Adalo vs AppSheet vs Glide

Adalo, AppSheet, and Glide all let non-developers turn data into a working app, but they optimize for different starting points. Adalo is the closest thing to…

Adalo

Freemium · From Free

Best for: Founders and agencies who want to design and publish real native iOS and Android apps without hiring developers.

AppSheet

Subscription · From $5/month per user

Best for: Teams already inside Google Workspace who need governed, enterprise-grade operational apps built from existing data sources.

Glide

Freemium · From Free

Best for: Operations and internal-tools teams who want to turn an existing spreadsheet into a mobile-friendly app fast, with AI-assisted generation.

At a Glance

 AdaloAppSheetGlide
Primary categoryNo-CodeNo-CodeNo-Code
RatingNot documentedNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFreemiumSubscriptionFreemium
Starting priceFree$5/month per userFree
Free planYesYesYes
Free trialNot documentedYesNot documented
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresYesYesYes
Public APIYesYesYes

Standout Differences

Native app store publishing

Adalo compiles projects to native iOS and Android apps and can publish directly to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from a single project, something the other two do not offer in the same way.

Adalo

Enterprise governance built on Google's ecosystem

AppSheet ships Zero Trust security controls and deep connections into Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, plus Gemini-powered app creation, making it the most enterprise-ready of the three.

AppSheet

Fastest spreadsheet-to-app on-ramp

Glide is purpose-built to point at a Google Sheet, Airtable base, or Excel file and generate a working, mobile-first app, with Glide Tables removing the row limits of relying on an external spreadsheet.

Glide

AI-assisted app generation across the board

All three now offer AI tooling that speeds up building a first draft: Adalo's Ada assistant, AppSheet's Gemini-powered app creation, and Glide's Glide AI or Glide Agent, which can generate a layout and data schema from a plain-language description.

Adalo, AppSheet, Glide

Very different pricing models

AppSheet charges per user per month regardless of how many apps you build, while Adalo and Glide price around tiers of published apps, records, and editors, each with a usable free entry point except AppSheet.

Adalo, AppSheet, Glide

Feature-by-Feature

Core App Building

FeatureAdaloAppSheetGlide
Native App Store publishing (iOS/Android)AvailableNot documentedUnavailable
Visual drag-and-drop canvas editorAvailableLimitedLimited

Data and Integrations

FeatureAdaloAppSheetGlide
Built-in hosted databaseAvailableNot documentedAvailable
External data source connections (Sheets, Airtable, SQL)AvailableAvailableAvailable

AI Capabilities

FeatureAdaloAppSheetGlide
AI app generation from a text promptAvailableAvailableAvailable
AI extraction from unstructured content (audio, images, text)Not documentedNot documentedAvailable

Pricing and Access

FeatureAdaloAppSheetGlide
Free plan availableAvailableUnavailableAvailable
Per-user pricing modelUnavailableAvailableLimited

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Adalo

Free — $0/month N/A
Starter — $36/month Annual
Professional — $52/month Annual
Team — $160/month Annual

AppSheet

Starter — $5/user/month Monthly
Core — $10/user/month Monthly
Enterprise Plus — $20/user/month Monthly
Enterprise Standard — Custom (contact sales) Custom

Glide

Free — $0 N/A
Business — $199/month Annual (20% discount vs. monthly)
Enterprise — Custom quote Annual contract

Pros & Cons

Adalo

Pros

  • True no-code path to publishing native iOS and Android apps
  • Free tier available for prototyping before committing to a paid plan
  • Built-in database plus support for external data sources
  • AI assistant speeds up building common app screens

Cons

  • Publishing to app stores and the web requires a paid plan
  • Record limits on lower tiers can be restrictive for data-heavy apps
  • Costs rise with number of published apps and team editors

AppSheet

Pros

  • Backed by Google's infrastructure and Workspace ecosystem
  • AI-assisted app generation lowers the barrier to building a first app
  • Deep integration with common Google and Microsoft business tools
  • Scales from small team tools to enterprise deployments

Cons

  • Per-user pricing can add up for larger teams compared to some no-code alternatives
  • Enterprise Standard tier pricing is not published and requires a custom quote
  • Most tightly optimized for organizations already using Google Workspace

Glide

Pros

  • Especially strong on-ramp for turning existing spreadsheets into usable apps quickly
  • Free plan is genuinely usable for individuals and small internal tools
  • AI app generation lowers the barrier to a working first draft even for non-technical users
  • Mobile-first output makes apps usable on phones without separate native development
  • Data privacy commitment states user data is not used to train underlying AI models

Cons

  • Business plan pricing scales with both users and monthly updates, which can be hard to predict for growing usage
  • Free plan is limited to Glide Tables only, not external spreadsheets like Google Sheets
  • Enterprise-grade integrations (Salesforce, PostgreSQL, SSO) are locked behind custom Enterprise pricing
  • Relatively modest funding (about 23.75 million dollars) compared to larger no-code competitors like Bubble
  • Apps are built and hosted within Glide's platform, creating some platform dependency

Use Cases

Choose Adalo: Founders and agencies who want to design and publish real native iOS and Android apps without hiring developers.
Choose AppSheet: Teams already inside Google Workspace who need governed, enterprise-grade operational apps built from existing data sources.
Choose Glide: Operations and internal-tools teams who want to turn an existing spreadsheet into a mobile-friendly app fast, with AI-assisted generation.

Adalo

  • MVP and startup app building — Founders building a functional app to validate an idea without hiring developers.
  • Client app development — Agencies and freelancers building apps for clients using reusable templates and components.
  • Internal or small business apps — Small businesses building scheduling, booking, or data-tracking apps for their own operations.

AppSheet

  • Field operations apps — Build mobile apps for inspections, inventory tracking, or field service without a developer.
  • Internal workflow automation — Automate approvals, notifications, and data collection tied to existing spreadsheets or databases.

Glide

  • Internal operations apps — Operations teams build employee directories, inventory trackers, and approval workflows directly from existing spreadsheets.
  • Field service tools — Field teams use Glide to build mobile checklists and data-collection apps that sync back to a central spreadsheet or database in real time.
  • Rapid AI-generated prototypes — Non-technical founders and teams use Glide AI to generate a working app prototype from a plain-language description before refining it manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of these three is best for building a native mobile app for the App Store?

Adalo, since it explicitly compiles to native iOS and Android apps and can publish them directly to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from a paid plan.

Can I build a production app on AppSheet without paying?

No. AppSheet's published pricing starts at $5 per user per month across its Starter, Core, and Enterprise Plus tiers, with no standalone free production plan listed.

Do Adalo, AppSheet, and Glide all use AI to help build apps?

Yes. Adalo has an AI assistant called Ada, AppSheet uses Gemini for AI-powered app creation, and Glide has Glide AI (also called the Glide Agent) for generating layouts and schemas from a plain-language description.

Which tool is best if I already have a Google Sheet or Airtable base?

Glide is built specifically around converting an existing Google Sheet, Airtable base, or Excel file into a working app, though AppSheet also connects to those same sources with a more enterprise-oriented feature set.

Is any of these especially suited to large enterprise deployments?

AppSheet, since it is backed by Google Cloud and Workspace and includes Zero Trust security and governance controls aimed at enterprise IT requirements.

What is the main pricing difference between the three?

AppSheet charges strictly per user per month, while Adalo and Glide price around tiers of published apps, records, and editors, and both offer a free entry point that AppSheet does not.

Read the full Adalo review · Read the full AppSheet review · Read the full Glide review