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. Zoho Creator
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for teams that want low-code apps with a native mobile version out of the box and the option to host them anywhere, including their own servers.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | AppSheet | Zoho Creator |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | 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. | Not stated |
| Free trial | Free plan with full platform access for prototyping with up to 10 test users, with no time limit stated | 15-day free trial, no credit card required, defaulting to Professional features; a free edition covers one custom application |
| Output | Mobile and web business apps plus automations such as email, SMS and push notifications | Custom web applications with a matching native iOS and Android app, plus portals, business processes, integration flows and BI dashboards |
| API | Yes, a REST API for reading and writing table records in an app | Yes |
| Hosting | Google cloud | Zoho's cloud, AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, or installed on your own servers 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 | Custom web applications with a native iOS and Android app for every app built, plus PWA support and built-in mobile device management, and beyond single apps portals, business processes, integration flows and BI and analytics. CoCreator, powered by Zia, builds the app from a plain-language description, and conversational analytics answers questions about a dataset in plain English |
| 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 | A drag-and-drop builder over an app schema with more than 40 form field types; custom logic is written in Deluge, Zoho's own scripting language |
| 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 | Role-based access control with single sign-on, IP restrictions, automated user management and SAML and Active Directory integration for large organisations |
| Hosting and deploy | Google cloud only, with apps published to end users rather than deployed to infrastructure; there is no self-hosted option | Zoho's cloud with auto-scaling and data centres in multiple geographies, or deployment to AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, or installation on your own servers on-premise. ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 certified and SOC 2 compliant |
| 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 | Payment fields run through pre-integrated gateways, configured once and then reused by workflows; Razorpay, Cashfree and PayPal appear in the documentation, and which gateways are available depends on the data centre and the country and currency configured |
| Access to the code | Apps live in AppSheet rather than as an exportable codebase; Apps Script and the REST API are the extension points | The Deluge script behind every component can be read and edited in the Application IDE under Developer Tools, and an application's Deluge Script can be downloaded as a .ds file; that export is refused when a report in the application shows data from 150 fields or more |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | more entries Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise |
| Support | Email helpdesk | more entries Email helpdesk, Phone, Chat, Community forum |
| Onboarding | Documentation and knowledge base | more entries Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials |
| Company size | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | 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 Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, Zoho People, Zoho Analytics, Zoho Desk, Zoho Flow, Salesforce, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle E-Business Suite, QuickBooks, SharePoint, Google Workspace, PayPal, Stripe, Razorpay, Twilio, 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
- Free trial AppSheet Free plan with full platform access for prototyping with up to 10 test users, with no time limit stated Zoho Creator 15-day free trial, no credit card required, defaulting to Professional features; a free edition covers one custom application
- Deployment AppSheet Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based Zoho Creator Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise
- Hosting AppSheet Google cloud Zoho Creator Zoho's cloud, AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, or installed on your own servers on-premise
- Support AppSheet Email helpdesk Zoho Creator Email helpdesk, Phone, Chat, Community forum
- Output AppSheet Mobile and web business apps plus automations such as email, SMS and push notifications Zoho Creator Custom web applications with a matching native iOS and Android app, plus portals, business processes, integration flows and BI dashboards
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
Zoho Creator
Strengths
- Every app built comes with a native iOS and Android app, not only a responsive web view
- Runs on Zoho's cloud, on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, or on your own servers on-premise
- CoCreator, powered by Zia, builds an application from a plain-language description
- Payment fields are built in and route through pre-integrated gateways
- ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 certified and SOC 2 compliant
Limitations
- Zoho does not print figures on the pricing page, so plans can be compared by content but not by cost without asking for a quote
- The Standard plan is limited to a single application; unlimited apps start at Professional
- Custom logic uses Deluge, a scripting language specific to Zoho
- AI model allowances and cloud function calls are capped per plan and per user per day
- Which payment gateways are available depends on the data centre and the currency configured
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.
Zoho Creator
- Free edition $0 One custom application, for individuals and small teams exploring low-code development.
- Standard Not stated Amount not published. 1 application, 20 custom and 50 ready-to-use AI models, 5 data sources, 5 custom connectors, 50 cloud function calls per user per day.
- Professional Not stated Amount not published. Unlimited applications, 100 custom and 250 ready-to-use AI models, 15 data sources, 10 custom connectors, 100 cloud function calls per user per day.
- Enterprise Not stated Amount not published. Unlimited applications, 100 custom and 250 ready-to-use AI models, 30 data sources, 20 custom connectors, 200 cloud function calls per user per day, with advanced integrations and analytics.
- Flex Custom Quoted by Zoho for tailored requirements.
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.
Zoho Creator
- 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
Zoho Creator https://www.zoho.com/creator/ · 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.