Kintone vs Ninox (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Kintone and Ninox share a 2.2 GPA, and only Ninox has a free plan.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kintone grades higher on value for money. Ninox grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Kintone
No-code database apps with workflows and team discussion
Ninox
AI-assisted low-code platform for custom business software
Which one is for you
Pick Kintone if
- Fits if a team wants approvals and discussion kept next to its records
- Makes sense if you are moving spreadsheets into proper apps for five or more people
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are alone or a pair, as you pay for at least 5 users, $120 a month
- Tight if you need advanced customisation, which is only on the $28 Custom plan
- Watch out: the page doesn't say how monthly or annual contracts change the price
- Watch out: the page shows a first-time-buyer sale, and $24 and $28 are the prices without it
- Watch out: payment on the page is by credit card only
Pick Ninox if
- Fits if you want your own CRM, inventory or invoicing tool, shaped around how you work
- Works for businesses whose data has to be hosted in Germany
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you outgrow Free, as Team is $31 a user a month billed annually, three times the usual here
- Skip it if you need a phone app today, because the iOS and Android apps are still in development
- Tight if you're staying free: 5 users, 5,000 records, 100 MB, 1,000 API calls a month and 7-day history
- Not for you if free workflows need to send emails, or you want role-based access, as both start on Team
- Watch out: prices exclude VAT, and Enterprise is priced on request
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAKintoneFair | 2.2GPANinoxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CProfessional is $24 per user a month from 5 users, which is $120 a month at the floor. Spreadsheet tools sit around $12 in the middle, and the $16 first-time price on the page is a sale. | DTeam is $31 a user a month billed annually, $36 monthly, and the dearest tenth of this category starts at $29.00, so Ninox sits in it. That's three times the $9.99 middle. Each seat does bring 50,000 records and 5 GB, Business is $49, and prices exclude VAT. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 30-day trial with every feature, but the page doesn't say whether it needs a card. There is no free plan. | CFree for up to 5 users with no expiry, and all six view types are in. The caps arrive fast, though: 5,000 records, 100 MB of storage, 1,000 API calls and 100 documents a month, 7-day history, and workflows that can't send email at all. |
| Features | BDrag-and-drop apps, spreadsheet import, process management, discussion beside records, permissions, audit logs and an API. The listing shows no gap in the core job. | BIt covers the whole low-code job: AI that sets up the data, interfaces and automations from a description, table, form, chart, kanban, map and calendar views on every plan, event-triggered workflows, a script language, documents generated from records, Gmail and Outlook mail linked to records, and a REST API. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is a web app where the work is building the apps, so there is a learning curve. | CNo rating on record, and the work is building the software itself: data structures, interfaces, workflows, then scripts for anything the AI didn't get right. It runs in a browser with nothing to install, and the AI drafts a first version from a plain description. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plus an API. No desktop app is listed. | BBrowser only, and Ninox says native iOS and Android apps are still in development, so an A is a long way off. It connects through Zapier, Make and n8n, links Gmail and Outlook mail to records, and has a public REST API. |
| Best for | teams building database apps with approvals and comments | building your own business software, hosted in Germany |
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: Kintone and Ninox. How we grade
Price against what you get
Kintone starts at $24 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ninox starts at $31 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Kintone starts $7 a month lower. Of the other spreadsheet and database tools on the chart, 7 score higher than Kintone for less, and 7 score higher than Ninox 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
- Kintone also covers no-code.
At a glance
| Kintone | Ninox | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $24 per user / month, 5-user minimum ($16 for first-time buyers) | $31 per user / month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Free plan for up to 5 users with no expiry: 5,000 records, 100 MB of storage, 1,000 API calls and 100 generated documents a month, limited AI prompts and 7-day history. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial with access to all features | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Cybozu, Inc. | Ninox Software GmbH |
| Price read from | kintone.com | ninox.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Kintone
- Plans are sold from 5 users; the page does not say how a monthly or annual contract changes the per-user price.
