Softwr

Machine Learning · head to head

H2O.ai vs Rowy

H2O.ai logo

H2O.ai

Machine Learning

AI Cloud for building and deploying AI applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rowy logo

Rowy

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet interface for Google Cloud Firestore with cloud functions written in the browser

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: H2O.ai java is always required to run H2O-3 even when working from R or Python, and only a 64-bit JRE or JDK is supported; Rowy every Firestore limit is inherited, including the one megabyte per document ceiling and roughly one sustained write per second per document, which surprises users who expect spreadsheet behaviour.
  • They diverge on capability: H2O.ai covers AutoML, Rowy covers Firestore backed grid.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which H2O.ai and Rowy actually diverge.

Attributes where H2O.ai and Rowy differ
AttributeH2O.aiRowy
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb
CategoryMachine LearningSpreadsheets
Founded2011Unknown

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 H2O.ai

  • AutoML
  • Distributed computing
  • Feature engineering
  • Model explainability
  • Time series forecasting
  • Spark
  • Hadoop
  • Python

Only in Rowy

  • Firestore backed grid
  • Browser authored cloud functions
  • Typed columns
  • Runs in your Google Cloud project
  • Role based access
  • Form view
  • Open source

What people use each for

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

H2O.ai

  • Distributed in-memory machine learning over large datasetsnot Rowy
  • Training and productionising models from R or Python against a shared H2O clusternot Rowy

Rowy

  • A Firebase application that needs an internal admin interface without building onenot H2O.ai
  • Operations staff correcting production records in Firestore without developer involvementnot H2O.ai
  • Attaching a small transformation or notification function to a field change without a full deployment pipelinenot H2O.ai
  • A content team populating documents that a mobile application reads directly from Firestorenot H2O.ai

Where each one falls short

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

H2O.ai

  • Java is always required to run H2O-3 even when working from R or Python, and only a 64-bit JRE or JDK is supported
  • Supported Java versions stop at Java SE 17; newer versions only run by forcing an unsupported version flag and are guaranteed for experiments rather than production
  • H2O-3 only supports numpy below version 2, so a numpy 2 environment must be downgraded
  • Supported Python versions are limited to 3.7 through 3.11
  • The Flow web UI requires an internet browser and is the only graphical interface

Rowy

  • Every Firestore limit is inherited, including the one megabyte per document ceiling and roughly one sustained write per second per document, which surprises users who expect spreadsheet behaviour.
  • Firestore has no joins, so linking tables in the grid is a convenience layer rather than a relational feature and reports across collections still need a separate query.
  • It is useful only to teams already on Firebase, so choosing it effectively locks the operational tooling to one cloud vendor.
  • Query costs are billed by document read, and an unfiltered grid on a large collection can generate a bill that a spreadsheet user has no intuition for.
  • Development activity has slowed relative to the broader category, so evaluate current maintenance before making it load bearing for internal operations.

Pricing, plan by plan

H2O.ai

Free
  • H2O-3 Open SourceFree
    • Core algorithms
    • AutoML
    • Community support
  • Driverless AIFree
    • Automatic feature engineering
    • Model explainability
    • Enterprise support

Rowy

Free
  • Open source self hostedFree
    • No licence fee
    • Deploys into your own Google Cloud project
    • You pay Google Cloud for Firestore reads, writes and storage

Which should you pick?

Choose H2O.ai if

  • You need automl.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want distributed computing.
H2O.ai review

Choose Rowy if

  • You need firestore backed grid.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want browser authored cloud functions.
Rowy review

Questions people ask

Is H2O.ai or Rowy better?
Neither clearly leads. H2O.ai starts at Free and Rowy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, H2O.ai or Rowy?
H2O.ai starts at Free and Rowy at Free.
Does H2O.ai or Rowy run on more platforms?
H2O.ai runs on Web, Cloud. Rowy runs on Web.
Can I use H2O.ai for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is H2O.ai best used for?
H2O.ai is most often used for distributed in-memory machine learning over large datasets, training and productionising models from r or python against a shared h2o cluster. Of those, distributed in-memory machine learning over large datasets and training and productionising models from r or python against a shared h2o cluster are not what Rowy is typically brought in for.
What can H2O.ai do that Rowy cannot?
H2O.ai covers AutoML, Distributed computing, Feature engineering, Model explainability. Rowy covers Firestore backed grid, Browser authored cloud functions, Typed columns, Runs in your Google Cloud project.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

H2O.ai: Is H2O open source and free?

Yes. H2O-3 OSS is free and Apache-licensed, designed for self-managed and experimental workflows. H2O.ai also offers enterprise cloud solutions with additional features.

Source
Rowy: Where is my data stored?

In your own Firestore instance inside your own Google Cloud project. Rowy does not hold a copy.

H2O.ai: How many companies use H2O's open source platform?

Over 18,000 companies across Finance, Insurance, Healthcare, Retail, Telco, Sales, and Marketing use H2O's open-source machine learning platform.

Source
Rowy: What does it cost to run?

No licence fee. You pay Google Cloud for Firestore reads, writes, storage and function invocations, and an open grid on a big collection reads a lot.

Rowy: Can it do joins across collections?

Not really. Firestore does not support joins, and no interface layer can add them.

Rowy: Is there a row limit?

Not from Rowy. The limits that bite are Firestore document size and per document write throughput.

Rowy: Is it suitable if I am not on Firebase?

No. It is specifically a Firestore interface.

Share

Related pages

More on H2O.ai

More on Rowy

Keep looking

Other head to heads