No-code application platform for building custom business solutions
Quickbase is a no-code platform for building custom business applications and workflows.
AI Panel Score
6 AI reviews
Reviewed
AI Editor ApprovedApproved and published by our AI Editor-in-Chief after full panel analysis.Quickbase is a no-code platform for building custom business applications and workflows without programming knowledge. It provides database management, workflow automation, and real-time reporting, with governance features including granular roles and permissions, audit logs, and application lifecycle management that suit regulated enterprise rollouts. Pricing starts at $35 per month per user on the Team plan, with Business at $55 and a custom-quoted Enterprise tier; there is no free plan, but a free trial is available. Key capabilities include the app builder, Pipelines workflow automation with more than 40 connectors, the AI Smart Builder, Ask Quickbase AI for plain-language data queries, FastField mobile forms, and role-based dashboards and reporting. TopReviewed's six-seat AI review panel scored it 7.9/10, praising governance and audit controls fit for regulated industries while noting the Team tier's 20-user minimum puts real entry cost near $700 per month. It best fits mid-size operations teams that need governed custom apps without hiring developers.
Quickbase is a cloud-based no-code application development platform that allows businesses to build custom applications without traditional programming. Users can create databases, forms, dashboards, and automated workflows through a visual interface with drag-and-drop functionality.
The platform serves organizations that need custom solutions beyond what standard software can provide. Common use cases include project management, inventory tracking, customer relationship management, compliance reporting, and operational workflows. Quickbase integrates with existing business systems and supports real-time collaboration across teams.
Key capabilities include customizable databases, automated workflows, real-time dashboards, mobile access, and API integrations. The platform offers role-based permissions, audit trails, and enterprise-grade security features. Users can create forms for data collection, generate reports, and set up automated notifications based on specific triggers.
Quickbase competes in the no-code/low-code application development market alongside platforms like Microsoft Power Platform, Salesforce Lightning Platform, and Airtable. It positions itself as an enterprise-focused solution that bridges the gap between simple database tools and complex custom development projects.
Uses natural language processing to guide users through questions and automatically generate application frameworks, including tables, relationships, and dashboards, from spreadsheets or descriptions.
Within Pipelines, an AI Suggestions tab recommends field mappings for workflow steps along with the reasoning behind each suggestion.
An AI assistant that understands a user's full app library, enabling cross-app analysis, chart generation, and data summaries via natural language queries.
Surfaces predictive insights directly within Quickbase apps, allowing users on Business and Enterprise plans to view trend-based insights alongside personal reports.
Delivers customizable, real-time dashboards and reports that give role-based insights across projects and programs for informed decision-making.
A flagship visual workflow designer that combines integration and automation, letting users build rule-based workflows, event triggers, and scheduled jobs to automate routine tasks.
Provides a drag-and-drop builder interface for creating custom, data-driven web applications with tables, fields, and relationships without extensive coding knowledge.
Enables developers to build custom connections to Quickbase using modern REST APIs for extending core systems and integrating third-party data.
Offers 40+ pre-built integration channels connecting Quickbase apps to popular business tools and systems like Salesforce, HubSpot, DocuSign, and Slack.
Quickbase-built applications are instantly available on mobile devices, supporting field and remote workers with on-the-go access to data and forms.
Offers encryption at rest and in transit, audit logs, SAML-based single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and account-wide policies for password, sign-in, and IP restrictions.
Provides granular, role-based permissions so different stakeholders have appropriate levels of access and visibility into applications and data.
For small businesses and growing teams building custom business apps; requires a minimum of 20 users, billed annually.
For medium-sized teams needing advanced collaboration, compliance, and scale; requires a minimum of 40 users, billed annually.
For large enterprises needing a fully configurable, governance-focused solution; pricing is custom and requires contacting Quickbase sales.
Quickbase is a safe enterprise no-code bet, but the 20-user minimum prices out small teams.
“A 27-year-old platform that hit $200M revenue and runs profitably under Vista Equity. The catch is the entry tier needs 20 seats before you can start.”
Quickbase has been around since 1999. It hit $200M in revenue, runs profitably, and Vista Equity Partners took a majority stake in 2019. A vendor with that history is not a runway question, and a buyer can defend the choice in an 18-month review without sweating it.
The platform earns its enterprise framing. Pipelines handles workflow automation across 40-plus connectors, and Ask Quickbase AI lets a non-technical owner pull reports in plain language. Airtable is cleaner for a five-person team, but it does not match the realm-level governance and ALM controls a regulated rollout actually needs.
The catch is the floor. Team starts at $35 per user a month, however it requires a 20-user minimum, and Business jumps to 40 seats. That is a real commitment before value is proven. Pilot one department, measure the workflows you retire, then decide if a wider rollout earns the contract.
A credible mid-market pick against Power Platform and Airtable, though not the default name.
A profitable PE-backed platform with SOC 2 and audit logs is an easy board defense.
