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No-Code · head to head

Appian vs Stacker

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
Stacker logo

Stacker

No-Code

Permissioned portals over data that stays in Airtable, Salesforce or Postgres

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.; Stacker there is no source export and no self-hosting, so leaving means rebuilding the entire interface and permission model elsewhere, even though the underlying records remain yours.
  • They diverge on capability: Appian covers Low-code process designer, Stacker covers Per-record permissions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Appian and Stacker actually diverge.

Attributes where Appian and Stacker differ
AttributeAppianStacker
Pricing modelPer user, per app, per month, escalating across Standard, Advanced and Premium tiersquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Stacker

  • Per-record permissions
  • External user portals
  • Live connection to the source
  • Page and layout builder
  • Workflow actions
  • Custom domains and branding
  • User onboarding
  • Role based navigation

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 Stacker
  • A company deploying RPA bots alongside low-code apps and wanting both in one licensed platformnot Stacker
  • 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 Stacker
  • A business wanting embedded AI actions inside workflow steps rather than bolted on separatelynot Stacker

Stacker

  • Giving clients a login that shows only their own records inside an internal Airtable basenot Appian
  • Contractor or franchisee portals where each account must see one slice of a shared datasetnot Appian
  • Replacing a spreadsheet emailed to partners with a permissioned live view of the same datanot Appian
  • Putting a usable interface on a Salesforce or Postgres dataset for users who should never see the underlying systemnot 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.

Stacker

  • There is no source export and no self-hosting, so leaving means rebuilding the entire interface and permission model elsewhere, even though the underlying records remain yours.
  • Performance is bounded by the data source, so an Airtable base near its row limit or an API under rate limiting produces a slow portal that no amount of Stacker configuration will fix.
  • Pricing distinguishes internal editors from external portal users, so a portal that succeeds by adding hundreds of light-touch external users can end up costing more than the internal system it fronts.
  • Custom logic is limited to the actions and conditions the builder exposes, so anything resembling a calculation engine or a branching multi-step approval hits a wall and needs an external automation tool bolted on.
  • It is a portal and CRUD tool by design, with no offline mode, no native mobile application and no real reporting layer, so it will not be the only system a growing operation runs.

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

Stacker

On request
  • Stacker$undefined/month
    • Priced by workspace tier with caps on apps and users
    • External portal users charged differently from internal editors
    • Higher tiers add permission depth and support

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 Stacker if

  • You need per-record permissions.
  • You also want external user portals.
Stacker review

Questions people ask

Is Appian or Stacker better?
Neither clearly leads. Appian starts at On request and Stacker at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Appian or Stacker?
Appian starts at On request and Stacker at On request.
Does Appian or Stacker run on more platforms?
Appian runs on Web, iOS, Android. Stacker runs on Web.
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 Stacker is typically brought in for.
What can Appian do that Stacker cannot?
Appian covers Low-code process designer, Robotic process automation, AI process automation, Data fabric. Stacker covers Per-record permissions, External user portals, Live connection to the source, Page and layout builder.

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.

Stacker: Where does my data live?

In the source you connect: Airtable, Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Sheets or your own Postgres. Stacker reads and writes to it rather than becoming the system of record.

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.

Stacker: Can I export the app if I cancel?

No. The data stays in your source system, but the interface, permissions and workflows are Stacker configuration and do not come with you.

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.

Stacker: Is it suitable for hundreds of external users?

Technically yes; check the pricing arithmetic first, because external portal users are charged separately and that is where the bill grows.

Stacker: Will it replace Airtable?

No, it sits in front of Airtable. If the base itself is at its limits, the fix is moving the data to Postgres rather than changing the portal.

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