Microsoft Power Apps is the best platform for business apps for most Microsoft 365 teams, because Premium covers unlimited apps for a licensed user at $20 per user per month billed annually, with Dataverse and premium connectors included. Google AppSheet is the best low cost pick for teams that already live in Google Sheets, and AppSheet Core is included in most Google Workspace editions, so many Workspace customers add no extra licence cost. Zoho Creator Standard allows only one app, so a team that plans to build more than one app should budget for Professional at $20 per user per month billed annually instead of Standard at $8.
A business app platform should turn a form, a table, or a workflow into an app that staff can open every day. Prices below come from official vendor pricing pages opened on 2026-11-12.
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What is the best platform for business apps: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Power Apps | Microsoft 365 teams building internal apps | $20 per user/month | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Google AppSheet | Sheet based apps for Google Workspace teams | $5 per user/month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | Zoho Creator | Small teams inside the Zoho suite | $8 per user/month | Yes | Visit |
| 4 | Airtable | Data first apps built on tables | $20 per user/month | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | Bubble | Full web apps with many end users | $32 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 6 | Glide | Spreadsheet apps for small teams | $19 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | Retool | Internal tools built by developers | $10 per builder/month | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | Mendix | Enterprise apps with strict uptime needs | $1,090 per month | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best what is the best platform for business apps, in detail
Microsoft Power Apps
Best for: Microsoft 365 teams building internal apps
Microsoft Power Apps is the default pick when a company already runs on Microsoft 365. Premium costs $20 per user per month billed annually, and it covers unlimited apps and Power Pages websites for the licensed user, with prebuilt, custom, and on-premises connectors. A volume tier drops the rate to $12 per user per month at 2,000 seats.
- The free Developer Plan is for building and testing only.
- One limit: the old per app plan at $5 per user per app per month stopped being sold to new customers through some channels from 2 January 2026, so new
- Power Apps also bills for data capacity separately, with extra Dataverse database capacity at $40 per GB per month.
Pros
- Premium covers unlimited apps for a licensed user
- Dataverse and premium connectors are included
- deep links to SharePoint, Teams, and Dynamics 365
Cons
- Premium is $20 per user per month, so a large team adds cost with every hire
- extra Dataverse capacity costs $40 per GB per month
Google AppSheet
Best for: Sheet based apps for Google Workspace teams
Google AppSheet turns a Google Sheet, Excel file, or AppSheet Database into a mobile and desktop app with forms, photos, signatures, and offline use. Starter costs $5 per user per month, Core costs $10 per user per month, and Enterprise Plus costs $20 per user per month. The plan for apps with no sign in costs $50 per app per month.
- The free plan allows building and testing with up to 10 test users.
- AppSheet Core is included in most Google Workspace editions, so a Workspace customer should check the admin console before buying AppSheet separately.
- Starter allows 5 AppSheet databases of up to 2,500 rows each, and it has no security filters, user roles, scheduled events, or barcode scanning.
- Choose AppSheet when your source data already lives in Sheets and your users need a simple field app fast.
Pros
- Starter starts at $5 per user per month
- Core is included in most Google Workspace editions
- free prototyping allows up to 10 test users
Cons
- Starter has no security filters, user roles, or scheduled bots
- Enterprise Plus is needed for SQL, BigQuery, and Salesforce connectors
Zoho Creator
Best for: Small teams inside the Zoho suite
Zoho Creator is a low code builder for forms, reports, and workflows, with a visual builder and Deluge scripting for custom logic. Standard costs $8 per user per month billed annually, or $12 per user per month on monthly billing. Professional costs $20 per user per month billed annually, or $30 on monthly billing.
- Enterprise costs $25 per user per month billed annually, or $37 on monthly billing.
- The free plan covers one user and one app.
- The trade-off: Standard allows only one app, so a team that builds a second app must move to Professional, which more than doubles the per user rate f
- Professional adds unlimited apps, AI Assist, advanced automation, premium integrations, and 100,000 records per app.
