7 Best Online Database Builders for Your Business

By
Shaurya Poddar
August 25, 2021
5 mins to read
Share this post
Online Database Builders

A standard de facto feature of any business process is a database application. No-code platforms have made it very easy to build your own database builder in just a few clicks. There are scores of online database builders to choose from in the market right now. While any database tool allows for greater productivity and profitability, there are several companies out there that are still searching for the perfect fit, the one application that can meet all their specific requirements.

Some organizations may need a drag and drop interface while others require an API-based platform. Building your own online database builder with as little coding as possible is the one constant feature that everyone is looking for.

One tedious task ahead of you would be to sift through numerous database builders out there, identify their pros and cons and match their features with your necessary requirements to bag the right tool for your company. Instead, you can peruse our list of the most popular and useful online database creators that provide state-of-the-art features and save a lot of the time that would have otherwise gone into research.

What is an online database builder?

Any online tool that allows you to create, edit, and manage your own database and all of its settings without writing a single line of code is an online database builder. The major features of an online database creator include a drag-and-drop responsive UI, intuitive data gathering, the ability to limit access controls and enhanced data security.

Online database builders can be used with ease by anybody, right from a database management expert to a user with minimal database administration experience.

They allow you to manage huge amounts of data efficiently, provide improved accessibility of data from any location and help to automate repetitive database operations.

Why do you need an online database?

There is so much more than you can do with a database like controlling your workflows, tracking email/ newsletter subscriptions and managing inventory.

One sure-fire way to cut down on costs is to shift your database to the cloud. An online database builder allows you to reduce the expenses and a significant amount of time spent on installing and maintaining all the IT infrastructure in-house. You just need to log in to your account to access the database.

Another attractive feature is that you can work from virtually anywhere in the world, from any device, with no hassles at all. All you need is an internet connection and you are good to go!

A web-based database vendor is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the database application, saving you time and money. Upgrades take place automatically and keep your application running smoothly. This leads to enhanced performance and scalability of your business.

Some online database tools — simple as spreadsheets

Now that it has become clear that an online database builder is an extremely important tool to have in your corner, let’s look at some of the options available in the market that may be worth your while.

Airtable

Noted to be a combination of features taken from Trello and Excel, Airtable is a good business solution for companies who organize their daily workflows in a database form. It works like a spreadsheet but channels the power of a relational database, allowing you to organize everything as you wish. Being feature-rich, it provides very useful features like Grid (similar to Excel), Kanban Board, Gallery, Calendar and Forms. Using another feature called Blocks, users can combine and customize these five features to suit their requirements.

Features

Airtable is known for its flexibility and user-friendliness. It offers a spreadsheet-like interface with support for custom fields, relationships, and automation. Users can create databases to manage various types of information, from project tracking to inventory management.

Pricing

Airtable offers a free plan with limited features. Paid plans start at $10 per user per month when billed annually and include more advanced features, such as additional storage, records, and access control.

Strengths

  1. Customization and flexibility
  2. All-in-one data management

Weaknesses

  1. Considerable learning curve
  2. Limitations in advanced analytics

Zoho Creator

Small businesses and especially, businesses working in the education and nonprofit sectors will find Zoho Creator suitable to their needs. It offers a platform that effectively handles the divide between spreadsheets and applications and provides customisable applications for the front-end.

Some notable features include drag-and-drop UI, custom reports, interactive dashboards, workflow builders, and timely notifications and alerts. It also provides support for mobile applications and integration with APIs.

Features

Pricing

Zoho Creator offers a free plan with basic features. Paid plans start at $8 per user per month when billed annually, with varying levels of functionality and user limits.

Strengths

  1. Customization and flexibility
  2. All-in-one data management

Weaknesses

  1. Considerable learning curve
  2. Limitations in advanced analytics

Grid

Grid facilitates the creation of databases with an intuitive drag-and-drop builder, within minutes. It provides thousands of pre-built templates and layouts to build secure, shareable databases that also provide real-time insights.

With Grid’s solution, it is possible to go beyond spreadsheets and do so much more with databases. Completely customisable and flexible to any requirement, Grid’s platform is well-equipped to build custom online database software with no coding involved.

