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No-Code · head to head

Quickbase vs Stacker

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
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: 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.; 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: Quickbase covers Relational app builder, Stacker covers Per-record permissions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Quickbase and Stacker actually diverge.

Attributes where Quickbase and Stacker differ
AttributeQuickbaseStacker
Pricing modelPer user per month, billed annually, with an enforced minimum seat count per tierquote
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 Quickbase

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

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.

Quickbase

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

Stacker

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

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

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 Quickbase if

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

Choose Stacker if

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

Questions people ask

Is Quickbase or Stacker better?
Neither clearly leads. Quickbase 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, Quickbase or Stacker?
Quickbase starts at On request and Stacker at On request.
Does Quickbase or Stacker run on more platforms?
Quickbase runs on Web, iOS, Android. Stacker runs on Web.
What is Quickbase best used for?
Quickbase is most often used for an operations team of at least 20 people replacing spreadsheet-based process tracking with a structured, auditable app, a mid-sized company wanting published, comparable per-user pricing rather than an opaque quote-only process, a project management office standardising workflow automation and reporting across several departments, a business that already knows it needs 40 or more seats, where the business tier's minimum is not a real constraint. Of those, an operations team of at least 20 people replacing spreadsheet-based process tracking with a structured, auditable app and a mid-sized company wanting published, comparable per-user pricing rather than an opaque quote-only process are not what Stacker is typically brought in for.
What can Quickbase do that Stacker cannot?
Quickbase covers Relational app builder, Workflow automation, Reporting and dashboards, Pipelines integration engine. Stacker covers Per-record permissions, External user portals, Live connection to the source, Page and layout builder.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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