Pros
- Standard starts at $8 per user per month billed annually
- strong links to Zoho CRM, Books, and Desk
- Deluge scripting adds custom logic
Cons
- Standard allows only one app
- Professional is needed for unlimited apps and premium integrations
Airtable
Best for: Data first apps built on tables
Airtable starts as a table with linked records, views, forms, and automations, and teams build small apps on top with interfaces and portals. The Free plan costs $0, with 1,000 records per base, up to 5 editors, 50 commenters, 100 automation runs a month, and 1 GB of attachments per base. Team costs $20 per user per month billed annually, or $24 on monthly billing, with 50,000 records per base, 20 GB of attachments per base, and 25,000 automation runs a month.
- Business costs $45 per user per month billed annually.
- One limit: Airtable bills users who hold edit permission on at least one base, and its billing documentation states that commenters count as seats on
- When a base passes 50,000 records, the only move is Business at $45 per user per month.
- Choose Airtable when your app is really a shared database with views, filters, and light automation.
Pros
- Free plan covers 1,000 records per base and up to 5 editors
- Team adds 50,000 records per base and 25,000 automation runs a month
- read only collaborators are not billed
Cons
- Team bills commenters as seats
- Business at $45 per user per month is a 125 percent jump from Team with no middle tier
Bubble
Best for: Full web apps with many end users
Bubble is a visual builder for full web apps and native mobile apps, with a built in database, workflows, and an AI agent for building. The Free plan allows building and testing, while a live app needs a subscription plan. Starter for a web app costs $32 per month billed annually, or $39 on monthly billing.
- Starter for web and mobile together costs $59 per month billed annually, or $69 monthly.
- Starter includes 175,000 workload units a month, 1,000 AI credits a month, and a custom domain.
- The trade-off: Bubble meters server work in workload units, so a busy app can pass its included allowance, with overages at $0.30 per 1,000 workload u
- Teams should track that meter in the first month after launch.
Pros
- Building is free until launch
- Starter web includes a live site, custom domain, and 175,000 workload units a month
- no per user charge for end users
Cons
- Workload unit metering can raise the bill as usage grows
- apps cannot be exported as code
Glide
Best for: Spreadsheet apps for small teams
Glide builds web and mobile apps from spreadsheet data, with a drag and drop builder, templates, and workflow automation. Glide now sells two products. GlideOS is the newer AI led product, with Free at $0, Basic at $25 a month, Plus at $50 a month, and Pro at $125 a month, billed monthly only.
- Glide Classic is the original builder, with Free at $0, Explorer at $19 a month billed annually or $25 monthly, Maker at $49 billed annually or $60 mo
- One limit: Glide Classic Explorer and Maker cover personal email users only, so a colleague who signs in with a business email needs Classic Business,
- Classic Business includes unlimited apps, 10 editors, 30 business users, and 5,000 updates a month.
- Choose Glide Classic when your data already sits in a sheet.
Pros
- Turns Google Sheets, Airtable, and Excel into apps fast
- Classic Business includes 30 users and 5,000 updates a month
- free plan allows unlimited drafts
Cons
- Glide Classic and GlideOS are separate products with separate accounts and no move tool
- business email users need Classic Business at $199 a month
Retool
Best for: Internal tools built by developers
Retool is a builder for internal tools, dashboards, and admin panels, aimed at teams with developers who can wire apps to databases and APIs. Team costs $10 per builder per month billed annually, or $12 monthly, plus $5 per internal user per month billed annually, or $7 monthly. Business costs $50 per builder per month billed annually, or $65 monthly, plus $15 per internal user per month billed annually, or $18 monthly.
- The Free plan covers up to 5 users in total, with 500 workflow runs a month.
- Team and Business both include 5,000 workflow runs a month.
- The trade-off: Retool charges for two seat types, so a team of 2 builders and 25 internal users costs $145 a month on Team billed annually, not $20.
- Business adds audit logs, permission controls, portals, custom branding, and external users, with the first 50 external users free.
Pros
- Free plan covers up to 5 users
- Team includes a staging environment and 5,000 workflow runs a month
- connects to SQL, APIs, and common business systems
Cons
- Internal users are billed too, at $5 each a month on Team
- SSO, Git source control, and self hosting need Enterprise, which is quoted on request
Mendix
Best for: Enterprise apps with strict uptime needs
Mendix is an enterprise low code platform for web and mobile apps, owned by Siemens, with visual models, workflows, and AI assisted building. The Free plan costs $0 and includes one deployment environment per application with unlimited users, but no product support or uptime guarantee. Standard starts at $1,090 a month for one app, or $2,725 a month for unlimited apps, with up to 3 environments per app, Standard support from 9 AM to 5 PM, and a 99.5 percent uptime guarantee.
