Updated Jan 28, 2026

8 Best Budibase Alternatives to Build Your Web App in 2026

Table of Contents

Looking for an app builder that goes beyond what Budibase offers? You're not alone—many builders hit a wall when they realize they need more than internal business tools.

Adalo is an AI-powered app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. Budibase, by comparison, is an open-source platform focused on building internal tools and workflows, delivering web apps and PWAs but without native app store publishing.

The alternatives below were selected based on what actually drives app success: speed to launch, audience reach, and distribution power. Getting your MVP live quickly matters, but so does reaching users where they already are—the App Store and Google Play see over a billion monthly visitors combined. Platforms that publish natively and support push notifications give you a direct line to your audience that web-only tools simply can't match.

Are you looking for an app builder like Budibase to build your web app? Check out Adalo for ease and power, Glide for aesthetics, and Softr for simple building from a database.

This article will cover:

Why look for a Budibase alternative, and how we chose our list
8 app-building platforms
How to choose a Budibase alternative to fit your needs and FAQs
Adalo, an AI-powered app builder

The Top 8 Budibase Alternatives for Your Business

Why Look for Budibase Alternatives?

While Budibase is an excellent platform for creating business-process tools and automating workflows, some folks seek an alternative for these reasons:

Not very flexible: Budibase is designed to build internal business tools, not external ones like delivery or booking apps. It doesn't offer templates, tools, or features to create these kinds of apps.

Expensive pricing: While Budibase offers an excellent free version to learn the platform, the first pricing tier costs $60/month per editor and an additional $6/month per logged-in user. This can add up, especially if you have several users and editors.

Makes web apps only: Budibase creates web apps that users can access by logging into a portal from their browsers. Additionally, it lets you create a progressive web app (PWA), which users can download directly from a link to their phones. You can't publish to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, so you'll miss an opportunity to get downloads from a combined 1 billion monthly visitors.

How We Choose Our Budibase Alternatives

We determined 3 major factors that influence most people when seeking an app builder other than Budibase:

Ease of use: Budibase appeals to the masses because of its ease of use. Thus, a solid Budibase alternative should be easy enough for most people to use and not require considerable tech experience or programming skills.

Affordability: A primary reason folks hesitate to sign up for a Budibase plan is the high pricing—as we mentioned earlier, low-end pricing can easily exceed $60/month. The Budibase alternatives on our list have more attractive pricing stickers and less rigid pricing options.

Creates more than business tools: While Budibase is terrific for accelerating productivity by creating effective business tools and software and improving workflows, it doesn't offer much for building apps used by external customers, such as those for ordering, scheduling, and more. We ensured the app builders we selected provided more flexibility than Budibase.

Top 8 Budibase Alternatives

#1 Adalo

What It Does Better Than Budibase

Adalo is an AI-powered app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms. AI-assisted building and streamlined publishing enable launch to the Apple App Store and Google Play in days rather than months.

The platform's Magic Start feature generates complete app foundations from a simple description. Tell it you need a booking app for a dog grooming business, and it creates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically—what used to take days of planning happens in minutes. Magic Add then lets you expand functionality by describing what you want in natural language.

Following the Adalo 3.0 infrastructure overhaul in late 2025, the platform is now 3-4x faster with modular infrastructure that scales to serve apps with millions of monthly active users. Paid plans include no record limits on the database—a significant advantage over platforms that cap storage or charge per record. All plans now include unlimited usage with no App Actions charges, eliminating bill shock entirely.

Who It's Best For

Freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small and medium business owners will find that Adalo covers nearly all bases. The visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint," making it accessible right after creating your account. Yet it packs enough power with thousands of integrations and design freedom to meet almost anyone's app-building needs. Over 3 million apps have been created on the platform.

Pricing

Start using Adalo for only $36/month (billed monthly) with unlimited usage and app store publishing with unlimited updates to apps once published.

