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No-Code · head to head

Appian vs Quickbase

Appian logo

Appian

No-Code

Low-code process automation platform priced per user, per app, per month, with tier limits on data and AI volume

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Quickbase logo

Quickbase

No-Code

No-code application platform with published per-user pricing and enforced minimum seat counts

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Appian cost multiplies on three axes at once, users, apps and month, so deploying several apps to overlapping user populations produces a bill that is not obvious from any single per-user headline figure.; Quickbase both paid tiers carry an enforced minimum seat count, 20 for Team and 40 for Business, so a small team pays for seats it does not have people to fill.
  • They diverge on capability: Appian covers Low-code process designer, Quickbase covers Relational app builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Appian and Quickbase actually diverge.

Attributes where Appian and Quickbase differ
AttributeAppianQuickbase
Pricing modelPer user, per app, per month, escalating across Standard, Advanced and Premium tiersPer user per month, billed annually, with an enforced minimum seat count per tier

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (No-Code).

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 Appian

  • Low-code process designer
  • Robotic process automation
  • AI process automation
  • Data fabric
  • Portals
  • Process mining

Only in Quickbase

  • Relational app builder
  • Workflow automation
  • Reporting and dashboards
  • Pipelines integration engine
  • Mobile apps
  • App governance

What people use each for

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

Appian

  • A regulated enterprise (financial services, government, insurance) automating case management processes that need a full audit trailnot Quickbase
  • A company deploying RPA bots alongside low-code apps and wanting both in one licensed platformnot Quickbase
  • An organisation whose process data volume is large enough that the Standard tier's 4 million row cap is a real constraint worth planning fornot Quickbase
  • A business wanting embedded AI actions inside workflow steps rather than bolted on separatelynot Quickbase

Quickbase

  • An operations team of at least 20 people replacing spreadsheet-based process tracking with a structured, auditable appnot Appian
  • A mid-sized company wanting published, comparable per-user pricing rather than an opaque quote-only processnot Appian
  • A project management office standardising workflow automation and reporting across several departmentsnot Appian
  • A business that already knows it needs 40 or more seats, where the Business tier's minimum is not a real constraintnot Appian

Where each one falls short

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

Appian

  • Cost multiplies on three axes at once, users, apps and month, so deploying several apps to overlapping user populations produces a bill that is not obvious from any single per-user headline figure.
  • Each tier has hard caps on data rows, RPA bots and monthly AI actions, so a workload can force a tier upgrade purely from data or automation volume growth, independent of user count.
  • No dollar figures are published anywhere on Appian's own site; every real price point comes from a sales negotiation, making early-stage budget comparison against OutSystems or Mendix difficult.
  • The platform's strength in process orchestration and case management is less useful for teams that mainly want simple departmental data apps, where the pricing and capability are overkill.
  • Exceeding the 200,000 (Standard) or 1,000,000 (Premium) monthly AI action allowance requires a renegotiation, so AI-heavy workflows carry real usage risk beyond the base subscription.

Quickbase

  • Both paid tiers carry an enforced minimum seat count, 20 for Team and 40 for Business, so a small team pays for seats it does not have people to fill.
  • Integration Reads packages, support tier upgrades and professional services are not publicly priced, so the visible per-user rate is only part of the real annual cost.
  • It sits in an awkward middle ground: more structure than a spreadsheet or simple form tool, but less process automation depth than Appian or OutSystems for genuinely complex workflows.
  • Reporting and dashboarding are capable but not as visually sophisticated as a dedicated business intelligence tool, so heavy analytics users often still export data elsewhere.
  • App complexity that grows significantly over time can hit performance and design limitations common to no-code relational tools, requiring a rebuild on a more code-first platform.

Pricing, plan by plan

Appian

On request
  • Standard$undefined/month
    • Per user, per app, per month
    • 4 million data row capacity
    • 5 RPA bots included
  • Advanced$undefined/month
    • Per user, per app, per month
    • Higher data row capacity than Standard
    • More RPA bots than Standard
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Per user, per app, per month
    • 50 million data row capacity
    • Unlimited RPA bots

Quickbase

On request
  • Team$35/month
    • Minimum 20 users required (roughly $8,400/year floor)
    • Core app building, workflow automation and reporting
    • Standard support
  • Business$55/month
    • Minimum 40 users required (roughly $26,400/year floor)
    • Advanced automation, governance and integration features
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Custom quote
    • Advanced governance, security and integration read package volumes
    • Dedicated account management

Which should you pick?

Choose Appian if

  • You need low-code process designer.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want robotic process automation.
Appian review

Choose Quickbase if

  • You need relational app builder.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want workflow automation.
Quickbase review

Questions people ask

Is Appian or Quickbase better?
Neither clearly leads. Appian starts at On request and Quickbase at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Appian or Quickbase?
Appian starts at On request and Quickbase at On request.
Does Appian or Quickbase run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Appian best used for?
Appian is most often used for a regulated enterprise (financial services, government, insurance) automating case management processes that need a full audit trail, a company deploying rpa bots alongside low-code apps and wanting both in one licensed platform, an organisation whose process data volume is large enough that the standard tier's 4 million row cap is a real constraint worth planning for, a business wanting embedded ai actions inside workflow steps rather than bolted on separately. Of those, a regulated enterprise (financial services, government, insurance) automating case management processes that need a full audit trail and a company deploying rpa bots alongside low-code apps and wanting both in one licensed platform are not what Quickbase is typically brought in for.
What can Appian do that Quickbase cannot?
Appian covers Low-code process designer, Robotic process automation, AI process automation, Data fabric. Quickbase covers Relational app builder, Workflow automation, Reporting and dashboards, Pipelines integration engine.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Appian: Does Appian publish its prices?

No dollar figures are public. It discloses the pricing mechanism, per user per app per month across three tiers, but actual rates are negotiated.

Quickbase: Can I buy fewer than 20 seats?

No. The Team plan enforces a 20-user minimum and Business enforces 40, so smaller teams pay for the floor regardless of actual headcount.

Appian: What happens if we exceed the data row cap?

Exceeding a tier's data row, RPA bot or AI action cap requires upgrading to the next tier or negotiating an add-on, regardless of user count.

Quickbase: Is per-user pricing genuinely published?

Yes, unlike most enterprise low-code vendors, Quickbase publishes real per-user monthly rates for Team and Business; Enterprise remains quote-only.

Appian: Is Appian a general app builder like OutSystems?

It can build general apps but is oriented more toward process automation and case management, with RPA and AI embedded as core features.

Quickbase: What is not included in the per-user price?

Integration Reads packages, support tier upgrades and professional services are priced separately and are not publicly listed.

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