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. Xano
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for teams building a scalable backend and API without managing servers, with the frontend built elsewhere.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | AppSheet | Xano |
|---|---|---|
| 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 tier; paid from $85 / month Prices are billed annually: Essential $85 and Pro $224 per month. Custom plans are quoted by the vendor. |
| Free trial | Free plan with full platform access for prototyping with up to 10 test users, with no time limit stated | Free tier with rate limits, up to 100K database records and 1 workspace |
| Output | Mobile and web business apps plus automations such as email, SMS and push notifications | Backends: PostgreSQL databases, REST APIs, background tasks and agent tooling |
| API | Yes, a REST API for reading and writing table records in an app | Yes, the platform's purpose is generating APIs, with autogenerated OpenAPI docs and an MCP server |
| Hosting | Google cloud | Xano-managed regions or self-hosted on Azure, AWS, GCP or on-premise |
| 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 | The backend rather than the whole app: database, REST APIs, custom functions, middleware, background tasks and triggers, with the frontend left to another tool |
| 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 | PostgreSQL with Redis caching and Docker microservices; logic is built visually or written as XanoScript, which the CLI syncs to files on disk; works with React, Next.js, Flutter, Webflow, Framer and AI-generated frontends from Lovable and Bolt |
| 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 | PostgreSQL with unlimited records from the Essential tier; authentication endpoints (/signup, /login, /me) ship by default on JWE tokens, with role-based access control and enterprise SSO through GitHub, Google and Microsoft |
| Hosting and deploy | Google cloud only, with apps published to end users rather than deployed to infrastructure; there is no self-hosted option | Xano-managed hosting across multiple regions, or self-hosted on Azure, AWS, GCP or on-premise; releases are immutable versioned objects promoted through staging |
| 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 | Not stated |
| Access to the code | Apps live in AppSheet rather than as an exportable codebase; Apps Script and the REST API are the extension points | XanoScript is readable and editable, and the CLI syncs the workspace to files on disk; APIs carry autogenerated OpenAPI documentation |
| MCP-ready | No | stated Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | more entries Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise |
| Support | Email helpdesk | more entries Chat, Community forum |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base | more entries Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials |
| Company size | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | more entries Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | more entries Google Sheets, Google Drive, Google Apps Script, BigQuery, Cloud SQL, Microsoft 365, Azure SQL, Salesforce, Dropbox, Smartsheet, OData, Apigee | Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Lovable, Bolt.new, Webflow, Framer, Flutter, Datadog |
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 Xano Free tier; paid from $85 / month
- Free trial AppSheet Free plan with full platform access for prototyping with up to 10 test users, with no time limit stated Xano Free tier with rate limits, up to 100K database records and 1 workspace
- Deployment AppSheet Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based Xano Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise
- Company size AppSheet Small and mid-sized, Enterprise Xano Freelancers, Small and mid-sized, Enterprise
- Hosting AppSheet Google cloud Xano Xano-managed regions or self-hosted on Azure, AWS, GCP or on-premise
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
Xano
Strengths
- Self-hosting on Azure, AWS, GCP or on-premise, not only the vendor's cloud
- Frontend-agnostic: pairs with React, Flutter, Webflow, Framer, Lovable or Bolt rather than dictating one
- An official MCP server, so external AI agents build against the same workspace rules
Limitations
- The first paid tier is $85 a month, a steep step up from the free one
- It builds only the backend, so a second tool is needed for the interface
- The free tier is rate-limited to 10 requests per 20 seconds and watermarks stored images
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.
Xano
- Free $0 Core building tools, rate-limited to 10 requests per 20 seconds. Up to 100K database records, 1GB watermarked image storage, 1 workspace.
- Essential $85 Per month billed annually. Dedicated infrastructure without API rate limits, unlimited database records, 3 workspaces, 5 team seats, 100GB storage.
- Pro $224 Per month billed annually. 5 workspaces, 10 team seats, 250GB storage, managed load balancer, role management, 99.99% SLA.
- Custom Custom Quoted by the vendor. Self-hosting, advanced security, multiple tenant configurations and dedicated support.
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.
Xano
- 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
Xano https://www.xano.com · 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.