Spreadsheets · head to head
APITable vs Sigma Computing
APITable
Spreadsheets
Open source spreadsheet database with an API first design and an embeddable widget system
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Sigma Computing
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheet-style analytics that queries a cloud data warehouse directly with no extract layer
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only APITable has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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.; Sigma Computing every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
- They diverge on capability: APITable covers API first design, Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which APITable and Sigma Computing actually diverge.
| Attribute | APITable | Sigma Computing |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Open source, no licence fee | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Linux | Web |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Spreadsheets).
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 Sigma Computing
- Spreadsheet interface over SQL
- No extract layer
- Input tables and write-back
- Workbooks
- Embedded analytics
- Version control and dbt awareness
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 Sigma Computing
- An internal platform where tables are read and written mostly by code through the API and only occasionally by peoplenot Sigma Computing
- A self hosted replacement for a per seat spreadsheet database where seat count is the cost drivernot Sigma Computing
- Building a custom dashboard widget that sits beside the data instead of in a separate reporting toolnot Sigma Computing
Sigma Computing
- A finance or operations team that lives in spreadsheets and needs warehouse-scale data without exporting CSVsnot APITable
- An organisation that has consolidated on Snowflake or Databricks and wants one governed access layer rather than several desktop toolsnot APITable
- Planning and scenario work where users need to type assumptions back into governed tables rather than into a local filenot APITable
- Embedding customer-facing analytics into a product where each tenant must only see their own rowsnot 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.
Sigma Computing
- Every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
- It cannot work without a supported cloud data warehouse, so an organisation running analytics on an on-premises database or a plain application database has nothing to connect to.
- Pricing is not published and seats are differentiated by capability, so budgeting requires a sales cycle and a headcount forecast before you can compare it with a tool you could simply buy.
- Performance is only as good as the warehouse behind it, which means slow or badly modelled tables surface as a slow interface and the fix is a data engineering project, not a Sigma setting.
- Statistical and scientific visualisation is limited compared with dedicated tools, so anything beyond standard business charting has to be done elsewhere and brought back in.
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
Sigma Computing
On request- Sigma Computing$undefined/year
- Quoted per organisation
- Seat types are differentiated by whether a user views, explores or authors
- Warehouse compute is billed separately by your cloud data warehouse vendor
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.
Choose Sigma Computing if
- You need spreadsheet interface over sql.
- You also want no extract layer.
Questions people ask
- Is APITable or Sigma Computing better?
- Neither clearly leads. APITable starts at Free and Sigma Computing at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, APITable or Sigma Computing?
- APITable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for APITable and On request for Sigma Computing.
- Does APITable or Sigma Computing run on more platforms?
- APITable runs on Web, Linux. Sigma Computing runs on Web.
- Can I use APITable for free?
- Yes. APITable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sigma Computing starts at On request.
- 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 Sigma Computing is typically brought in for.
- What can APITable do that Sigma Computing cannot?
- APITable covers API first design, Widget SDK, Embeddable views, Multiple view types. Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL, No extract layer, Input tables and write-back, Workbooks.
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.
Sigma Computing: Does Sigma store a copy of my data?
No. Queries are executed on your warehouse and results are returned for display, which is why there is no extract refresh to manage.
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.
Sigma Computing: What does it actually cost?
The vendor does not publish prices. Expect an annual contract priced by seat type, plus a warehouse compute increase you should model separately.
APITable: Is the hosted version representative?
No. Its free tier caps records per space, which is a commercial limit rather than a technical one.
Sigma Computing: Can business users break the warehouse?
They can run expensive queries. Warehouse sizing, query limits and materialised tables are the controls, and they need configuring before a wide rollout.
APITable: How hard is self hosting?
Harder than a single container. Plan for several services and someone to keep them running.
Sigma Computing: Is it a replacement for a modelling layer like dbt?
No. Sigma works best on top of modelled tables and is usually deployed alongside dbt rather than instead of it.
APITable: Does it do automations?
Lightly. Expect to pair it with an external automation tool for anything multi step.
Related pages
More on Sigma Computing
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