational organizations get 50 percent off. |
| Free trial | Free plan with full platform access for prototyping with up to 10 test users, with no time limit stated | Free plan |
| Output | Mobile and web business apps plus automations such as email, SMS and push notifications | Business web apps and portals (PWA for mobile) |
| API | Yes, a REST API for reading and writing table records in an app | Not stated |
| Hosting | Google cloud | Not stated |
| What it generates | Mobile and web business apps for work such as operations, field work, HR, sales and project management, plus automations sending email, SMS and push notifications; Gemini for App Creation generates the app from a described business process, proposing tables and columns before building | Business apps: client portals, internal tools, CRMs, dashboards, intranets and inventory systems |
| Stack and frameworks | No-code throughout: apps are configured in AppSheet's editor rather than written in a framework, and logic is extended with Google Apps Script functions and the REST API | No-code, block-based builder with no generated code to manage |
| Auth and database | Runs on existing data rather than its own: Google Sheets and Drive, Microsoft 365 and hosted Excel, Cloud SQL, Azure SQL, BigQuery, Salesforce, Dropbox, Smartsheet, OData, Apigee and REST APIs, with an AppSheet database included. Row limits per database scale with the plan, from 5 databases of 2,500 rows on Starter to 200 databases of 200,000 rows on Enterprise Plus. Enterprise data service connections and the stronger security, team management and governance controls are Enterprise Plus, which needs a Google Workspace administrator account | Native database or 15+ external sources (Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Supabase, HubSpot); email/password, magic link, Google and SSO login with user groups and permissions |
| Hosting and deploy | Google cloud only, with apps published to end users rather than deployed to infrastructure; there is no self-hosted option | Published to a Softr URL or a custom domain, with SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance |
| Payments | No built-in payments. No payment provider appears among the external services AppSheet documents, so a provider has to be reached like any other API, through a REST data source or a webhook step in an automation | Stripe, to sell digital products and sync purchase data |
| Access to the code | Apps live in AppSheet rather than as an exportable codebase; Apps Script and the REST API are the extension points | No code access, visual editing and vibe coding only |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based |
| Support | Email helpdesk | Community forum |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base | Documentation and knowledge base |
| Company size | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | more entries Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | Google Sheets, Google Drive, Google Apps Script, BigQuery, Cloud SQL, Microsoft 365, Azure SQL, Salesforce, Dropbox, Smartsheet, OData, Apigee | more entries Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Supabase, HubSpot, monday.com, ClickUp, Xero, Stripe, Make, Zapier |
Add a tool
Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Starting price AppSheet Free for prototyping; paid plans from $5 / user / month Softr Free; paid plans from $19 / month
- Free trial AppSheet Free plan with full platform access for prototyping with up to 10 test users, with no time limit stated Softr Free plan
- Company size AppSheet Small and mid-sized, Enterprise Softr Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise
- Support AppSheet Email helpdesk Softr Community forum
- Output AppSheet Mobile and web business apps plus automations such as email, SMS and push notifications Softr Business web apps and portals (PWA for mobile)
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
AppSheet
Strengths
- Gemini app creation is included in every paid licence rather than charged separately
- Starts from data a company already keeps, including non-Google sources such as Microsoft 365, Azure SQL and Salesforce
- Core is bundled with most paid Google Workspace plans, so many organisations already hold the licence
- Free tier has full platform access for prototyping with no stated time limit
Limitations
- Google cloud only, with no self-hosted option
- Apps are not an exportable codebase, so leaving the platform means rebuilding
- Enterprise data connections, machine learning modelling and the governance controls are Enterprise Plus only, and need a Workspace administrator account
- Database row limits are tied to the plan, so heavier data pushes the tier up
Softr
Strengths
- Turns a prompt into a full app: database, pages, user groups and navigation
- Connects to 15+ data sources with two-way sync (Airtable, Google Sheets, Supabase and more)
- Built-in auth, user groups and permissions, with SSO and SOC 2 Type II
Limitations
- No access to the underlying code
- Mobile is delivered as a PWA, not a native app
- Focused on business apps and portals rather than consumer apps
Plans
Pricing
AppSheet
- Free $0 Full platform access for prototyping with up to 10 test users. No time limit stated.
- Starter $5 Per user per month. Basic application and automation features, spreadsheet and cloud file storage connections, 5 AppSheet databases of 2,500 rows each.
- Core $10 Per user per month. Advanced application and automation features, application security controls, email support, 10 databases of 2,500 rows each. Included with most paid Google Workspace plans.
- Enterprise Plus $20 Per user per month. Adds enterprise data service connections to APIs, SaaS and databases, enhanced security, team management and governance, machine learning modelling, priority support and 200 databases of 200,000 rows each. Requires a Google Workspace administrator account.
- Publisher Pro $50 Per app per month rather than per user. For publicly accessible apps that need no sign-in, with unlimited users per app and the Core feature set.
Softr
- Free $0
- Basic $19 Per month on annual billing.
- Pro $99 Per month on annual billing.
- Business $329 Per month on annual billing.
- Enterprise Custom Quoted by the vendor.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
AppSheet
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Softr
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this tool. Every review is checked for fairness before it appears, and the vendor cannot have one removed.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
AppSheet https://about.appsheet.com · no check date recorded yet
Softr https://www.softr.io · no check date recorded yet
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.