Tired of waiting on developers to deliver that HR admin portal? That crusty CRM addon? Do it yourself—here are the tools that will help.
Every day throws a new curveball, and you're scrambling to keep up. You've got an IT squad, sure, but their to-do list is already maxed out with day-to-day tasks.
So, what if you can't afford to sit around and wait? That's where internal tool builders step in. They let you build custom apps for whatever the day throws at you. We’re talking quick—get the hang of it, and you're launching apps in just hours. No more mess with data from all over the place; everything's in one spot, ready to slot into your new app with custom-made controls.
So, to help you choose, we dug into the cream of the crop in internal tool builders (including our own, because of course we did), putting them through their paces to see which ones really deliver. You want to stay fast, tackle problems head-on, and boost your productivity? Here are the top picks.
So, an internal tool builder is basically this cool platform that lets you create your own apps for work. A CRM, a task manager, and whatever else you need to keep tabs on social media, or an editorial schedule.
Picture setting up a dashboard where you can see all your key info at a glance, and popping in some buttons and controls to tweak things on the fly. You can roll out custom apps that make everyone's daily grind smoother, too.
At the core, these tools give you all sorts of ways to connect to your data, display it with different UI bits and pieces, and do all the standard stuff like adding, reading, tweaking, or deleting data. The fancier ones let you really dial in the user vibe, throw in some complex tricks, and even automate your workflows.
So here's what we studied:
Good question, here's the lowdown:
Alright, let’s get to analyzing.
Directual is your go-to for internal tools. It makes building internal apps trivial, without a single line of code. Maybe with one if you feel like it!
Directual is about empowering you to bring your boldest ideas to life, whether it's sleek admin portals, dynamic CRMs, or even cutting-edge Web3 dApps (if you ever need such a thing for internal use). With the integration of smart chatbots, you can also up every other part of your product.
Directual-GPT (D-GPT) can help you craft your project by simply chatting, no fiddling with logic cubes required. Like having a conversation with your platform, and voila, your idea is taking shape. See for yourself how AI can help with that:
$29 to start with. You will also join a community of professional no-coders, too!
Directual's blend of simplicity, power, and ease is your ticket to turning ideas in your head into reality on the screen.
Alright, so Glide is this no-code tool that's super easy to pick up.
The interface is slick, with these cool little animations that make work feel a bit more fun. At first glance, it's so good-looking that I thought it might be all style, no substance.
These apps work great on any device, especially phones. On desktops, you might need to fiddle with the settings to get your text just right. Plus, it's smart with your phone's features, like using your camera to snap pics for stuff like field reports or tracking your inventory.
Glide's riding the AI wave, too. You've got cool add-ons like text generation, turning text into images, pulling out data, and even converting audio to text. You can slap these right into your app, so you're not running between ChatGPT and your app.
Pricing-wise, Glide's eyeing individuals or smaller teams. The basic plans let you use their own database or stuff like Google Sheets, Airtable, and Excel. If you want to hook up more advanced databases, you'll need to chat with their sales team for an Enterprise plan.
Just a quick FYI on the cash side of things: every plan has its caps—like how many records you can keep, total storage space, and how many create/read/update/delete actions you can do. If you're planning to lean hard on these apps, brace yourself for an upgrade chat pretty soon.
For the dough: There's a free version to mess around with. If you're looking to level up, the Starter plan's $25 a month, and you get to roll out up to 5 apps with room for 110 users to get busy with them.
Oh yes, Stacker. Let’s have a looksie.
With Stacker, link up data from Google Sheets, Airtable, and a wide array of databases and third-party apps. Ideal for managing data across different platforms, making connections easy without needing to move or copy data.
Your app icons appear on the right. Clicking an icon reveals its tabs, letting you flip between your CRM, customer support, and other tools with ease. Stacker handles all the basic create, read, update, delete (CRUD) actions.
To start, kick off a new app using a spreadsheet. Add columns, set data types and names. Once set, switch from spreadsheet to visuals. In the app layout, pick your view, from lists to Kanban boards, and manage column visibility to avoid data overload. Pretty simple.
