Zoho Creator

creator.zoho.com
No-Code/Low-Code
Weekend Project

Best Low-Code Custom Application Development Platform

How to Replace Zoho Creator

Overview

Zoho Creator is an AI-powered low-code application development platform that combines low-code development and AI to help users design, develop, and run custom business software. It empowers developers and business users to build web and mobile applications with minimal coding experience using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Features

60 features across 19 categories

AI(3)

Custom AI ModelsAIPremium

Models trained with relevant datasets to address specific tasks

Ready to Use AI ModelsAI

Pre-built models that are readily deployable into applications with zero training

Zia AI AssistantAI

Collaborate with Zia AI to build smart apps by telling it what you need - delivers field suggestions and detailed process workflows

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Analytics(3)

BI and AnalyticsPremium

Powered by Zoho Analytics for advanced business intelligence and analytics

Blueprint AnalyticsPremium

Analyze blueprint and workflow performance

Conversational AnalyticsAI

Turn massive datasets into charts by asking questions in plain English to AI for instant powerful insights

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Smartsheet

Automation(6)

Blueprints with Stages and TransitionsPremium

Create workflow blueprints with stages and transitions for structured processes

Built-in Approvals

Create approval workflows letting decision-making users approve or reject submitted records

Custom SchedulesPremium

Schedule custom actions and workflows on custom timelines

Process Automation

Streamline operations and improve efficiency using visual process automation capabilities

Workflow Rules and Actions

Create and manage workflow rules and automated actions

Workflows

Build and automate business workflows as part of application development

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Collaboration(1)

Application Sharing

Share entire Zoho Creator applications or app components with other users or user groups, assigning access permissions

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Obsidian

Customization(1)

Branding and PersonalizationPremium

Customize branding and personalization for applications and portals

Also in: monday.com, Obsidian, Smartsheet

Data Management(1)

Data Import and Export

Import and export data for applications

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Deployment(3)

Mobile App CustomizationsPremium

Customize mobile apps for iOS and Android deployment

Multi-Experience Deployment

Deploy apps natively on web, iOS, and Android devices

Native Mobile Apps

Creator automatically provides native iOS and Android apps for all web applications built

Also in: Kubernetes Dashboard, Hugging Face, Bitwarden

Developer Tools(7)

Activity LogsPremium

Track and view all application activity and user actions

API ManagementPremium

Manage REST APIs and custom APIs to perform operations like add, fetch, update data, and build own APIs

Application IDEPremium

Integrated development environment for building advanced applications

Cloud FunctionsPremium

Execute cloud functions with configurable daily call limits

Developer EnvironmentsPremium

Create separate development environments for testing and development

Schema BuilderPremium

Build and manage application data schemas visually

WidgetsPremium

Use and create custom widgets for application building

Also in: Jobber, Hugging Face, 1Password

Development(3)

Drag and Drop Interface

Create apps by dragging and dropping elements on the web to build apps with exact features needed

Forms with 32 Field Types

Add 32 different types of fields to forms, each meant to capture specific kinds of data

Pages

Create custom pages as building blocks for applications

Infrastructure(1)

Auto-Scaling Infrastructure

Backend infrastructure seamlessly scales as business demand grows

Integration(5)

1000+ Prebuilt Integrations

Connect all tools already in use and run business from one platform

Custom ConnectorsPremium

Build custom connectors to integrate with any third-party system

Data Sources

Connect multiple data sources to applications

Integration FlowPremium

Powered by Zoho Flow for advanced integration capabilities

Integration with All Zoho Apps

Native integration with all Zoho application suite

Notifications(1)

App Activity Notifications

Receive notifications about app activities

Portals(7)

Custom Domain for PortalsPremium

Host support portals on custom domain to be accessed from business website

Customer Portal Add-onPremium

Provide dedicated portals to customers, vendors, and business partners as add-on with scalable user limits

Portal ManagementPremium

Create customized portals to manage, track, and oversee projects

Portal Payment AcceptancePremium

Accept payments from portal users

Portal Permission SetsPremium

Define granular permission sets for portal users

Rebranded Mobile AppsPremium

Create white-label mobile apps with custom branding

Self-Service Portals

Build self-service portals for customers, vendors, business partners to access products, services, and information

Reporting(1)

Reports

Create reports integrated with business workflows as part of application building blocks

Security(8)

Audit Trail

Capture and track the history of all changes made to records for auditing purposes

Data Backup

Automatic backup of application data

Data Encryption and PII/ePHI

Encrypt data and protect personally identifiable information and electronic protected health information

