Bubble vs Stacker (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Bubble and Stacker share a 2.2 GPA, and only Bubble has a free plan.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Bubble grades higher on features. Stacker grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bubble
No-code visual builder for web and native mobile apps, with AI
Stacker
No-code customer portals and internal tools built on Airtable data
Which one is for you
Pick Bubble if
- Fits if you're building a full web app or a marketplace and don't write code
- Works for projects that need web, iPhone and Android apps on one shared backend
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're just starting, at $32 a month billed annually ($39 monthly) before your app can go live, and $59 for web and mobile
- Not for you if you build with a partner, as Free and Starter don't support collaborators; Growth at $119 allows 2
- Skip it if you want a trial with no card, since the 14-day one takes a $1 pre-authorization
- Watch out: each plan has a workload allowance, and going over means buying a tier or paying overages
- Tight if you run several projects, because plans are bought per project
Pick Stacker if
- Fits if you want a client portal on top of a spreadsheet or database
- Works for small teams of up to 5 inside users and one app
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow: Starter is 1 app, 5 internal users, 50 external users
- Pricey if you want unlimited outside users and custom scripts, which need Plus at $149 a month
- Watch out: SQL and Salesforce connectors and SSO are Enterprise only
- Watch out: the AI agents are sold as a separate product
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a 30-day trial exists
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABubbleFair | 2.2GPAStackerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStarter is $32 a month billed annually for web only ($39 monthly), $42 mobile only, $59 for both. That puts it in the dearest tenth of builders here, which starts at $30, against a $19 middle. You pay per project, a second editor means Growth at $119, and workload overages sit on top of all that. | CStarter is $29 a month, just over the category's $25 dearer-quarter line, but it is capped at 1 app and 5 internal users. Plus is $149. |
| Free plan and trial | CThere is a free plan and it never expires, with 50K workload units a month and both the web and mobile editors. But it's the development version: a live site, your own domain and an app-store release all need paying for. The 14-day Starter trial takes a $1 card pre-authorization too. | CA 30-day free trial with every feature unlocked and no card needed. After that, nothing is free. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole job. AI drafts an app with a database and workflows, an in-editor Agent knows your pages and privacy rules and explains why something failed, and you keep visual control of design, logic and data. Native phone apps share the web backend. Branch version control needs Growth, so B. | CPortals, internal tools, two-way data sync, permission rules and a custom domain. SQL and Salesforce connectors are Enterprise only, and AI agents are a separate product. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record, and this is the steepest climb in the group. AI hands you a first version, then you're designing screens, defining custom events and workflows and setting privacy rules by hand in a visual editor. That's a real learning curve. | CNo store rating on record, and you build the app yourself and connect your data. |
| Platforms and integrations | BThe editor is a web app, with nothing to build in on desktop or phone. What it produces runs on the web and as native iPhone and Android apps on one shared backend. Plugins cover Stripe, Slack, Airtable and Zapier, and the API Connector is on the Free plan too. | BWeb, with four data-source integrations listed. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | visual control over an app's logic and data | client portals and internal tools on top of your data |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bubble and Stacker. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bubble starts at $32 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Stacker starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3.
Bubble scores higher, and starts $3 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 12 score higher than Bubble for less, and 24 score higher than Stacker for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Stacker also covers databases and workflow automation.
At a glance
| Bubble | Stacker | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $32 per month, billed annually (Starter, web only); $39 billed monthly | $29 per month, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Build in the development version with 1 app editor, 50K workload units a month and the web and native mobile editors. A live app needs a paid plan. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Starter plan for new apps, started within 10 days of creating the app | 30-day free trial with every feature unlocked, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Bubble Group, Inc. | Stacker Software Ltd |
| Price read from | manual.bubble.io | stackerhq.com |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bubble
- The Free plan covers development only; a live website, custom domain or app-store release needs a paid plan.
- Plans are bought per project, and the 14-day Starter trial takes a $1 card pre-authorization.
- Each plan has a monthly workload allowance; going over means buying a workload tier or paying overages.
- Free and Starter do not support collaborators; Growth allows 2 app editors and Team 5.
