Best for
Best for regulated organisations building database applications and portals where HIPAA, SOC 2 or GDPR compliance has to be certified.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
AI App Builders Comparison
Caspio 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 | Caspio | Zoho Creator |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $270 / month Team plan billed annually; $300 on monthly billing. Business is $540 annually or $600 monthly, and a separate HIPAA/Compliance Edition is $500 a month on a one-year term. All plans include unlimited app users. | Not stated |
| Free trial | Free trial with access to core features, no upfront cost | 15-day free trial, no credit card required, defaulting to Professional features; a free edition covers one custom application |
| Output | Online database applications, deployed standalone or embedded | 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 with webhooks and an MCP server | Yes |
| Hosting | Caspio-hosted on AWS, with data residency in the US, Canada, the EU, UK, Australia and South America | Zoho's cloud, AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, or installed on your own servers on-premise |
| What it generates | Online database applications generated from a description by the Caspi AI builder, then edited in the Flex drag-and-drop builder; automations cover scheduled tasks and triggered actions | 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 | A SQL Server data core with role and record-level security, encryption and audit trails; apps are configured rather than written in a framework | 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 | SQL Server with user directories and SAML single sign-on; record-level security controls which rows a given user sees | 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 | Caspio-hosted on AWS; apps deploy standalone or embed as components in a website, intranet or customer portal, with data residency across six regions | 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 | Yes, real-time payments inside a generated app through Stripe and PayPal, in the Bridge framework; the feature is listed on the Business and Enterprise plans and not on Team | 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 run on the platform; access to the data is through a documented REST API, webhooks and an MCP server rather than an exportable codebase | 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 |
| MCP-ready | stated Yes | No |
| Deployment | Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based | more entries Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise |
| Support | Email helpdesk, Phone, Chat, Community forum | Email helpdesk, Phone, Chat, Community forum |
| Onboarding | more entries Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials, Guided onboarding, Personal consulting | Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials |
| Company size | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise |
| Integrations | Zapier, Make, n8n, Keragon, Stripe, PayPal | 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 Caspio Free trial with access to core features, no upfront cost Zoho Creator 15-day free trial, no credit card required, defaulting to Professional features; a free edition covers one custom application
- Deployment Caspio Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based Zoho Creator Cloud (SaaS), Browser-based, On-premise
- Hosting Caspio Caspio-hosted on AWS, with data residency in the US, Canada, the EU, UK, Australia and South America Zoho Creator Zoho's cloud, AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, or installed on your own servers on-premise
- MCP-ready Caspio Yes Zoho Creator No
- Output Caspio Online database applications, deployed standalone or embedded 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
Caspio
Strengths
- HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II and GDPR certified annually by independent audit, not self-attested
- Unlimited app users on every plan, so cost does not grow with the audience
- Phone, live chat and ticketing, staffed by in-house support engineers rather than outsourced
Limitations
- Entry pricing starts at $270 a month, well above most tools in this category
- Apps live on the platform rather than as an exportable codebase
- Builder seats are capped on the Team plan at five app authors
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
Caspio
- Team $270 Per month billed annually ($300 monthly). 5 app authors, 250K data records, unlimited app users.
- Business $540 Per month billed annually ($600 monthly). Unlimited app authors, 1M data records.
- HIPAA / Compliance Edition $500 Per month on a one-year term, for workloads under a signed Business Associate Agreement.
- Enterprise Custom Quoted by the vendor, for full governance, security and guaranteed performance.
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
Caspio
- 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
Caspio https://www.caspio.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.