Data Security and Compliance

ISO 27001/27017/27018 certified and SOC 2 compliant with logical data separation and multi-geography storage

Multi-Factor Authentication

Enable multi-factor authentication for enhanced security

Password Policy

Enforce custom password policies for security

SAML Based Single Sign-OnPremium

Enable SAML-based single sign-on for enterprise authentication

User Roles and Permissions

Define granular user roles and permissions for access control

Services(1)

Creator Jumpstart ProgramPremium

Full app development service from ideation to implementation and delivery

Support(4)

Dedicated Account ManagerPremium

Get assigned a dedicated account manager for enterprise support

Email Support

Email-based customer support

Live Chat Support

Live chat support for real-time assistance

Toll-Free SupportPremium

Toll-free phone support for customer assistance

Templates(1)

App Templates and Marketplace

Access 50+ pre-built app templates to get started quickly

Use Cases(3)

Application Extension

Supercharge existing Zoho or third-party legacy applications to create apps tailored to unique use-cases

Core Systems Development

Build mission-critical core systems tailored to business needs without challenges of traditional development

Internal Tools

Build scalable internal tools to simplify processes, automate recurring tasks, create approval workflows, track items, and boost employee engagement

Pricing

Free Edition

Free
  • 1 user
  • Access to 1 application
  • 250MB storage
  • 1,000 records

Standard

$90/user/month
  • Unlimited applications
  • Forms, reports, pages, workflows
  • Multi-experience deployment
  • Application sharing
  • 20 custom AI models
  • 50 ready to use AI models
  • App templates and marketplace
  • Data import and export
  • App activity notifications
  • Workflow rules and actions
  • Built-in approvals
  • 5 data sources
  • 5 custom connectors
  • Integration with all Zoho apps
  • 10 portal permission sets per app
  • User roles and permissions
  • Password policy
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • Data encryption & PII/ePHI
  • Audit trail
  • Backup
  • Email support
  • Live chat

Professional

Popular
$300/user/month
  • Unlimited applications
  • Forms, reports, pages, workflows
  • Mobile app customizations
  • Application sharing
  • 100 custom AI models
  • 250 ready to use AI models
  • App templates and marketplace
  • Data import and export
  • App activity notifications
  • Workflow rules and actions
  • Built-in approvals
  • Custom schedules
  • Blueprints - stages & transitions
  • Blueprint analytics
  • 15 data sources
  • 10 custom connectors
  • Integration with all Zoho apps
  • Custom domain add-on
  • 50 portal permission sets per app
  • Application IDE
  • Schema builder
  • Widgets
  • 100 cloud functions calls/user/day
  • Developer environments
  • Activity logs
  • API management
  • User roles and permissions
  • SAML based single sign-on
  • Password policy
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • Data encryption & PII/ePHI
  • Audit trail
  • Backup
  • Integration Flow
  • BI and Analytics
  • Email support
  • Live chat
  • Toll-free support

Enterprise

$600/user/month
  • Unlimited applications
  • Forms, reports, pages, workflows
  • Mobile app customizations
  • Application sharing
  • 100 custom AI models
  • 250 ready to use AI models
  • App templates and marketplace
  • Data import and export
  • App activity notifications
  • Workflow rules and actions
  • Built-in approvals
  • Custom schedules
  • Blueprints - stages & transitions
  • Blueprint analytics
  • 30 data sources
  • 20 custom connectors
  • Integration with all Zoho apps
  • Custom domain add-on
  • 250 portal permission sets per app
  • Application IDE
  • Schema builder
  • Widgets
  • 200 cloud functions calls/user/day
  • Developer environments
  • Activity logs
  • API management
  • User roles and permissions
  • SAML based single sign-on
  • Password policy
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • Data encryption & PII/ePHI
  • Audit trail
  • Backup
  • Integration Flow
  • BI and Analytics
  • Email support
  • Live chat
  • Toll-free support
  • Dedicated account manager

Flex

Custom
  • A la carte feature selection
  • Custom pricing based on requirements

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Zoho Creator

Monthly$90/mo
Yearly$1.1k/yr
5-Year Total$5.4k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~5 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $840
SaaS
$1.1k
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $2.5k
SaaS
$3.2k
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $4.2k
SaaS
$5.4k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 60 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Zoho Creator alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 60 features.

Buy Zoho Creator

Better Value
Monthly cost$900/mo
3-year total$32,400
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$36,000
Maintenance$540/mo
3-year total$55,440
Dev time~3 months

Buying Zoho Creator saves ~$23,040 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 60 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

3 known integrations