Stacker
- Starter is capped at 1 app, 5 internal users and 50 external users.
- Unlimited external users, 100,000 records per app and custom CSS and scripts need Plus at $149 a month.
- SQL and Salesforce connectors and enterprise SSO are Enterprise-only.
- Stacker's AI agents are sold as a separate product and are not part of these plans.
Key features
Bubble
- AI app generation
- Describe an idea and Bubble AI proposes a feature list, then generates a working app with a database and workflows that you go on to customize.
- AI Agent in the editor
- An in-editor assistant that knows the app's pages, workflows, data types and privacy rules, and can add elements, change workflows or explain why something fails.
- Visual editor
- Design the interface, define custom events and workflows, and manage data visually. Web and mobile apps are built in the same editor.
- Native mobile apps
- Native iOS and Android apps run on React Native and share the web app's database and workflows. Paid plans include 5 to 20 build submissions a month.
- Plugins and API Connector
- Bubble-made plugins cover services such as Stripe, Slack, Airtable and Zapier, and the API Connector, included on the Free plan, links to other services.
- Version control
- Starter has basic version control. Growth adds premium version control with 10 custom branches, and Team raises that to 25 and adds sub apps.
Stacker
- Customer portals
- Give customers, clients and partners a branded login where they see and edit only the records and columns you allow.
- Internal tools
- Build interfaces for your own team on top of an existing base or spreadsheet, without waiting on developers.
- Two-way data sync
- Stacker links to Airtable, Google Sheets and Stacker's own tables on every plan, and keeps the source and the app in sync both ways.
- Permission rules
- Row- and column-level access is set per role and enforced on the server; Plus allows 3 roles per app and Enterprise unlimited roles.
- Custom domain
- Starter includes one portal on a custom domain, and Plus adds custom CSS and scripts for finer control of the look.
Plans
Bubble
Free$0
Development version only: 1 app editor, 50K workload units a month, 6 hours of server logs, the API connector and on-device mobile testing.
StarterFrom $32
per month, billed annually; from $39 billed monthly
Web only $32, mobile only $42, web and mobile $59 on annual billing. Live app, custom domain, 175K workload units and 1,000 AI credits a month.
GrowthFrom $119
per month, billed annually; from $134 billed monthly
Web only $119, mobile only $169, web and mobile $209 on annual billing. 2 app editors, 10 custom branches and 250K workload units a month.
TeamFrom $349
per month, billed annually; from $399 billed monthly
Web only $349, mobile only $449, web and mobile $549 on annual billing. 5 app editors, 25 custom branches, sub apps and 500K workload units.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom workload units, a choice of hosting location, a customizable server, a dedicated support team and payment by invoice or ACH.
Stacker
Starter$29
per month, billed monthly
1 app, 50 external and 5 internal users, 10 tables, one portal with a custom domain.
Plus$149
per month, billed monthly
100,000 records per app, unlimited external users, 3 roles, 20 tables, custom CSS and scripts.
EnterpriseCustom
Enterprise SSO, SQL and Salesforce connectors, unlimited roles, tables and apps. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Bubble
- Annual discount
Save up to 20% with annual billing
The pricing page advertises up to 20% off annually. In Bubble's manual, web-only Starter is $32 a month paid annually against $39 monthly, and web-only Team is $349 against $399.
- Education
Student and classroom discounts
Bubble says it offers discounts to students on all plans and group discounts for educational institutions. The amount is not listed; requests go through a contact form.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discount on all plans
Nonprofit organizations get a discount on all plans, according to the pricing page. The amount is not listed; requests go through a contact form.
Stacker
- Nonprofit
Discounts for nonprofits and education
The pricing FAQ says non-profits and education organizations can get in touch to ask about discounts; no amount is published.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bubble or Stacker?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Stacker is cheaper to start with: $29 a month, against $32 a month for Bubble. Bubble starts at $32 per month, billed annually (Starter, web only); $39 billed monthly, and Stacker starts at $29 per month, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Bubble or Stacker?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Bubble has a free plan. Stacker does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.