The Best Zoho Creator Alternatives for Your Business Needs in 2024

Zoho Creator is one of the leading low-code application development websites on the market. It is very popular among small, medium, and large businesses across numerous US industries, particularly the tech and IT industries, with notable customers like Upwork and Tesla using its services. 

However, Zoho Creator is not without its flaws. Some users dislike the limited number of design templates available on Zoho Creator and the limitations when it comes to integrating it with third-party apps. This leads to many users searching for an alternative.

This guide will explore alternatives to Zoho Creator, such as Knack, and will see how they stack up against Zoho Creator’s features, pricing, and capabilities. 

Key Takeaways:

• Zoho Creator is a low-code application builder that allows businesses to create, scale, and integrate specialized apps into their business operations.  
• Despite Zoho Creator’s popularity and success, some users complain about the limited features and issues integrating with third-party apps, leading them to find alternatives. 
• Knack is the better option than Zoho Creator as it is easier to use, offers superior support, easily integrates with other apps, and does it all at a substantially lower price. 

What is Zoho Creator? 

Zoho Creator is a low-code application builder designed for enterprise-level performance. Zoho Creator allows businesses and companies to develop their own applications for websites and mobile apps with little coding experience. 

With Zoho Creator, businesses can develop apps, integrate them into their digital ecosystem with an integration builder, and utilize an analytics builder tool to gain more insights into their operations. Zoho Creator can facilitate no-code, low-code, and high-code solutions, allowing businesses to build apps that suit their technical needs and abilities. 

Zoho Creator’s Limits 

Zoho Creator is a market leader in application development. However, some customers have encountered issues when relying on it. 

Here are some of the limits to Zoho Creator’s services: 

• Features: Zoho Creator has limited no-code and low-code features, which require some coding experience. Zoho Creator also has limited SaaS integrations and does not offer visually aesthetic design templates. 
• Pricing: Zoho Creator is expensive, especially if used in a business since it charges per user. If your business has more than 100 users, the cheapest plan will cost thousands of dollars per month. 
• Scalability:  Zoho Creator can run into problems when integrating with other applications, which can hinder scalability. The platform also offers limited customization, and integrating automation into apps is also challenging, making Zoho Creator ineffective for advanced applications. 

Finding a Solution 

Given the limitations and issues mentioned above, you may want to consider finding an alternative to Zoho Creator. 

Here are some of the benefits to Zoho Creator’s competitors: 

• Improved functionality:  Alternatives to Zoho Creator offer improved functionality, with more templates, automation features, and more no-code options, allowing novices to create apps with ease. 
• Better value for money:  Many Zoho alternatives charge a flat monthly rate for their services. As a result, they are far cheaper for businesses using their platform with more than a few users. 
• Enhanced tech support:  Zoho Creator offers limited tech support for its users, which can have drastic consequences for a business if their app crashes at a bad time. There are Zoho Creator alternatives that offer 24/7 customer service and support, which could be crucial if an app goes down at an inopportune moment. 

Zoho Creator Alternatives

Below is a breakdown of the top Zoho Creator Alternatives, so you can find an app development solution that suits your specific business needs and budget.

OutSystems

Pros:

• Plenty of features for mobile and web app design 
• Automated features reduce workload 
• Offers design and development services 

Cons:

• Steep learning curve is involved, making it unsuitable for some 
• Some users have mentioned issues with native reporting 
• Very expensive, making it unsuitable for small and medium-sized organizations 

Key Features:

• Drag and drop app builder
• User friendly 
• Regular upgrades 

Appian

Pros:

• Drag and drop app building
• Little to no coding experience required 
• Frequent updates and improvements 
• Accurate documentation

Cons:

• Poor customer support 
• Training is inadequate for real-world applications 
• Per-user pricing with a high cost makes this service unaffordable for many businesses 

Key Features:

• Cloud Based service 
• Data management tools 
• Automated workflows
  

Microsoft Power Apps

Pros:

• Low-code application builder 
• Integrates with other Microsoft apps like Office to streamline workflows 
• Rapid application developments 

Cons:

• Coding experience is needed 
• Not a lot of customization options 
• Does not integrate with external systems 
• Per-user pricing makes this expensive to implement 

Key Features:

• Drag and drop app development 
• Easy integration with Microsoft systems
  

Salesforce

Pros:

• Access to an immense amount of integrations allowing for streamlined application development and performance 
• Highly customizable 
• Scalable for large businesses and corporations to take their operations to the next level 

Cons:

• Requires specialized knowledge to navigate and utilize all functions of the platform
• Much more expensive than alternatives, making it too costly for most small and medium businesses

Key Features:

• CRM functionalities 
• Advanced application development features 
• Advanced analytics and reporting 
• Easy integrations with other Salesforce apps, such as Slack
  

Quickbase

Pros:

• No coding experience needed 
• Automated workflows 
• User friendly 

Cons:

• Limited data processing capabilities 
• Expensive 

Key Features: 

• No-code app building
• Customizable application development 
• Real-time data insights 
• Active reporting
  

Mendix

Pros:

• Project management tools
• Community of users to offer insights and support
• Easy to integrate with cloud apps
  

Cons:

• Some users complain about the interface
•  High per-user cost

Key Features:

• Customizable visualization tools
• Easy to integrate with other cloud environments
• Cloud-native application architecture
  

Oracle APEX

Pros:

• Facilitates complicated application building with low and no code requirements
• Integrates with Oracle databases
• Free version with Oracle database subscription

Cons:

• Poor integration with third-party apps and non-Oracle databases
• User interface is dated
• Paid version is expensive
• Limited features and tools

Key Features:

• Low-code development environment within Oracle databases.
• Strong security features and data processing capabilities.
  

Pega Platform

Pros:

• Allows you to implement a business management plan customized to your operations
• Low-code features
• Leverages AI to analyze operations allowing for real-time insights that boost decision making

Cons:

• Not user-friendly especially for novices or beginners
• Expensive
• Coding experience and specialized knowledge required to develop and utilize most advanced features

Key Features:

• Case management tools
• AI analytics to offer insights for making decisions
• Real-time analysis of performance
  

ServiceNow Now Platform

Pros:

• IT-specific management tools
• AI integrations for improved efficiency and accuracy
• Utilizes AI and automation to streamline operations

Cons:

• Very expensive with per-user pricing
• Not user-friendly, with a complex interface

Key Features:

• IT Specific management tools
• Customizable app development
• Create your own automated workflow to boost efficiency
  

Kissflow

Pros:

• Relatively easy to use
• No-coding experience needed
• All-in-one workflow automation platform, which improves organization and transparency in a business

Cons:

• Limited scalability makes it unsuitable for larger businesses.
• Very few third-party integrations
• Per-user pricing makes it expensive for multiple users

Key Features:

• Automated processes
• No coding required
• Offers ready-made apps for ease of use
  

Knack

Pros:

• Simple 4-step app-building process
• User-friendly
• Data security and privacy
• Affordable pricing for small, medium, and large businesses.
• AI Knowledge base and support

Cons:

• Limited AI and automation tools within apps

Key Features:

• Up to 50GB of file storage
• Incredibly easy to use, with plenty of integrations and scalability.
• 4-step no-code app building process
• AI-generated charts, graphs, and other data visualization tools
• API integrated
• Unlimited users as standard
• Optional additional storage and records available
• Plenty of no-code customizable features, including forms, designs, graphs, tables, and more.

The Best Zoho Creator Alternative: Knack

Knack is the best Zoho Creator alternative, offering more features, improved scalability, and a lower price point. Knack outperforms Zoho Creator across the board. Knack offers excellent customer service, making integrating and scaling apps built on their platform user-friendly. 

See below for a table highlighting the features and tools of Zoho Creator and how they compare to Knack.

Get Started With Knack for Free

Knack is a no-code, no-experience-needed application development tool, ideally suited to small and medium businesses. Knack offers integrations, scalability, and a user-friendly interface all for a low cost with unlimited users. Knack offers superior services with more features at a lower cost. 

See below for some more areas where Knack outperforms Zoho Creator: 

• User Experience: Knack offers users an intuitive interface with a unique design allowing complete novices to develop applications with relative ease. 
• Integration Capabilities: Knack offers simple and flexible integrations with other applications and business management tools, allowing you to scale your operations with ease. 
• Updates and Platform Roadmaps: Knack frequently undergoes updates to improve usability, remove bugs, and update security. Knack also updates its knowledge base frequently, allowing you to stay informed about new features and integrations. 
• Mobile Responsiveness: Knack offers seamless performance on mobile applications with responsive features 
• Customization: Knack allows businesses to customize their applications to specifically suit their operations and workflow. Knack also allows you to customize design interfaces with no coding required. This, in turn, allows you to cater the feel, operations, and functionality to your specific business needs. 

The Price 

One distinctive difference between Knack and Zoho Creator is the pricing structure each company offers. Knack offers monthly and yearly subscriptions at a flat rate, with options to spend extra on additional storage and records. 

Knack offers starter, pro, and enterprise plans, all of which offer advanced features, unlimited users, scalability, support, and integrations. New customers can also try Knack for free for 15 days before they buy. 

Zoho Creator’s pricing model works on a per-user, per-month basis. Their basic package starts at $12 for 1 user to use the platform for 1 month. So, if you have 10 users or 100 users, Zoho Creator will cost you $120, or $1,200 per month, for the basic package. This makes Zoho Creator very expensive to implement in a medium to large business or company.

This makes Knack the ideal choice for a business seeking to improve its efficiency and gain insights into its operations without overspending on software. Start building with Knack for free today!