The Bottom Line

Adalo is our top alternative to Budibase, as it provides the power and flexibility to make almost any app idea a reality—with true native mobile apps and no data caps on paid plans.

#2 Glide

What It Does Better Than Budibase

Glide is a web app-building platform known for its good looks. This means you won't have to put in too much effort to create an app that turns heads. Additionally, Glide allows you to build every part of your app on its platform—frontend, backend, and database.

However, Glide is heavily format-focused and restricted to set templates. This makes it fast to build and publish with, but creates generic, simplistic apps with limited creative freedom. Glide excels as a go-to for spreadsheet-based apps, but that still doesn't compare to the convenience of Adalo's Sheetbridge, which enables users to turn a Google Sheet into an actual database for the easiest control without database-related learning.

Who It's Best For

Glide is a good choice for folks seeking a Budibase alternative for building internal business tools. It's beneficial for those looking to add AI power to their app, as Glide AI will conveniently help app users summarize PDFs, describe photos, and speed up tasks.

Pricing

Pricing starts at $60/month to get the ability to build an app with a custom domain, but it is still limited by app updates and data record rows, which attract additional charges. Glide does not support Apple App Store or Google Play Store publishing—a significant limitation for reaching mobile users.

The Bottom Line

If you're looking for a Budibase alternative that's almost guaranteed to make a gorgeous and sleek web app for unlimited users, try Glide. Just know you won't be able to publish to the app stores.

#3 Softr

What It Does Better Than Budibase

If you already have a database and want to transform it into an app at lightning speed, give Softr a shot. Softr is a web app builder with one of the most dynamic interfaces and an easy-to-use building system that lets you construct an app seamlessly.

Who It's Best For

Softr is reserved for anyone with a pre-existing database: If you haven't already made a database, using Softr is nearly impossible. Businesses and individuals with a database are more likely to be able to connect it to Softr, as Softr integrates with Airtable, SmartSuite, Hubspot, Supabase, and others.

Pricing

Softr pricing starts from $167/month to publish an actual Progressive Web App, which is still restricted by records per app and records per datasource. Softr does not support Apple App Store and Google Play Store publishing, or iOS and Android app creation. For comparison, Adalo's $36/month plan includes native mobile app publishing with no record limits.

The Bottom Line

Anyone looking to create an internal business tool from their database might be pleased with what they can build from Softr—provided the web app restrictions are acceptable and the higher price point fits your budget.

#4 Bubble

What It Does Better Than Budibase

Bubble, a visual web app builder, is one of the most flexible Budibase alternatives on the market. With hundreds of premade templates and over 3,000 plugins or add-ons, there's really nothing you can't build with Bubble.

However, that flexibility comes with trade-offs. Bubble's extensive customization options often result in slower applications that suffer under increased load, frequently requiring hired experts to optimize. Claims of millions of MAU are likely only achievable with professional help. Bubble's mobile app solution is also a wrapper for the web app, introducing potential challenges at scale—and one app version doesn't automatically update web, Android, and iOS apps deployed to their respective app stores.

Who It's Best For

Need to create an internal business workflow tool and a tool that clients will use to book appointments? You can build it with Bubble, regardless of your business size. However, this power comes with a tradeoff—you'll need to spend time overcoming Bubble's tough learning curve.

Pricing

Bubble's web and mobile wrapper offering starts at $59/month with usage-based charges through Workload Units, limits on app re-publishing, and record constraints. These Workload Unit calculations can be unclear and lead to uncertain billing. For comparison, Adalo's web and true-native mobile builder starts at $36/month with unlimited usage and app store publishing.

The Bottom Line

Bubble is the Budibase alternative with the power and flexibility to build nearly anything, although you'll need to dedicate significant learning time and potentially budget for expert help to achieve scale.

#5 GoodBarber

What It Does Better Than Budibase

GoodBarber is a native mobile app-building platform that lets you publish your app to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It offers a variety of templates, making it accessible to folks looking for more than an internal tool builder.