Stacker is a smooth move for spreadsheet enthusiasts.
Starter plan at $79/month for 1 app and unlimited users.
The platform that evolved a million times—Google AppSheet.
Unlike other tools, Google AppSheet uses AI to turn spreadsheets into functional apps. Upload a spreadsheet, and it drafts an app for interacting with your data. Customize your app with Google's clean menu designs. The interface and app feel are quintessentially Google, though some terms may be advanced. Plenty of resources, including free online courses, are available to help.
AppSheet apps are responsive, adapting well to any device, and can include mobile-specific features like barcode scanning, though at a higher cost. Other cool additions include machine learning and text recognition for a touch of AI in your app.
Work on your app without fees, paying only when you go live—very attractive business model. Google AppSheet may take more time to set up and learn, but it offers a broader range of possibilities.
Free for development; live deployment starts at $5/user/month for basic features and automation.
Quickbase—perfect for smaller apps that should’ve been deployed yesterday.
Quickbase offers AI-assisted app creation. Start a new app, opt for AI generation, input your goals, and wait. It takes a while, but you get a foundational app plus notes on its creation. For example, requesting a CRM yields an app with the UI and data sources set up, needing only action configurations and data-logic links.
Expand your workspace with apps for different needs or departments. Import data from spreadsheets or integrate with Google Workspace and various databases.
Starting from scratch in Quickbase means defining data types and relationships first. After creating your app, you get database views and can set up a homepage dashboard with key metrics and actions, plus database tabs for actual work, including forms for data entry and editing.
Quickbase feels like advanced spreadsheet software. It's less sleek than competitors but solid, focusing on data management without coding. Workflow automation is possible for natively integrated apps.
Team plan at $35/user/month, minimum 20 users.
Microsoft Power Apps—back to the ancestral homeland.
Microsoft Power Apps is like a modern-day Microsoft Access on steroids. It's quintessentially Microsoft, with a familiar experience. Power Fx, its formula language, lets you craft complex logic in a way that feels like working with spreadsheet formulas—pretty straightforward.
It boasts the most native integrations, including all Microsoft 365 apps, Azure services, and a vast array of other platforms, from Dropbox to niche enterprise solutions. Could be great if that’s yours thing.
What sets Power Apps apart is its versatility. Start from data, a user interface, or a template. The dashboard shows all your data at a glance, and you can set up complex workflows or even train AI models. The more you explore, the more options you find. The editor is flexible, too, allowing for extensive UI customization.
Despite its power, Power Apps remains accessible. A quick tour explains the basics, and the controls are as user-friendly as an enhanced PowerPoint. Power Fx accelerates progress for those who grasp the fundamentals.
Premium at $20/user/month, with certain features like web publishing and AI training extra.
Budibase. Just like Quickbase, but…Budibase.
Budibase is open source, offering many features for free with self-hosting. If self-hosting sounds tricky, you might need IT help—it's not straightforward.
Using Budibase is a smooth experience. The editor is tidy, with controls in four key areas:
Design-wise, Budibase ensures a sleek look, with a consistent design system, neat spacing, and clear color coding, offering both light and dark themes.
Budibase's ability to let you craft apps and automate processes without cost (for self-hosting) is a big plus. It's a choice for giants like Netflix, Tesla, and Google, indicating its reliability for building internal tools.
Free for basic self-hosting. Business plan for self-hosting begins at $20/user/month for enhanced security and features. Hosted plans start free, with paid plans from $10/user/month.
Retool is a really powerful thing—if you’ve got the knowledge how to use it.
Retool is versatile with wide range of capabilities. The UI setup is mostly code-free, and even non-tech users can manage data displays and basic actions, thanks to straightforward SQL queries. The real power of Retool unfolds with JavaScript, though.
Retool's UI design supports data-rich dashboards and multi-tabbed apps for different business perspectives.
