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Databases · head to head

Knack vs Vitess

Knack logo

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
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vitess logo

Vitess

Databases

Scalable database clustering system for horizontal scaling of MySQL

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vitess has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Vitess vTGate scatter queries without sharding key incur significant performance penalties
  • They diverge on capability: Knack covers Visual database builder, Vitess covers Horizontal Sharding.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Knack and Vitess actually diverge.

Attributes where Knack and Vitess differ
AttributeKnackVitess
Starting price$59/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

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 Vitess

  • Horizontal Sharding
  • Connection Pooling
  • Query Routing
  • Online Schema Changes
  • Shard Management
  • Replication Management
  • Automated Failover
  • MySQL

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 Vitess
  • Replacing a shared spreadsheet used by a team that has outgrown it but cannot justify a developer to build a bespoke internal toolnot Vitess
  • Inventory, asset or case tracking for a small operations team that needs roles, forms and a record of who changed whatnot Vitess
  • A registration or booking application for an association, school or non-profit where the user count is large and the record count stays modestnot Vitess

Vitess

  • Transaction processingnot Knack
  • Data storagenot Knack
  • Application backendnot Knack
  • Reportingnot Knack
  • Data analyticsnot 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.

Vitess

  • VTGate scatter queries without sharding key incur significant performance penalties
  • Foreign key constraints not enforced across shards, requiring application-level integrity handling
  • Single primary per keyspace limits multi-region write capabilities
  • Distributed transactions without proper sharding key routing suffer performance degradation

Pricing, plan by plan

Knack

$59/month
  • Starter$59/month
    • 20,000 database records
    • Unlimited users, tables, fields
    • 25 AI credits
  • Pro$130/month
    • 50,000 database records
    • Remove Knack branding
    • E-commerce payments
  • Corporate$300/month
    • 125,000-2.5M database records
    • App restore functionality
    • Advanced SSO
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Dedicated account manager
    • HIPAA/GovCloud-based options
    • Custom pricing

Vitess

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Vitess review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Knack if

  • You need visual database builder.
  • You also want user logins and roles.
Knack review

Choose Vitess if

  • You need horizontal sharding.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want connection pooling.
Vitess review

Questions people ask

Is Knack or Vitess better?
Neither clearly leads. Knack starts at $59/month and Vitess at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Knack or Vitess?
Vitess has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $59/month for Knack and Free for Vitess.
Does Knack or Vitess run on more platforms?
Knack runs on Web. Vitess runs on Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use Vitess for free?
Yes. Vitess 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 Vitess is typically brought in for.
What can Knack do that Vitess cannot?
Knack covers Visual database builder, User logins and roles, Page builder, Unlimited users. Vitess covers Horizontal Sharding, Connection Pooling, Query Routing, Online Schema Changes.

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.

Vitess: Is Vitess free to use?

Yes. Vitess is completely free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license. It is a graduated CNCF project with no licensing costs or pricing tiers.

Source
Knack: 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.

Vitess: What databases does Vitess support?

Vitess supports MySQL and MariaDB as backend databases. It acts as a middleware layer that adds sharding and orchestration capabilities on top of these databases.

Source
Knack: 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.

Vitess: Does Vitess require Kubernetes to run?

No. Vitess can run on Kubernetes using the Vitess Operator, but it can also be deployed on traditional infrastructure. Kubernetes integration is optional and provides additional automation benefits.

Source
Knack: 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.

Vitess: How does Vitess handle cross-shard transactions?

Vitess supports distributed transactions across shards, but they require queries to be routed through the sharding key. Transactions without a proper sharding key can result in slower performance.

Source
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.

Vitess: Does Vitess enforce foreign key constraints?

Vitess does not enforce foreign key constraints across shards by default. Referential integrity must be managed at the application layer, though per-database support can be enabled with limitations.

Source
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