- Premium is quoted on request, with a 99.95 percent uptime guarantee.
- One limit: the Standard headline price is a floor, not a total, because Mendix states that cloud deployment may cost extra and that per user charges a
- Anonymous users are not charged, and developers who build apps are not charged.
- That split makes budgeting harder for an internal app with many named users.
Pros
- Free plan includes a deployment environment per app with unlimited users
- Standard includes a 99.5 percent uptime guarantee
- developers are not charged for building apps
Cons
- Standard starts at $1,090 a month for one app, before user and cloud costs
- Premium is quoted on request with no published price
How we chose
We chose platforms that build real business apps from data, forms, and workflows, with a pricing page and a free plan. Prices and plan limits come from official vendor pricing pages opened on 2026-11-12. We did not test any tool hands-on. We did not use customer counts, awards, or review scores to rank the items. Glide sells two separate products with separate price lists, and Retool bills builders and internal users as two seat types, so a quote for either needs the product name and the seat mix spelled out.
Pick by team size and budget
| Team or need | Best pick | Monthly cost at the entry point |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 people, sheet data | Google AppSheet Starter | $5 per user, or $0 extra when Core is already in Workspace |
| 5 to 20 people, Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Power Apps Premium | $20 per user, or $12 per user at 2,000 seats |
| 5 to 20 people, shared tables | Airtable Team | $20 per user, or $100 a month for 5 editors |
| App with many end users | Bubble Starter web | $32 a month, with workload units to watch |
| Small team, spreadsheet app | Glide Classic Explorer | $19 a month, or $199 a month for business email users |
| Developers building internal tools | Retool Team | $10 per builder plus $5 per internal user |
| Enterprise, one critical app | Mendix Standard One App | $1,090 a month, before user and cloud costs |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best platform for business apps for a small team?
Microsoft Power Apps is the best pick for a Microsoft 365 team, and Google AppSheet is the best pick for a Google Workspace team. AppSheet Starter costs $5 per user per month, and Core is often already included in Workspace. Airtable Team at $20 per user per month suits teams whose app is mainly a shared table.
What is the cheapest platform for business apps?
Google AppSheet Starter at $5 per user per month is the cheapest entry plan in this list, and Zoho Creator Standard at $8 per user per month billed annually is next. AppSheet can cost $0 extra for Workspace customers who already hold Core. Seat counts, record limits, and usage meters change the bill.
Which platform is best for apps with many end users?
Bubble is the best pick for an app with many end users, because Starter web costs $32 a month billed annually and does not charge per end user. Retool and Airtable charge per user who opens the app. Watch Bubble workload units, because heavy use can push the app to a higher plan.
Do these platforms offer a free plan?
Yes, all eight platforms in this list offer a free plan. AppSheet allows up to 10 test users, Airtable allows 1,000 records per base, Retool allows up to 5 users, and Mendix allows a deployment environment per app with unlimited users. Production use usually needs a subscription plan.
What is the best platform for business apps for developers?
Retool is the best pick for developers building internal tools, because it connects to SQL databases and APIs. Mendix suits enterprise developers who need formal support and uptime terms. Power Apps suits developers inside a Microsoft estate who already work with Dataverse and SharePoint.
Should I choose Glide Classic or GlideOS?
Choose Glide Classic when you want the original spreadsheet builder with a known price list, including Business at $199 a month billed annually. Choose GlideOS when you want AI to draft the app from a prompt, with Basic at $25 a month. The two products have separate accounts, and Glide states there is no tool to move a Classic app into GlideOS.
Sources
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-apps
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-apps/pricing
- https://about.appsheet.com/
- https://about.appsheet.com/pricing/
- https://www.zoho.com/creator/
- https://www.zoho.com/creator/pricing.html
- https://www.airtable.com/
- https://www.airtable.com/pricing
- https://bubble.io/
- https://bubble.io/pricing
- https://www.glideapps.com/
- https://www.glideapps.com/classic/pricing
- https://retool.com/
- https://retool.com/pricing
- https://www.mendix.com/
- https://www.mendix.com/pricing/mendix-basic-package/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.