Integrating AI into Retool workflows is also easy to do. You can include various AI models like GPT, Claude 2, Microsoft Azure's Cognitive Services, or custom models from Hugging Face. Just bring your API key to add functionalities like text generation, image recognition, or any AI-supported task.
Retool suits backend engineers best but remains accessible for building simple apps without coding all that uch. It's worth experimenting with to gauge its ease of use for your needs.
Backed by clients like Amazon and OpenAI, Retool is a flexible tool for those with coding and IT resources.
Free version available. Team plan costs $10 per standard user and $5 per end user monthly.
Appsmith will need a bit of knowledge to get started with.
Appsmith might be what you need for occasional but imporantl tasks, avoiding high costs for infrequent use. Its pricing stands out, charging $0.40 per active user hour, with a monthly cap of $20, making it budget-friendly for sporadic use. This applies to self-hosting, suitable if you have existing infrastructure. Without it, the Community plan offers many features for free.
Appsmith is more hard low-code, with a code-centric right tab and SQL for data queries, plus JavaScript for logic. Its built-in JS editor aids with autocomplete and debugging, enhancing the coding experience.
Ideal for teams with IT expertise, Appsmith allows technical setup by specialists, followed by app creation by other team members. The UI binds actions to buttons for testing. For an AI touch, typing /ai in a code block prompts Appsmith to generate JavaScript, though it's not always spot-on.
Appsmith pricing: Free for hosted use. Self-hosted Business plan is $0.40/hour/user, maxing at $20/user/month.
OutSystems. A handy helper for those who don’t really need it.
OutSystems is great for developers and large companies with complex needs. Every app gets its own development space with full analytics and logging, translating your work into efficient code.
Apps are isolated for better data and logic control, with options to link OutSystems apps or connect with external data sources.
Getting started involves creating an account and downloading the OutSystems Service Studio. The interface blends low-code ease with the depth of a development environment like Visual Studio, complete with a file structure view and advanced debugging tools.
OutSystems is recognized by Gartner and Forrester, slightly leading over Mendix. Your first app is free, but further development starts at $1,513 a month, positioning OutSystems as a choice for larger organizations facing significant digital challenges.
First app free, subsequent apps from $1,513/month. Yikes.
Internal tool builders make things faster and cut down on errors. Just link your data, create an interface, sort the logic, and boom—more results, less grunt work.
Whether you're new to no-code, a tech enthusiast with app smarts, or an IT pro looking to tweak code and tighten security, there's a tool for you. Pick the one that fits, test drive it, and watch your workflow smooth out. If in doubt, opt for Directual—that one has everything you need in one place.
Directual’s pre-designed elements like Kanban boards and forms simplify app creation, while security features ensure data protection. It’s easy to get started and it’s cost-efficient for all sorts of internal tools.
Yes, internal tool builders like Directual and Appsheet allow for seamless integration with existing data sources without the need for data migration. All that’s needed is an API setup.
When choosing, pay attention development ease, data integration capabilities, customization options, security features, and the platform's community and support. Tools like Directual offer a balance of simplicity and power, suitable for a wide range of users.
Discover how affiliate marketing can turn your online presence into profit by focusing on niche markets. Monetize blogs and social media effortlessly.
Earn D-coins by shouting about Directual everywhere! See the full list of rewards for your social network activities.
For everyone on the fence about trying and worrying about the small print: see in depth how Directual pricing and operational limits work! The platform is as pay-as-you-go as it gets.
Imagine HR as a wild jungle. A bit more civilized though, thanks to the order of no-code development. See how you too can tame it.
This short article will walk you through our latest API builder update, including new features such as updated API endpoints menu, visual editing for filters, new endpoint testing menu, new functionality, and more. Let's get started.
Want a beautiful website but can’t be bothered with coding? Just want to press a button and see magic happen? Good news—it’s possible. Bad news—not too well. See how this works in our top 5 AI website builder list.
Join 15,000+ no-coders using Directual and create something you can be proud of—both faster and cheaper than ever before. It’s easy to start thanks to the visual development UI, and just as easy to scale with powerful, enterprise-grade databases and backend.