Who It's Best For

GoodBarber specializes in creating e-commerce apps—no matter what your business size. Anyone looking to sell their goods or content on an app will be right at home with GoodBarber—it has everything you need for marketing and selling.

Pricing

Create a content app with GoodBarber for $36/month (billed monthly), get up to 2 GB of storage, and send up to 10,000 push notifications monthly. To publish a content app in the app stores, you'll need to pay $70/month, but you'll get 10GB of storage and 30,000 monthly push notifications.

Build an e-commerce app for $50/month (billed monthly) and feature up to 100 products on your app and 1 staff account. The $90/month (billed monthly) version gives app store publishing and 3 staff accounts but also provides delivery features.

The Bottom Line

GoodBarber is a perfect alternative to Budibase for e-commerce owners aiming to build an app they can feature on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

#6 Noloco

What It Does Better Than Budibase

If you're looking to create a tool for your business at a cheaper price than Budibase, then look no further than Noloco. Plus, you'll get integrations to popular database builders like Airtable, Xano, Google Sheets, and others.

Who It's Best For

Small and medium businesses needing an app builder to create custom software will be at home with Noloco. The platform also allows for creating workflow automations, bulk actions, and other time-saving task executions.

Pricing

Build an unlimited number of white-label apps with Noloco for $49/month (billed monthly) with up to 4 app-editors and 10 logged-in clients. The $149/month (billed monthly) version gets you 10 app-editors, 50 logged-in clients, and additional integrations to up to 50,000 data rows per app.

The Bottom Line

Noloco allows more app editors and logged-in clients at a more affordable rate than Budibase.

#7 Draftbit

What It Does Better Than Budibase

Draftbit is a low-code app-building platform allowing techies to add tons of oomph to their apps by patching their own code. This lets you customize your app's features and functionalities, so you won't need to rely on premade components.

Who It's Best For

Because it's a low-code platform, you'll need to know a few technical concepts, like how databases are structured and API call logic, before getting started. This makes Draftbit a prime choice for folks who want to bring their tech skills to app building. It's also an open-source Budibase alternative, making it a go-to for folks who work with GitHub.

Pricing

The $29/month (billed monthly) version lets you create 1 app with up to 25 screens that you can publish to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Agencies will love the Freelancer Plan, at $129/month (billed monthly), as it allows for up to 3 app-editors and 3 published apps with unlimited screens.

Like Draftbit, but don't want to build your app? Hire a Draftbit expert, starting at $2,000/month, and they'll work with you to custom-make an app just as you want.

The Bottom Line

Draftbit, as a low-code platform, is a super flexible and powerfully customizable Budibase alternative.

#8 Bravo Studio

What It Does Better Than Budibase

Bravo Studio is a native mobile app builder that transforms Figma designs into gorgeous, one-of-a-kind apps that can be published to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Since it relies so heavily on Figma, it's the Budibase alternative that gives you pixel-perfect design freedom.

Who It's Best For

Because you'll need to have Figma experience before you can get started, Bravo Studio is by far the best platform for designers with Figma experience.

Pricing

You can create as many 30-screen apps as you wish on Bravo's $22/month (billed monthly) version. Bravo charges $55/month per app if you require email support. However, to remove the Bravo Studio branding, build bigger apps with up to 80 screens, and receive live onboarding training, you'll need to go with Bravo's $99/month (billed monthly) version.

The Bottom Line

If you're a Figma designer and need a Budibase alternative, you should consider shortlisting Bravo.

