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No-Code · head to head

Quickbase vs Thunkable

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
Thunkable logo

Thunkable

No-Code

No-code, drag-and-drop mobile app builder priced by AI tokens and project counts

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Thunkable has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Thunkable every paid tier is metered by a monthly AI token allowance, so heavy use of the AI assistant, which is the tool's main productivity feature, can be exhausted well before a billing period ends.
  • They diverge on capability: Quickbase covers Relational app builder, Thunkable covers Block-based logic editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Quickbase and Thunkable actually diverge.

Attributes where Quickbase and Thunkable differ
AttributeQuickbaseThunkable
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer user per month, billed annually, with an enforced minimum seat count per tierPer month, tiered by AI token allowance and project count
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: 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 Quickbase

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

Only in Thunkable

  • Block-based logic editor
  • Native compilation
  • AI app assistant
  • Component marketplace
  • Live testing
  • Custom branding

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 Thunkable
  • A mid-sized company wanting published, comparable per-user pricing rather than an opaque quote-only processnot Thunkable
  • A project management office standardising workflow automation and reporting across several departmentsnot Thunkable
  • A business that already knows it needs 40 or more seats, where the Business tier's minimum is not a real constraintnot Thunkable

Thunkable

  • A non-developer or founder prototyping an app idea before hiring an engineernot Quickbase
  • An educator teaching app-building concepts without requiring students to write codenot Quickbase
  • A small business needing a simple internal or customer-facing app with modest logicnot Quickbase
  • A hobbyist building a single published app who does not need more than one live app slotnot 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.

Thunkable

  • Every paid tier is metered by a monthly AI token allowance, so heavy use of the AI assistant, which is the tool's main productivity feature, can be exhausted well before a billing period ends.
  • Only the Builder tier and above allow a live published app at all in useful numbers, so the entry-level paid plan cannot actually get an app onto the store in a meaningful way.
  • Block-based logic becomes unwieldy for apps with genuinely complex business rules, and there is no clean escape hatch to written code within the platform.
  • Native integrations and performance-sensitive features (heavy graphics, background processing) are limited compared to a coded framework, so the tool has a real complexity ceiling.
  • App ownership and export options are more restrictive than an open source framework; leaving the platform typically means rebuilding rather than exporting a portable codebase.

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

Thunkable

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2,000 AI tokens
    • 3 public projects
    • 5 screens per project
  • Accelerator$19/month
    • 20,000 AI tokens
    • 5 public and 1 private project
    • 10 screens per project
  • Builder$37/month
    • 50,000 AI tokens
    • Unlimited public, 10 private projects
    • Unlimited screens, 1 live published app
  • Advanced$99/month
    • 100,000 AI tokens
    • Unlimited private projects and live published apps
    • Priority 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 Thunkable if

  • You need block-based logic editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want native compilation.
Thunkable review

Questions people ask

Is Quickbase or Thunkable better?
Neither clearly leads. Quickbase starts at On request and Thunkable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Quickbase or Thunkable?
Thunkable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Quickbase and Free for Thunkable.
Does Quickbase or Thunkable run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Thunkable for free?
Yes. Thunkable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Quickbase starts at On request.
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 Thunkable is typically brought in for.
What can Quickbase do that Thunkable cannot?
Quickbase covers Relational app builder, Workflow automation, Reporting and dashboards, Pipelines integration engine. Thunkable covers Block-based logic editor, Native compilation, AI app assistant, Component marketplace.

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.

Thunkable: Can I publish an app on the free plan?

The free plan is aimed at building and testing; live publishing capacity in a meaningful way starts on the Builder plan.

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.

Thunkable: What happens if I run out of AI tokens?

AI-assisted generation stops working until the next billing cycle or an upgrade; manual block-based editing still works.

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.

Thunkable: Is this suitable for a complex business app?

No. It is built for simple to moderately complex apps; heavy custom logic and native integrations are better served by a coded framework.

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