Softwr

Productivity · head to head

Rows vs Anvil

Rows logo

Rows

Productivity

Browser spreadsheet whose formulas call live data from analytics, CRM and payment services

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Anvil logo

Anvil

Productivity

PDF workflow tools for developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Rows refresh frequency is the metered resource, so the free plan refreshes manually only and daily automation begins on the paid tier, which means the automatic reporting that justifies the tool is exactly what the free plan withholds.; Anvil free and AI Pack plans restrict interactive signing to UI-only access
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Rows and Anvil actually diverge.

Attributes where Rows and Anvil differ
AttributeRowsAnvil

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

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 Rows

  • Integrations in formulas
  • Scheduled refresh
  • Publishable sheets
  • Cell enrichment
  • AI tasks
  • Guests
  • API access
  • Version history

Only in Anvil

Nothing recorded that Rows does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Rows

  • A weekly marketing report that pulls analytics, advertising and CRM figures into one refreshing sheet instead of three manual exports.not Anvil
  • Agency client dashboards shared as a page, without handing over access to the underlying accounts.not Anvil
  • Enriching a list of companies or contacts from inside the sheet rather than through a separate tool and a re-import.not Anvil
  • A small team that needs live numbers in a familiar grid and has nobody available to build a proper reporting stack.not Anvil

Anvil

  • PDF automation for document workflowsnot Rows
  • E-signature solutions for legal documentsnot Rows
  • Data collection through mobile webformsnot Rows
  • Insurance and healthcare document processingnot Rows
  • Real estate and financial document automationnot Rows

Where each one falls short

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

Rows

  • Refresh frequency is the metered resource, so the free plan refreshes manually only and daily automation begins on the paid tier, which means the automatic reporting that justifies the tool is exactly what the free plan withholds.
  • Exports carry values rather than connections, so a downloaded file from Rows is a dead snapshot and anything you built has to be reconstructed from scratch elsewhere, which makes recurring reports quietly expensive to move.
  • Guests are capped by tier at three on free and ten on the entry plan, so sharing a report with a client's team or a group of stakeholders pushes you up a tier for people who only ever look at a page.
  • It is not Excel or Google Sheets, so the function library, add-ins, pivot behaviour, scripting and offline files people rely on are not all present, and it works as a reporting surface rather than as an organisation's general spreadsheet.
  • The Pro tier adds a fixed monthly platform charge on top of the per-user price, so moving from daily to intra-day refresh, or from ten guests to a real audience, is a step change in cost rather than an increment.

Anvil

  • Free and AI Pack plans restrict interactive signing to UI-only access
  • HIPAA compliance and embedded builders require Enterprise tier
  • No native Salesforce or HubSpot integrations, Zapier only

Pricing, plan by plan

Rows

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5 AI Tasks per month
    • Manual data imports
    • 10 integration accounts
  • Plus$8/month
    • 200 AI Tasks per month
    • Daily data table automation
    • 10 integration accounts
  • Pro$79/month
    • 1,000 AI Tasks per month
    • Per-minute data automation
    • 100 integration accounts
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • Unlimited AI Tasks
    • Custom integrations and API endpoints
    • Unlimited guest members

Anvil

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 user seats
    • Unlimited templates
    • Unlimited submissions and e-sign packets
  • AI Pack$99/month
    • 5 user seats
    • API access to Document AI
    • 50-page Document AI limit
  • Product Pack$425/month
    • 5 user seats
    • All AI Pack features
    • White-labeling
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Unlimited user seats
    • White-label builders
    • Advanced security (HIPAA/BAA/DPA, SSO)

Which should you pick?

Choose Rows if

  • You need integrations in formulas.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want scheduled refresh.
Rows review

Choose Anvil if

  • You want to start without paying.
Anvil review

Questions people ask

Is Rows or Anvil better?
Neither clearly leads. Rows starts at Free and Anvil at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Rows or Anvil?
Rows starts at Free and Anvil at Free.
Does Rows or Anvil run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Rows for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Rows best used for?
Rows is most often used for a weekly marketing report that pulls analytics, advertising and crm figures into one refreshing sheet instead of three manual exports., agency client dashboards shared as a page, without handing over access to the underlying accounts., enriching a list of companies or contacts from inside the sheet rather than through a separate tool and a re-import., a small team that needs live numbers in a familiar grid and has nobody available to build a proper reporting stack.. Of those, a weekly marketing report that pulls analytics, advertising and crm figures into one refreshing sheet instead of three manual exports. and agency client dashboards shared as a page, without handing over access to the underlying accounts. are not what Anvil is typically brought in for.
What can Rows do that Anvil cannot?
Rows covers Integrations in formulas, Scheduled refresh, Publishable sheets, Cell enrichment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rows: Can it replace Excel or Google Sheets?

Not for general spreadsheet work. It is for reports and sheets that pull live data, and most teams end up running it alongside a conventional spreadsheet rather than instead of one.

Anvil: Does Anvil offer a free plan?

Yes, Anvil's free plan includes unlimited Etch e-signature packets (dashboard only), dashboard-only PDF filling with Document AI, 2,500 free credits for PDF generation, and 500 free PDF-filling API calls.

Source
Rows: What can I actually do on the free plan?

Real building: unlimited members, ten integration accounts, five AI tasks a month, 1 MB imports, three guests and seven days of version history. What you cannot do is schedule a refresh.

Anvil: What is the cheapest paid plan?

The AI Pack tier costs $99/month ($79/month annually) and includes 5 user seats, API access to Document AI features, and 50-page document tagging limit.

Source
Rows: Does the data stay live after I export?

No. Exports contain values only, so the connections and the scheduling do not travel and the file stops updating the moment it leaves.

Anvil: What additional fees does Anvil charge?

Beyond subscription plans, Anvil charges usage-based fees: $0.10 per PDF fill/generation (2,500 included), $1.00 per workflow submission (25 included), and $1.50 per e-sign packet (25 included). Volume discounts up to 55% off are available.

Source
Rows: Is pricing per user?

Yes on the paid tiers, with a fixed platform fee added at Pro. Guests are counted and capped separately from members.

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