Spreadsheets · head to head
Equals vs Postgres
Equals
Spreadsheets
A real spreadsheet with SQL result sets landing in its cells, now sold only on annual contracts starting at 24,000 USD
- From
- $24000/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Postgres has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Equals the price list now starts at 24,000 USD a year with no monthly billing and no self-serve signup, having offered a free plan in 2023 and 39 USD per seat in 2024, so any team that evaluated it previously is looking at a different product commercially.; Postgres each major version is supported for only 5 years after its initial release, after which it is end-of-life
- They diverge on capability: Equals covers Connected sheets, Postgres covers ACID compliance.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Equals and Postgres actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Equals
- Connected sheets
- Real spreadsheet mechanics
- Cell references into SQL
- Equals Warehouse
- Writeback
Only in Postgres
- ACID compliance
- Complex queries
- Foreign keys
- Triggers
- Stored procedures
- JSON/JSONB support
- Full-text search
- Python
Both cover
- Views
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Equals
- A revenue operations team that wants software metrics computed in a spreadsheet rather than defined in a BI semantic layernot Postgres
- Analysts who need a SQL result and manual assumptions in the same file, with the assumptions visible as cellsnot Postgres
- Joining Stripe, Salesforce and a production database without building a warehouse and pipeline firstnot Postgres
- Distributing a recurring numbers pack to Slack, email or a wall display without rebuilding it as a dashboardnot Postgres
Postgres
- Running a general purpose relational database for applicationsnot Equals
- Self-hosting an open source SQL database with no licence feenot Equals
- Workloads needing extensions, JSON and full text search in one enginenot Equals
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Equals
- The price list now starts at 24,000 USD a year with no monthly billing and no self-serve signup, having offered a free plan in 2023 and 39 USD per seat in 2024, so any team that evaluated it previously is looking at a different product commercially.
- Your data is copied out of your infrastructure by design, into a Snowflake warehouse that Equals operates, with Fivetran holding non-SQL source data in transit, and no self-hosted or bring-your-own-warehouse option is documented.
- The financial function category contains only IRR, NPV and PMT, with no XIRR, XNPV, FV, PV, RATE or NPER, and there is no LAMBDA, LET, OFFSET or INDIRECT, so a substantial class of existing spreadsheet models cannot be ported without rework.
- No documentation of importing or exporting Excel files exists anywhere in the docs index; the supported file sources are CSV and Google Sheets and the only documented export is dashboards as PDF, which is a notable gap for a product positioning itself as a successor to Excel.
- Data freshness is a pricing lever rather than a setting, at six hours on Essential, one hour on Business and fifteen minutes on Enterprise, and the feature that removes row limits is itself gated above the entry tier, so the Essential row ceiling is neither published nor unlimited.
Postgres
- Each major version is supported for only 5 years after its initial release, after which it is end-of-life
- Major version upgrades break on-disk compatibility and require a full dump and reload or the pg_upgrade tool
- New major versions ship about once a year, so staying supported means a disruptive upgrade cycle
- Minor releases contain only frequently-encountered bug fixes, low-risk fixes, security issues and data corruption fixes, so feature gaps are not addressed within a major version
- There is no vendor SLA; commercial support must be bought separately from third party professional services listed by the project
Pricing, plan by plan
Equals
$24000/year- Essential$24000/year
- Unlimited viewers and unlimited editors
- 3 connectors
- Data sync every 6 hours
- Business$36000/year
- Unlimited viewers and unlimited editors
- 5 connectors or a warehouse connection
- Data sync every hour
- Enterprise$60000/year
- Unlimited viewers and unlimited editors
- Unlimited connectors or a warehouse connection
- Data sync every 15 minutes
- Connector add-ons$199/month
- 199 USD per month for each additional database or import script connector
- 699 USD per month for each additional connector of any other type
- Available on Business and Enterprise
Postgres
Free- Community EditionFree
- Full database features
- No limitations
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Equals if
- You need connected sheets.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want real spreadsheet mechanics.
Choose Postgres if
- You need acid compliance.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.
- You also want complex queries.
Questions people ask
- Is Equals or Postgres better?
- Neither clearly leads. Equals starts at $24000/year and Postgres at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Equals or Postgres?
- Postgres has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $24000/year for Equals and Free for Postgres.
- Does Equals or Postgres run on more platforms?
- Equals runs on Web, API. Postgres runs on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.
- Can I use Postgres for free?
- Yes. Postgres has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Equals starts at $24000/year.
- What is Equals best used for?
- Equals is most often used for a revenue operations team that wants software metrics computed in a spreadsheet rather than defined in a bi semantic layer, analysts who need a sql result and manual assumptions in the same file, with the assumptions visible as cells, joining stripe, salesforce and a production database without building a warehouse and pipeline first, distributing a recurring numbers pack to slack, email or a wall display without rebuilding it as a dashboard. Of those, a revenue operations team that wants software metrics computed in a spreadsheet rather than defined in a bi semantic layer and analysts who need a sql result and manual assumptions in the same file, with the assumptions visible as cells are not what Postgres is typically brought in for.
- What can Equals do that Postgres cannot?
- Equals covers Connected sheets, Real spreadsheet mechanics, Cell references into SQL, Equals Warehouse. Postgres covers ACID compliance, Complex queries, Foreign keys, Triggers. Both handle Views.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Equals: Is it a real spreadsheet or a modelling tool with a grid?
A real spreadsheet. A1 references, absolute reference locking, pivot tables and spilling array formulas all work, and SQL results land in ranges that ordinary cells reference.
Postgres: How much does PostgreSQL cost to use?
PostgreSQL is completely free to download, install, and use. No licensing fees, subscription costs, or per-seat charges apply. The database is open source under the PostgreSQL License. Source: https://www.postgresql.org
SourceEquals: What does it actually cost?
24,000 USD a year for Essential, 36,000 for Business and 60,000 for Enterprise, billed annually. There is no monthly option and no self-serve signup; the trial is negotiated per customer.
Postgres: Are there commercial PostgreSQL support options available?
Official PostgreSQL (the project) is free. Commercial PostgreSQL services such as hosting, professional support, training, and managed database services are offered by third-party vendors, not the PostgreSQL project itself. Source: https://www.postgresql.org
SourceEquals: Are seats charged?
No. Viewers and editors are unlimited on every plan. The meters are connector count, refresh frequency and AI spend, with additional connectors at 199 or 699 USD a month.
Postgres: Do I need a license to use PostgreSQL commercially?
No. PostgreSQL is open source under the PostgreSQL License, which permits free commercial use without royalties, licensing fees, or support obligations. Source: https://www.postgresql.org
SourceEquals: Does my data stay in my own warehouse?
No. Connecting more than one source syncs data into a Snowflake warehouse that Equals runs, and non-SQL sources pass through Fivetran. There is no documented self-hosted option.
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- Postgres vs SeaTable
- Postgres vs APITable
- Postgres vs Cube Software
- Postgres vs Mathesar
- Postgres vs Rowy
- Postgres vs Linear
- Postgres vs Asana
- Postgres vs ClickUp
- Postgres vs Figma
- Postgres vs Supabase
- Postgres vs Redis
- Postgres vs Aha!
- Postgres vs Eclipse
- Postgres vs Excalidraw
- Postgres vs MongoDB
- Postgres vs Okta
- Postgres vs Notion
- Postgres vs Close
- Postgres vs Coda
- Postgres vs Drift
- Postgres vs JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA
- Postgres vs LogRocket
- Postgres vs Neovim