Appsmith vs Zoho Creator
Appsmith and Zoho Creator are both no-code & low-code tools. Appsmith is aimed at developers, while Zoho Creator is aimed at small businesses and enterprise. Zoho Creator costs less, from $12/mo versus $15/mo for Appsmith. Both have a free plan.
Open-source internal tool builder
Low-code platform for custom business apps, portals and workflows
| Pricing | Open source · $15 | Freemium · $12 |
| Starting price | $15/mo | $12/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 15 days | 15 days |
| Built for | Developers | Small businesses, Enterprise, Developers |
| Platforms | web | web, ios, android |
| Country | IN · 2019 | IN |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Appsmith if
Teams wanting open-source internal tools.
- Open source and self-hostable
- Lower cost than Retool
- Git integration
Look elsewhere if: Teams prioritizing polish and component breadth (Retool).
Choose Zoho Creator if
SMBs and mid-market teams, especially Zoho users, that want custom business apps and portals at a low per-user cost.
- Low per-user price for a full low-code platform
- Tight integration with Zoho CRM, Books and the wider Zoho suite
- Mobile apps come built in with no extra work
Look elsewhere if: Developers building on existing databases or public consumer web apps (Retool, Appsmith, Bubble).
Appsmith vs Zoho Creator pricing
Appsmith
- Free$0Up to 5 cloud users, 5 workspaces, 3 Git repos; open-source edition
- Business$15/user/moUp to 99 users, custom roles, audit logs, Git, 15-day trial
- Enterprise$2,500/mo100 users included; SAML/OIDC SSO, SCIM, SLAs
Zoho Creator
- Free$01 app, 5,000 records, 250 MB storage
- Standard$12/user/mo$8 billed annually; 1 application
- Professional$30/user/mo$20 billed annually; unlimited apps
- Enterprise$37/user/mo$25 billed annually; advanced integrations and analytics
- FlexCustomPick features and limits, contact sales
Appsmith · Key features
- Widget-based UI builder
- Connectors to databases and APIs
- JavaScript logic everywhere
- Git version control
- Workflows
- Self-hosting
Cons
- Fewer components than Retool
- UI less polished
- Self-hosting maintenance
Zoho Creator · Key features
- Drag-and-drop forms, reports, pages and workflow builder
- Native iOS and Android apps generated for every application
- Deluge scripting and VS Code support for custom logic
- Zia AI agents that plan, build and test apps from prompts
- Customer, vendor and partner portals with permission sets
- 1,000+ connectors including SAP, Oracle and Zoho apps
Cons
- Deluge is a proprietary language with a learning curve
- Standard plan limits you to a single application
- Portal users, custom domains and SSO can cost extra
Appsmith vs Zoho Creator: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Appsmith or Zoho Creator?
Zoho Creator starts at $12/mo and Appsmith at $15/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Appsmith and Zoho Creator have a free plan?
Yes, both Appsmith and Zoho Creator have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Appsmith or Zoho Creator?
Zoho Creator lists small businesses as a core audience, while Appsmith is aimed more at developers.