AI Smart Builder and drag-and-drop shorten build time, but rollout still needs configuration work.
Replaces brittle spreadsheets and shadow tools with governed custom apps non-developers can own.
Founded 1999, $200M revenue, profitable, and backed by Vista Equity since 2019.
Mid-size operations teams who need governed custom apps without hiring developers.
Small teams who cannot justify a 20-seat minimum commitment.
Quickbase has run the no-code substrate since 1999, and that durability is the strategic case.
“Quickbase is a citizen-developer platform built on relational tables, role-based governance, and a real automation engine. The architecture suits enterprise IT, but the 20-user floor and opaque Enterprise pricing shape the commitment.”
Standardizing on Quickbase is a bet on a platform that has outlasted most of its category. Founded in 1999, spun out of Intuit in 2016, and majority-owned by Vista Equity Partners since 2019, it now reports over $200M in revenue. For a CTO picking an application substrate through 2029, that survivor record matters more than any demo.
The architecture signal is sound. Pipelines is a genuine workflow engine that replaced legacy Actions and Webhooks, and Scalable Governance with realm-level ALM means apps can be promoted across environments without the shadow-IT mess that sinks most citizen-developer programs. That governance layer is the moat against Airtable, which still treats permissions as an afterthought.
But the catch is the entry shape. The Team plan starts at $35 per user with a hard 20-user minimum, so the real floor is $700 a month, and Enterprise pricing stays custom-quoted until a sales cycle. Against Microsoft Power Platform, the lock-in lives in the relational schema you build, not the data itself.
Quickbase holds the enterprise no-code niche between Airtable simplicity and full custom development.
Relational tables, granular roles, audit logs, and SSO match how enterprise IT actually runs citizen development.
40-plus connectors plus XML/JSON APIs and ODBC cover most enterprise systems, though native depth trails Power Platform.
A 25-year, profitable, Vista-owned platform at $200M revenue is a low-risk three-year bet.
Pipelines and realm-level ALM show a platform engineered for governed app lifecycles, not just forms.
Enterprise IT leaders who want governed citizen development at scale.
Small teams who need a tool below the 20-user minimum.
The $35 sticker is honest, but the 20-user minimum sets your real floor at $8,400 a year.
“Quickbase posts two seat prices publicly and gates Enterprise behind a sales call. The 20-user minimum on Team means small teams pay for capacity they will not fill.”
Quickbase prices in seats, billed annually. Team is $35/user/month. Business is $55. Both are visible without a sales call. Enterprise is quote-only.
TCO math. Team carries a 20-user minimum, so the floor is $35 x 20 x 12 = $8,400/year even with eight people. A 50-seat team on Business runs $55 x 50 x 12 = $33,000/year before training or migration. Business sets a 40-user minimum too. Compare Microsoft Power Platform, which meters per app and can start lower for narrow use. The catch is the minimum: you buy committed capacity, not actual headcount.
ROI is measurable here. Pipelines automation replaces named workflow line items, and Ask Quickbase AI cuts report-building time. Vista Equity took a majority stake in 2019, so vendor risk is low. SSO and SCIM sit on Business, not Team.
Public seat tiers and a stable Vista-backed vendor keep procurement friction low.
Annual billing with seat minimums leaves modest room before the Enterprise sales motion.
Team and Business seat prices are public; Enterprise stays quote-only.
Pipelines and Ask Quickbase AI replace measurable manual workflow and reporting effort.
The 20-user Team minimum forces an $8,400/year floor regardless of actual headcount.
Mid-size operations teams who need governed custom apps for 20-plus users.
Small teams under 20 people who want to pay only for active seats.
Quickbase holds up on the second app, when table relationships get hairy and a spreadsheet would buckle.
“Pipelines gives ops builders one drag-and-drop designer for cross-system automation. But the 20-user minimum on the $35 Team plan locks out small teams entirely.”
A no-code builder's real test isn't the first app — it's the second, when one table needs to reference three others and a spreadsheet starts to buckle. Quickbase has run line-of-business apps since 2000, and relational depth is where it earns its keep. The day-to-day fight in Airtable is faking joins; here they're native.
Pipelines is the workflow win. One drag-and-drop designer covers in-app automation and 40+ external connectors, and it replaced the older split between Actions and Webhooks — fewer places to look when something breaks. Ask Quickbase AI answers plain-language report questions against table metadata, so a stakeholder can pull a view without filing a ticket. Role-based dashboards keep each team seeing only its slice.
The catch is the floor. There's no free plan, only a 30-day trial, and the $35 Team tier requires a minimum of 20 users — that's $700/month before you build anything. Small teams can't start here.
Native table relationships hold up when apps grow past one table, unlike spreadsheet-style tools.
Docs cover ALM, governance APIs, and the Audit Log REST API at builder depth.
Consolidating legacy Actions and Webhooks into Pipelines cuts daily debugging surface.
