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No-Code · head to head

Noloco vs Zoho Creator

Noloco logo

Noloco

No-Code

Client portals and internal tools built over data you already have

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zoho Creator logo

Zoho Creator

No-Code

Low-code app builder priced per user per month, bundled into the wider Zoho ecosystem

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zoho Creator has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Noloco pricing follows user counts, and a client portal is by definition many low-activity users, so an agency with a few hundred client logins climbs the bands quickly for people who sign in twice a month.; Zoho Creator its component library, AI tooling and governance features are less sophisticated than OutSystems, Mendix or Appian, reflecting the order-of-magnitude lower price.
  • They diverge on capability: Noloco covers Row-level permissions, Zoho Creator covers Visual form and workflow builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Noloco and Zoho Creator actually diverge.

Attributes where Noloco and Zoho Creator differ
AttributeNolocoZoho Creator
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotePer user per month, billed annually
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: 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 Noloco

  • Row-level permissions
  • Multiple data sources
  • Client portals
  • Workflows
  • Forms and record detail pages
  • White labelling

Only in Zoho Creator

  • Visual form and workflow builder
  • Deluge scripting
  • Native mobile apps
  • Zoho ecosystem integration
  • AI-assisted app building
  • Multi-app portfolio dashboards

What people use each for

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

Noloco

  • Giving clients a branded portal onto their own records in an Airtable basenot Zoho Creator
  • Replacing shared spreadsheets with a permissioned internal tool for an operations teamnot Zoho Creator
  • A lightweight CRM over a PostgreSQL database that already existsnot Zoho Creator
  • Partner or contractor dashboards where each party must see only its own jobs and documentsnot Zoho Creator

Zoho Creator

  • A small or mid-sized business already using Zoho CRM or Zoho Books wanting a low-code app that integrates natively at no extra connector costnot Noloco
  • A cost-sensitive team wanting low-code capability at a fraction of OutSystems or Mendix per-user pricingnot Noloco
  • A company building a single departmental app on the Standard tier without paying for unlimited-app capacity it does not neednot Noloco
  • An organisation that wants auto-generated native mobile apps from the same app definition without separate mobile developmentnot Noloco

Where each one falls short

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

Noloco

  • Pricing follows user counts, and a client portal is by definition many low-activity users, so an agency with a few hundred client logins climbs the bands quickly for people who sign in twice a month.
  • Limits are inherited from the data source. Airtable record ceilings, API rate limits and slow queries appear in the portal your customers use, and no setting inside Noloco can fix them.
  • Design control is deliberately narrow. You get a consistent application shell rather than a bespoke interface, which is fine for operations and a problem for anything marketing-led.
  • It is a small vendor competing directly with Airtable Interfaces and Softr, both far larger, so roadmap pace and long-term viability are legitimate procurement questions.
  • Output is responsive web only, with no native mobile application and no offline mode, so field staff on poor connections are not served by it.

Zoho Creator

  • Its component library, AI tooling and governance features are less sophisticated than OutSystems, Mendix or Appian, reflecting the order-of-magnitude lower price.
  • Deluge, its scripting language for advanced logic, is proprietary to Zoho, so skills built on it do not transfer to other platforms the way JavaScript or Python skills would.
  • The real value case depends heavily on how many other Zoho products a buyer already runs; a company using no other Zoho software gets less benefit from the native ecosystem integration that is central to Creator's pitch.
  • Support responsiveness and documentation depth are generally weaker than Western enterprise vendors, reflecting Zoho's high-volume, lower-touch support model across its portfolio.
  • Complex, high-governance enterprise applications with strict compliance and audit requirements are a worse fit than they would be on a platform purpose-built for that, such as Appian or OutSystems.

Pricing, plan by plan

Noloco

On request
  • Noloco$undefined/year
    • Tiered plans differentiated by user counts, data sources and white labelling
    • Trial period rather than a permanent free plan
    • Higher tiers add custom domains, advanced permissions and priority support

Zoho Creator

Free
  • FreeFree
    • One custom app
    • Limited data sources and connectors
    • Suitable for individuals and very small teams
  • Standard$8/month
    • One application
    • 5 external data sources
    • 5 custom connectors
  • Professional$20/month
    • Unlimited applications
    • 15 external data sources
    • 10 custom connectors
  • Enterprise$25/month
    • Unlimited applications
    • 30 external data sources
    • 20 custom connectors, advanced governance

Which should you pick?

Choose Noloco if

  • You need row-level permissions.
  • You also want multiple data sources.
Noloco review

Choose Zoho Creator if

  • You need visual form and workflow builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want deluge scripting.
Zoho Creator review

Questions people ask

Is Noloco or Zoho Creator better?
Neither clearly leads. Noloco starts at On request and Zoho Creator at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Noloco or Zoho Creator?
Zoho Creator has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Noloco and Free for Zoho Creator.
Does Noloco or Zoho Creator run on more platforms?
Noloco runs on Web. Zoho Creator runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Zoho Creator for free?
Yes. Zoho Creator has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Noloco starts at On request.
What is Noloco best used for?
Noloco is most often used for giving clients a branded portal onto their own records in an airtable base, replacing shared spreadsheets with a permissioned internal tool for an operations team, a lightweight crm over a postgresql database that already exists, partner or contractor dashboards where each party must see only its own jobs and documents. Of those, giving clients a branded portal onto their own records in an airtable base and replacing shared spreadsheets with a permissioned internal tool for an operations team are not what Zoho Creator is typically brought in for.
What can Noloco do that Zoho Creator cannot?
Noloco covers Row-level permissions, Multiple data sources, Client portals, Workflows. Zoho Creator covers Visual form and workflow builder, Deluge scripting, Native mobile apps, Zoho ecosystem integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Noloco: Do I need Airtable to use it?

No. Airtable is the most common source but PostgreSQL, MySQL, Google Sheets, HubSpot and built-in Noloco tables all work.

Zoho Creator: Is Zoho Creator good value only if I use other Zoho products?

Its price is competitive on its own, but native integration with Zoho CRM, Books and People is a real added benefit for existing Zoho customers specifically.

Noloco: Can external clients log in without paying for seats?

Client and internal users are counted differently, but they are still counted, so a portal with many client logins moves you up the plan bands. Check the current band definitions before committing to a per-client model.

Zoho Creator: What is Deluge?

Zoho's proprietary scripting language used for custom logic beyond what the visual workflow builder covers.

Noloco: How is this different from Softr?

Both build portals over existing data. Noloco leans harder on permissions and multiple database sources; Softr leans on templates, speed to a first version and a bigger ecosystem.

Zoho Creator: How does its pricing compare to OutSystems or Mendix?

Meaningfully lower per user per month; Standard starts around 8 US dollars versus OutSystems' tens of thousands of dollars in annual entry pricing.

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