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Spreadsheets · head to head

APITable vs Convoy

APITable logo

APITable

Spreadsheets

Open source spreadsheet database with an API first design and an embeddable widget system

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Convoy logo

Convoy

APIs

Open source webhooks gateway you self-host, handling both sending and receiving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: APITable records are held in the product own schema rather than as native database tables, so the practical row ceiling is a product limit and large tables should be load tested before commitment.; Convoy the default deployment is self-hosted, so you operate Convoy plus Postgres and Redis and carry the on-call burden for the system that delivers your customers' events.
  • They diverge on capability: APITable covers API first design, Convoy covers Inbound and outbound.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which APITable and Convoy actually diverge.

Attributes where APITable and Convoy differ
AttributeAPITableConvoy
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feePer month, flat rate regardless of volume
PlatformsWeb, LinuxLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud
CategorySpreadsheetsAPIs

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in APITable

  • API first design
  • Widget SDK
  • Embeddable views
  • Multiple view types
  • Linked records and formulas
  • Self hosting
  • Real time collaboration

Only in Convoy

  • Inbound and outbound
  • Broker-driven ingestion
  • Payload transformation
  • Portal links
  • Circuit breaking
  • Retry policies
  • OpenTelemetry export
  • Role-based access control

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

APITable

  • Embedding an editable table view inside a product you are building, rather than sending users to another toolnot Convoy
  • An internal platform where tables are read and written mostly by code through the API and only occasionally by peoplenot Convoy
  • A self hosted replacement for a per seat spreadsheet database where seat count is the cost drivernot Convoy
  • Building a custom dashboard widget that sits beside the data instead of in a separate reporting toolnot Convoy

Convoy

  • A fintech that cannot route customer webhook traffic through a third-party SaaS for compliance reasonsnot APITable
  • A high-volume platform for which per-message webhook pricing costs more than the flat premium licencenot APITable
  • A team that also receives webhooks from many providers and wants ingestion, verification and deduplication in the same gatewaynot APITable
  • An engineering group that wants webhook delivery driven directly from an existing Kafka or SQS topicnot APITable

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

APITable

  • Records are held in the product own schema rather than as native database tables, so the practical row ceiling is a product limit and large tables should be load tested before commitment.
  • The hosted free tier caps records per space, so evaluating on the cloud version gives a misleading picture of what the software can do when self hosted.
  • Automation is thin compared with the commercial alternatives, and most real workflows end up in an external automation tool.
  • The self hosted deployment is heavier than a single container, so running it properly means managing several services rather than one.
  • Documentation and community activity are uneven in English, and finding an answer to an operational problem can take longer than the problem itself deserves.

Convoy

  • The default deployment is self-hosted, so you operate Convoy plus Postgres and Redis and carry the on-call burden for the system that delivers your customers' events.
  • Frain Technologies is a small startup, and putting customer-facing delivery infrastructure on it means accepting real vendor continuity risk on a component that is hard to swap out quickly.
  • The premium tier at a flat 999 US dollars a month is poor value below substantial volume, while the community edition omits the portal, transformations and RBAC that most production deployments end up wanting.
  • The hosted cloud trial is capped at one project and 100 events a day, which is too small to properly evaluate the service before committing.
  • Documentation and the third-party ecosystem are thinner than the established webhook services, so unusual configurations often mean reading the Go source.

Pricing, plan by plan

APITable

Free
  • Self hosted open sourceFree
    • No licence fee
    • No product record cap on self hosted deployments
    • Docker and Kubernetes deployment

Convoy

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Self-hosted open source gateway
    • Inbound and outbound webhooks
    • Automatic retries and message broker support
  • Premium$999/month
    • Flat rate irrespective of message volume
    • Portal links and payload transformation
    • RBAC, circuit breaking and white labelling
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • SAML SSO
    • Dedicated support with SLA
    • On-premises deployment assistance
  • Cloud$undefined/month
    • Hosted by Convoy
    • 14 day trial limited to one project and 100 events a day
    • Usage-based tiers above the trial

Which should you pick?

Choose APITable if

  • You need api first design.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want widget sdk.
APITable review

Choose Convoy if

  • You need inbound and outbound.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want broker-driven ingestion.
Convoy review

Questions people ask

Is APITable or Convoy better?
Neither clearly leads. APITable starts at Free and Convoy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, APITable or Convoy?
APITable starts at Free and Convoy at Free.
Does APITable or Convoy run on more platforms?
APITable runs on Web, Linux. Convoy runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
Can I use APITable for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is APITable best used for?
APITable is most often used for embedding an editable table view inside a product you are building, rather than sending users to another tool, an internal platform where tables are read and written mostly by code through the api and only occasionally by people, a self hosted replacement for a per seat spreadsheet database where seat count is the cost driver, building a custom dashboard widget that sits beside the data instead of in a separate reporting tool. Of those, embedding an editable table view inside a product you are building, rather than sending users to another tool and an internal platform where tables are read and written mostly by code through the api and only occasionally by people are not what Convoy is typically brought in for.
What can APITable do that Convoy cannot?
APITable covers API first design, Widget SDK, Embeddable views, Multiple view types. Convoy covers Inbound and outbound, Broker-driven ingestion, Payload transformation, Portal links.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

APITable: What is the record limit?

The self hosted edition has no product cap, but performance is bounded by the internal schema rather than by your database. Test at your expected size.

Convoy: Is Convoy really open source?

Yes, the community edition is open source and self-hostable, covering both inbound and outbound webhooks with retries.

APITable: Can I embed it in my own product?

Yes, and that is the main reason to choose it. Views embed and the widget SDK extends them.

Convoy: What does premium cost?

A flat 999 US dollars a month, self-hosted, regardless of message volume.

APITable: Is the hosted version representative?

No. Its free tier caps records per space, which is a commercial limit rather than a technical one.

Convoy: Does it receive webhooks as well as send them?

Yes, inbound ingestion with verification and deduplication is a first-class feature, unlike most webhook services.

APITable: How hard is self hosting?

Harder than a single container. Plan for several services and someone to keep them running.

Convoy: Do I have to self-host?

No, there is a hosted cloud, but the trial is capped at 100 events a day and self-hosting is the primary model.

APITable: Does it do automations?

Lightly. Expect to pair it with an external automation tool for anything multi step.

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