Features

Pricing

$8 / user / month (billed annually)

Strengths

  1. Customization and flexibility
  2. All-in-one data management

Weaknesses

  1. Considerable learning curve
  2. Limitations in advanced analytics

Tadabase

A completely code-free solution, Kohezion provides a custom application builder with a drag-and-drop interface that quickly transforms spreadsheets into relational databases. It comes with a built-in client tracker, task tracker,and related data is consolidated into unified dashboards for easy access.

Kohezion is also integrated with collaboration tools allowing users to stay in the loop at all times. Users can share comments, link files directly from Dropbox, and view information on powerful custom dashboards.

Features

Pricing

$98 / app / month (billed annually)

Strengths

  1. Customization and flexibility
  2. All-in-one data management

Weaknesses

  1. Considerable learning curve
  2. Limitations in advanced analytics

Knack

Knack is a no-code development platform that anyone can use to automate processes and manage data with ease. With Knack’s intuitive interface and expert builder network, teams can rapidly build custom applications. It facilitates a simple migration of data from spreadsheets to an online database.

It comes built-in with features like embedded maps and calendars, online payment processing and search bars.

Features

Pricing

Knack offers a 14-day free trial. Paid plans start at $39 per month when billed annually, with varying levels of functionality, records, and users.

Strengths

  1. Customization and flexibility
  2. All-in-one data management

Weaknesses

  1. Considerable learning curve
  2. Limitations in advanced analytics

Caspio

An all-in-one platform, Caspio offers built-in web applications as well as point-and-click tools to build and customize your own apps. It is a complete solution of online database software, app builder, cloud infrastructure and expert support.

One other major advantage of Caspio is that it allows deployment in any website like Facebook, or in any CMS. It has enhanced reporting and visualization capabilities coupled with the integration of REST and SOAP APIs.

Features

Pricing

$50 / month for unlimited users (billed annually)

Strengths

  1. Customization and flexibility
  2. All-in-one data management

Weaknesses

  1. Considerable learning curve
  2. Limitations in advanced analytics

QuickBase

Another low-code database and application development platform that integrates database building capabilities with collaboration tools is QuickBase. It provided ready-to-use project management tools, CRM solutions and other web applications.

Armed with Kanban boards, encrypted backup facilities, customisable workflows and task management, QuickBase is a good business solution to work with.

Features

Pricing

Quick Base offers a free trial. Pricing is customized based on your specific needs and requirements, and it can vary significantly depending on the complexity of your application. The paid plan approximately amounts to $35 per user per month when billed annually.

Strengths

  1. Customization and flexibility
  2. All-in-one data management

Weaknesses

  1. Considerable learning curve
  2. Limitations in advanced analytics

Choose wisely!

A good online database builder can make or break your application. Cloud-based services are gaining popularity steadily and for good reason. Online database software is a viable option for many companies, given that it is a modern, cost-effective and flexible alternative to legacy and complex software.

Get In Touch
Share this post
Shaurya Poddar
Helping miners and explorers be efficient | Founder @ WorkOnGrid, talks about #growthmindset, #nocodelowcode, #enterprisetech, and #operationsmanagement‍
“Using Grid to track drill program progress and day to day expenditures has allowed VR Resources to make better decisions more quickly. The highly customizable and elegant interface allows me to track and manage all aspects of our field work and it’s clear after just a few weeks that the possibilities are nearly endless. Cost tracking estimates were consistently within expected variance of invoices received giving me further confidence in managing agile drill programs. Further the development team and customer support have been top notch!”
Justin J. Daley
PGeo, MSc, Vice President Exploration
VR Resources
Download
VR Resources
“Grid has been extremely helpful in changing the course of multiple operations, here at U-Solar. We started with one module for Materials Management, and have now adopted Grid for 3-4 more processes, all of which have been smooth and quick to implement.”
Namrata
IT Admin
U-Solar
Download
U-Solar
“GRID has helped Hotel Polo Towers group to manage their assets and inventory through its simple, user-friendly yet dynamic application. Managing asset data have really been simple and it goes without saying that the technical support team members have done a tremendous job by providing quick and effective troubleshooting measures whenever required.”
Anirban Chatterjee
IT Manager - Corporate
Hotel Polo Towers
Download
Hotel Polo Towers
“We assessed many platforms before going ahead with Grid. The turnaround time for implementation has been phenomenal with a direct impact on dealer engagement. We are looking to deploy Grid for a lot of our business functions and other group companies.”
Rajneesh Singh
Vice President (IT & SAP)
Hop Electric
Download
Hop Electric
Only business email addresses are allowed.