Comparison Summary

Platform	Starting Price	Native App Store Publishing	Database Limits	Best For
Adalo	$36/month	Yes (iOS & Android)	Unlimited on paid plans	All-purpose native apps
Glide	$60/month	No	Row limits + charges	Spreadsheet-based web apps
Softr	$167/month	No	Record limits	Database-to-web apps
Bubble	$59/month	Wrapper only	Workload Unit limits	Complex web apps
GoodBarber	$36/month	Yes (at $70+)	Storage limits	E-commerce apps
Noloco	$49/month	No	50,000 rows max	Internal business tools
Draftbit	$29/month	Yes	Varies by backend	Technical users
Bravo Studio	$22/month	Yes	Varies by backend	Figma designers

How to Choose the Right Budibase Alternative

Selecting the right platform depends on your specific needs. Consider these factors:

Do you need native mobile apps? If reaching users through the App Store and Google Play is important, eliminate Budibase, Glide, Softr, and Noloco from consideration. Adalo, GoodBarber, Draftbit, and Bravo Studio all support native publishing.

What's your technical comfort level? Draftbit requires understanding databases and APIs. Bravo Studio requires Figma expertise. Adalo's visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint," making it accessible to non-technical users while still offering depth for complex apps.

How important is scalability? If you're building something that might grow to thousands or millions of users, pay attention to database limits and infrastructure. Adalo's modular infrastructure scales to 1M+ MAU with no upper ceiling and no record caps on paid plans. Bubble's Workload Units and Glide's row limits can create unexpected costs or constraints as you grow.

What's your budget? At $36/month with unlimited usage, Adalo offers strong value for native app publishing. Softr's $167/month entry point for PWA publishing is significantly higher. Bubble's usage-based Workload Units can make costs unpredictable.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions?	Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase. Unlike web wrappers, it compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store—the hardest part of launching an app handled automatically. With unlimited database records on paid plans and no usage-based charges, you get predictable costs as you scale.
What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store?	Adalo's drag-and-drop interface combined with AI-assisted building through Magic Start and Magic Add lets you go from idea to published app in days rather than months. The platform handles the complex App Store submission process, so you can focus on your app's features instead of wrestling with certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines.
Which is more affordable, Adalo or Bubble?	Adalo starts at $36/month with unlimited usage and native app store publishing. Bubble starts at $59/month but includes usage-based Workload Unit charges that can make costs unpredictable. Bubble's mobile solution is also a web wrapper rather than true native, which may require additional optimization costs at scale.
Which is more affordable, Adalo or Glide?	Adalo starts at $36/month with unlimited database records and native app publishing. Glide starts at $60/month but is limited by app updates and data record rows that attract additional charges. Glide also doesn't support App Store or Play Store publishing.
Which is easier for beginners, Adalo or Softr?	Both are accessible to beginners, but they serve different needs. Softr requires a pre-existing database to get started. Adalo includes its own database and has been described as "easy as PowerPoint," with Magic Start generating complete app foundations from simple descriptions.
Is Adalo better than Bubble for mobile apps?	For true native mobile apps, yes. Adalo compiles to native iOS and Android code from a single codebase. Bubble's mobile solution is a wrapper for web apps, which can introduce performance challenges at scale and means updates don't automatically sync across web and mobile versions.
Can I migrate from Budibase to Adalo?	Yes. While there's no direct import tool, you can export your Budibase data and import it into Adalo's database. Adalo's Sheetbridge feature also lets you connect Google Sheets as a database, making data migration straightforward for spreadsheet-based workflows.
What are the main reasons to look for a Budibase alternative?	The main reasons include Budibase's limited flexibility for building external customer-facing apps, expensive pricing starting at $60/month per editor plus per-user fees, and the inability to publish to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store—missing access to over 1 billion combined monthly visitors.
Can I build one app that works on web, iOS, and Android?	With Adalo, yes. The platform's agnostic builder lets you publish the same app to web, native iOS, and native Android—all without writing code or rebuilding for each platform. This cross-platform capability saves significant development time and ensures consistency across all devices.
How does Adalo handle app scalability?	Adalo 3.0's modular infrastructure, launched in late 2025, scales to serve apps with millions of monthly active users with no upper ceiling. The platform is 3-4x faster than before, and paid plans have no database record limits. X-Ray identifies performance issues before they affect users, helping maintain speed at scale.