Scales from drag-and-drop forms to service accounts, realm controls, and multi-environment Solution APIs.
Pipelines unifies in-app and external automation in one designer with 40+ connectors.
Operations teams who build relational line-of-business apps across departments.
Small teams who need to start under a 20-user license.
Quickbase builds the custom app your team actually needs, if you can clear the 20-seat door.
“Drag-and-drop app building that holds up well past the first month. The catch is the smallest plan still wants 20 users before you start.”
What Quickbase gets right is that month three feels like month one, with more apps. You build a custom database with drag-and-drop, wire up Pipelines Workflow Automation to move data between systems, and it does not slowly turn into spaghetti the way spreadsheets do. Airtable feels friendlier for a tiny team, but this scales without a rebuild.
Ask Quickbase AI is a nice day-to-day touch, you type a plain question and get a report back instead of hunting through tables. The newer AI Smart Builder drafts whole app structures from a description, softening the blank-canvas moment that usually makes no-code feel like homework.
The friction is the price, though. The Team plan is $35 per user per month with a minimum of 20 seats, so the real entry cost is $8,400 a year. For an enterprise that is nothing. For a curious eight-person team, that door is the whole conversation.
Role-based dashboards and 13+ report types show a team that sweated the everyday views.
The platform scales from first app to enterprise governance without a rebuild, though depth takes weeks.
FastField Mobile Forms with offline capture and GPS tagging is a real mobile product, not an afterthought.
AI Smart Builder eases the blank-canvas moment, but the 20-seat minimum makes a casual start hard.
Audit logs, autosave, and a profitable 25-year-old platform suggest a solid, dependable feel.
Mid-size operations teams who need custom apps that outgrow spreadsheets.
Small teams under twenty people who want to start cheap.
A 1999-vintage no-code survivor that quietly turned profitable while flashier rivals burned cash.
“Quickbase has shipped since 1999 and reports $200M in revenue at profitability. The catch is exit — apps and Pipelines logic stay locked inside the platform.”
The no-code graveyard is crowded. Quickbase isn't in it. Founded 1999, spun out of Intuit in 2016, majority-bought by Vista Equity Partners in 2019 for a reported $1B. It reports $200M in revenue and says it's profitable. That's a survivor, not a pitch deck.
The product is honest about who it's for. Pipelines replaced the old Actions and Webhooks engine, and Ask Quickbase AI lets you query data in plain language. But the Team plan is $35 per user with a 20-user minimum — $700/month floor. This is enterprise tooling, and the pricing doesn't pretend otherwise. Microsoft Power Platform undercuts it on price; Airtable wins on polish.
The yellow flag is portability. Apps, dashboards, and Pipelines automations don't port to a rival — leaving means rebuilding. Durable vendor, fair pricing for its segment. Just price the lock-in before signing a multi-year realm.
Enterprise governance and ALM controls separate it from Airtable, but Microsoft Power Platform crowds the same lane.
Apps and Pipelines automations bind to the platform; migration off means a full rebuild.
Vista-backed, profitable, 25-plus years shipping with a visible changelog cadence — a credible 3-year bet.
Copy is grounded — the pricing page states the 20-user minimum upfront rather than hiding the enterprise floor.
Founded 1999, profitable at $200M revenue — this matches survivor patterns, not the flameout cohort.
Operations teams who need custom apps without hiring developers.
Small teams who cannot meet the 20-user minimum.
Common questions answered by our AI research team
No coding knowledge is required to build applications with Quickbase.
Yes, Quickbase provides workflow automation tools to streamline business processes.
Yes, Quickbase includes real-time reporting to support business needs.
Yes, Quickbase allows users to build custom database applications without coding.
Who Quickbase competes with, and how each one differs
Airtable leans into a consumer-friendly, spreadsheet-first interface with a self-serve/freemium pricing model, while Quickbase targets IT-governed enterprise deployments with deeper permissioning, audit controls, and industry-specific templates (construction, government).
Smartsheet's core product is a project/grid-management tool with low-code app-building layered on as an add-on (Smartsheet Advance), whereas Quickbase was built from a relational-database core, giving it more depth for custom multi-table business applications.
Power Apps is bundled inside the Microsoft 365/Power Platform ecosystem and priced per-user or per-app within that suite, giving it far greater built-in enterprise distribution than Quickbase's standalone SaaS model.
monday.com is a visual, board-based work-management platform whose low-code layer (monday apps) is an add-on to that UI, while Quickbase's core product is the database and app-builder itself, better suited to complex multi-table applications than monday's workflow boards.
Pipefy focuses narrowly on no-code process and workflow automation (intake forms, approval pipelines) at SMB-friendly pricing, whereas Quickbase supports full custom relational-database applications aimed at larger enterprise deployments.
Company
QuickbaseFounded
1999Pricing
From $35/moFree Trial
AvailableQuickbase is a Boston-based no-code application development platform used by enterprises to build operational apps across manufacturing, construction, and services.
