Databases · head to head
Knack vs Namespace
Knack
Databases
Hosted no-code database and web app builder priced by stored records and storage, with unlimited user accounts on every plan.
- From
- $59/month
- Free plan
- No
Namespace
Developer Tools
The dev platform for the next 100 billion commits
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Namespace is a developer infrastructure platform.
- Namespace has a free plan, then $100/mo; Knack starts at $59/mo.
- Only Knack lists visual database builder; only Namespace lists GitHub Actions runners.
- Where Namespace falls short: developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear.
- Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Knack and Namespace actually diverge.
Not yet recorded: pricing model for Namespace.
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 Knack
- Visual database builder
- User logins and roles
- Page builder
- Unlimited users
- E-commerce
- Automation flows
- Scheduled tasks
- REST API and webhooks
Only in Namespace
- Devboxes
- GitHub Actions runners
- Docker builds
- Cross-invocation caching
- NVMe storage
- High-speed networking
- Multiple OS support
- Bazel and Turborepo support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Knack
- A member or client portal where thousands of external people need their own login and see only their own recordsnot Namespace
- Replacing a shared spreadsheet used by a team that has outgrown it but cannot justify a developer to build a bespoke internal toolnot Namespace
- Inventory, asset or case tracking for a small operations team that needs roles, forms and a record of who changed whatnot Namespace
- A registration or booking application for an association, school or non-profit where the user count is large and the record count stays modestnot Namespace
Namespace
- Providing AI coding agents with cloud-based development environmentsnot Knack
- Accelerating CI builds with faster GitHub Actions runnersnot Knack
- Distributing builds across teams with managed infrastructurenot Knack
- Scaling development velocity for monorepo organizationsnot Knack
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Knack
- Plans are capped by stored records, so an application that logs events or keeps history rather than current state climbs tiers on data volume alone, and archiving old records becomes a permanent maintenance chore rather than a one-off
- API access is capped per day, at 1,000 calls on the entry plan and 10,000 at the Corporate tier, so a scheduled sync or a busy automation can exhaust the day's quota before the working day ends and integrations then fail silently
- The application itself cannot be exported or self-hosted; records can be downloaded but the pages, roles, flows and business logic exist only inside Knack, so outgrowing the platform means rebuilding the app rather than moving it
- Customisation beyond the builder is limited to injected CSS and JavaScript that Knack's support does not cover, so any non-standard interface behaviour becomes yours to maintain against a DOM the vendor can change without warning
- Compliance capabilities that regulated buyers assume are baseline, HIPAA and GovCloud options, advanced SSO, IP restrictions and private environments, are gated to the Corporate and Enterprise tiers, so a small regulated pilot cannot legitimately start on an entry plan
Namespace
- Developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear
- Team plan $100/mo is competitive but usage limits may be tight
- Devbox pricing separate at $0.004/minute could add up quickly
- Enterprise plan requires custom sales conversation
Pricing, plan by plan
Knack
$59/month- Starter$59/mo
- 20,000 database records
- Unlimited users, tables, fields
- 25 AI credits
- Pro$130/mo
- 50,000 database records
- Remove Knack branding
- E-commerce payments
- Corporate$300/mo
- 125,000-2.5M database records
- App restore functionality
- Advanced SSO
- EnterpriseOn request
- Dedicated account manager
- HIPAA/GovCloud-based options
- Custom pricing
Namespace
Free- DeveloperFree
- Pay-as-you-go
- On-demand compute
- Docker builds
- Team$100/mo
- 100,000 unit minutes
- 1,000 Docker builds
- Everything in Developer
- Business$250/mo
- 250,000 unit minutes
- 2,500 Docker builds
- Everything in Team
- EnterpriseOn request
- Custom compute/Docker build limits
- Audit log export
- Enterprise SSO
Which should you pick?
Choose Namespace if
- You need devboxes.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- You also want github actions runners.
Questions people ask
- Is Knack or Namespace better?
- Neither clearly leads. Knack starts at $59/month and Namespace at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Knack or Namespace?
- Namespace has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $59/month for Knack and Free for Namespace.
- Does Knack or Namespace run on more platforms?
- Knack runs on Web. Namespace runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- Can I use Namespace for free?
- Yes. Namespace has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Knack starts at $59/month.
- What is Knack best used for?
- Knack is most often used for a member or client portal where thousands of external people need their own login and see only their own records, replacing a shared spreadsheet used by a team that has outgrown it but cannot justify a developer to build a bespoke internal tool, inventory, asset or case tracking for a small operations team that needs roles, forms and a record of who changed what, a registration or booking application for an association, school or non-profit where the user count is large and the record count stays modest. Of those, a member or client portal where thousands of external people need their own login and see only their own records and replacing a shared spreadsheet used by a team that has outgrown it but cannot justify a developer to build a bespoke internal tool are not what Namespace is typically brought in for.
- What can Knack do that Namespace cannot?
- Knack covers Visual database builder, User logins and roles, Page builder, Unlimited users. Namespace covers Devboxes, GitHub Actions runners, Docker builds, Cross-invocation caching.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Knack: Is Knack charged per user?
No. User accounts are unlimited on all plans. Plans are bounded by stored record count, file storage, API calls per day and automation transactions.
Namespace: How is compute usage metered on the Developer plan?
Developer plan uses pay-as-you-go billing. Devboxes bill at $0.004 per minute. Storage and caching services have separate usage-based fees. A 30-day free trial is available to test usage patterns.
SourceKnack: What happens when I exceed the record limit?
You move to a higher tier or reduce stored records. Because the limit is on data rather than people, apps that accumulate history hit it while apps that track a fixed set of entities generally do not.
Namespace: What is the difference between Team and Business plans?
Team ($100/mo) includes 100,000 unit minutes and 1,000 Docker builds with email support. Business ($250/mo) includes 250,000 unit minutes, 2,500 Docker builds, and high concurrency with a dedicated Slack channel.
SourceKnack: Can I export my application or self-host it?
You can export record data. The application itself, its pages, roles, permissions and flows, is not exportable and cannot be self-hosted, so leaving means rebuilding elsewhere.
Namespace: Can Namespace support AI coding agents?
Yes, Namespace Devboxes are specifically designed as feature-rich development environments for AI coding agents, with full tooling and performance optimization.
SourceKnack: Is it suitable for public-facing portals?
That is its strongest case, because logins are unlimited and role-based permissions are built in. The constraint is record volume and API throughput, not audience size.
Knack: Can I use it for regulated data?
HIPAA-aligned and government cloud options exist but only on the Enterprise tier, along with private server environments. Lower tiers should not be used for regulated workloads.
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