- The regional site shows a first-time-buyer sale; the $24 and $28 figures are the prices without it.
- Advanced customization options are limited to the Custom plan.
- Payment is by credit card only on the page; other methods go through a local sales partner.
Ninox
- The Free plan is capped at 5 users, 5,000 records and 100 MB of storage, and cannot send emails from workflows.
- Ninox runs in the browser only; the vendor says native iOS and Android apps are in development.
- Role-based access permissions, individual email support and the 99.5% uptime guarantee start at the Team plan.
- Prices exclude VAT and are also listed in euros, pounds and Swiss francs (Team is €25 per user a month, billed annually).
Key features
Kintone
- Drag-and-drop app builder
- Build database apps from forms without code, or start from the app template library.
- Spreadsheet conversion
- Upload Excel files and turn them into database apps.
- Process management
- Custom approval processes with branch criteria, all-or-any approvals and status history.
- Discussion beside records
- Comments, user profiles, private messages and tagging sit with the data they refer to.
- Permissions and audit logs
- Access can be set by department, space, app, record and field, with audit logs of app changes and record actions.
- API and customization
- REST API, webhooks and JavaScript and CSS customization, plus native iOS and Android apps.
Ninox
- AI-assisted building
- Describe a need in plain language and the built-in AI helps organize the data, define business logic, build interfaces and set up automations. Each plan has its own AI usage limit.
- Six view types on every plan
- Table, form, chart, kanban, map and calendar views are included on all plans, the Free plan too.
- Workflow automation and scripting
- Event triggers and conditions run processes automatically, and a script language covers custom logic. Sending emails from workflows starts at the Team plan.
- Email linked to records
- Gmail and Outlook mail can be linked to Ninox records and workflows: 100 linked emails on Free and 5,000 per user on Team and Business.
- Document generation
- Contracts, invoices and reports are generated from records, then shared, printed or exported: 100 a month on Free, 1,000 per user on Team and 5,000 per user on Business.
- REST API and connectors
- A public REST API plus connections through Zapier, Make and n8n. API calls are capped at 1,000 a month on Free, 10,000 per user on Team and 50,000 per user on Business.
Plans
Kintone
Professional$24
per user / month, from 5 users
All basic features. First-time subscribers see a $16 price on the page. Monthly or annual contract.
Custom$28
per user / month, from 5 users
Professional plus advanced customization options. First-time subscribers see a $20 price on the page.
Ninox
Free$0
Up to 5 users: 5,000 records, 100 MB of storage, 1,000 API calls and 100 generated documents a month, limited AI prompts and 7-day history.
Team$31
per user / month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly)
Per user: 50,000 records, 5 GB of storage, 10,000 API calls and 1,000 sent emails a month, with role-based access and 30-day history.
Business$49
per user / month, billed annually ($56 billed monthly)
Per user: 250,000 records, 10 GB of storage, 50,000 API calls, 5,000 sent emails and 5,000 documents a month, with unlimited history.
EnterpriseCustom
Price on request: solutions built around a company's processes, with governance and compliance controls, premium support and expert assistance.
Ways to pay less
Kintone
- Other savings
First-time buyer sale
The pricing page shows $16 (Professional) and $20 (Custom) per user per month for first-time subscribers; how long it lasts is not stated.
Ninox
- Annual discount
Lower per-user price with annual billing
Team is $31 per user a month billed annually against $36 billed monthly, and Business is $49 against $56, a saving of roughly 12% to 14%.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Kintone or Ninox?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Kintone is cheaper to start with: $24 a month for each person, against $31 a month for each person for Ninox. Kintone starts at $24 per user / month, 5-user minimum ($16 for first-time buyers), and Ninox starts at $31 per user / month, billed annually ($36 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Kintone or Ninox?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Ninox has a free plan. Kintone does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Kintone and Ninox run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Kintone lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.