Retable vs Stackby (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Stackby grades higher than Retable: 3.0 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Stackby grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Retable
Online spreadsheet-database with eight views, forms and automations
Stackby
No-code spreadsheet-database with forms, automations and AI
Which one is for you
Pick Retable if
- Fits if you want an Airtable-style database with forms and several views and can pay per user
- Works for a team that wants to connect tables to Zapier or Make
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan: only a 14-day trial is listed
- Tight if your tables are big: 50,000 records per project on Team
- Watch out: automations are capped at 10 with 1,000 runs per project a month
- Watch out: extra runs, storage and password protection are add-ons from $2.49 a month
- Watch out: an older table on the pricing page still mentions Free, Basic and Pro tiers
Pick Stackby if
- Fits if you're a small team wanting a spreadsheet-style database with forms and automations
- Works for teams of three or more, where the annual bundle sets the per-user price at $4.20
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if your tables are big, as rows are capped at 1,500 a stack on Free and 7,000 on Economy
- Pricey if you pay month to month, at $10 a user for Economy against $149 a year for three
- Skip it if you need SAML single sign-on, which is Enterprise only
- Watch out: table, column and view permissions and 2FA start at Business, $299 a year for three
- Watch out: free API columns only refresh by hand, and the trial is 7 days on one page and 14 on another
How we grade them
| 2.2GPARetableFair | 3.0GPAStackbyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CTeam is $12 per user a month, or $120 a year, the middle for spreadsheet tools ($12). A small team of five pays $60 a month. | BEconomy is $149 a year for 3 users, $4.20 each a month, inside the lowest quarter for this category, which starts at $5.40. That's the annual bundle rate, though: one user alone is $99 a year, paying monthly is $10 a user, and permissions and 2FA wait for Business at $299 a year for three. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 14-day free trial of the paid plan, with no free plan listed. The page's older comparison table still mentions a Free tier. | BFree forever for up to 5 editors and 50 read-only guests, with 20 stacks. The limits are per stack: 1,500 rows, 2 GB of attachments, 100 automation runs, 2 weeks of history, and API-fed cells that only refresh when you do it by hand. |
| Features | CEight views, forms, automations and webhooks, a ChatGPT column, roles, Airtable import and an API. Team caps at 50,000 records per project and 10 automations with 1,000 runs a month. | BIt covers the whole no-code database job: 30-odd column types, six views from grid to timeline, drag-and-drop forms with conditional logic and signatures, trigger-and-action automations, AI columns on your own API keys, columns that pull from third-party APIs, and an interface designer on every plan. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is a web app where the work is building your own tables, views and forms. | CNo rating on record, and the work is building the stack: tables, column types, views, forms and automations. The grid looks like a spreadsheet, and forms are drag and drop. AI columns need more of you, since they run on your own OpenAI, Gemini or Anthropic keys. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb app and Chrome extension with Airtable, Zapier, Make, Pipedream and more, plus a public API. No desktop or phone app. | AThe full set: browser, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Zapier, Make, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Sheets, Gmail and Google Calendar, and columns that call third-party APIs directly. |
| Best for | spreadsheet-database with views, forms and automations | a spreadsheet-style database for small teams |
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: Retable and Stackby. How we grade
Price against what you get
Retable starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Stackby starts at $4.20 a month and scores 3.0.
Stackby scores higher and starts $7.80 a month lower. Of the other spreadsheet and database tools on the chart, 15 score higher than Retable for less, and 1 scores higher than Stackby 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
- Retable also covers spreadsheets.
- Stackby also covers Gantt & timelines and no-code.
At a glance
| Retable | Stackby | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per user / month, billed monthly ($120 per user billed yearly) | $4.2 per user / month for 3 users, billed annually ($149 / year) |
| Free plan | None | Free forever for up to 5 editors plus 50 read-only guests: 20 stacks, 1,500 rows and 2 GB of attachments per stack, 100 internal automation runs and 2 weeks of activity history. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the paid plan | 7-day free trial, no credit card required; the homepage FAQ says 14 days on Business or Pro |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Retable | Relytree Inc. and Relytree Technologies Pvt. Ltd. |
| Price read from | retable.io | stackby.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Retable
- The pricing page lists only a 14-day trial and the Team plan; an older comparison table on the same page still mentions Free, Basic and Pro tiers.
- Team plan limits: 50,000 records per project and 10 automations with 1,000 runs per project a month.
- Extra automation runs, storage, upload size and URL password protection are sold as add-ons from $2.49 a month.
- Runs in the browser only; the site also offers a Chrome extension but lists no desktop or mobile apps.
Stackby
- Annual prices are sold in team-size bundles (1, 3, 6, 10 users and up), so the per-user rate changes with the seat count.
- Rows are capped per stack: 1,500 on Free, 7,000 on Economy, 50,000 on Business and 100,000 on Pro.
- Table, column and view permissions, personal and locked views and 2FA start at Business; SAML single sign-on is Enterprise only.
- The Free plan refreshes API-connected cells manually and keeps only 2 weeks of activity history.
Key features
Retable
- Eight data views
- The same table can be shown as grid, list, kanban, card, chart, calendar, map or form view, and views can be shared publicly.
- Online forms
- Forms are generated from a spreadsheet, with customizable fields, and responses appear in the table as they arrive.
- Automations and webhooks
- Built-in automations and webhooks connect Retable to other apps. Webhook usage counts toward the plan's automation limits.
- ChatGPT column type
- A column type calls ChatGPT to enrich data, and the model can be switched from within Retable.
- Teams, roles and branding
- Organizations can manage teams, set roles and grant personal or team access. Team plan accounts can apply custom branding.
- Airtable import and public API
- Airtable bases can be imported without a third-party connector, and a public API is included in the Team plan.
Stackby
- Grid, kanban, calendar and timeline views
- Tables with 30+ column types can be shown as a grid, kanban board, calendar, gallery, list or timeline, with sorting, filtering, grouping and color formatting.
- Form builder
- Drag-and-drop forms write responses straight into tables and support conditional logic, signatures and multiple line items. Custom branded forms start at the Economy plan.
- Automations
- Trigger-and-action workflows send emails and Slack notifications, update rows or generate text with AI. Internal runs are capped at 100 on Free, 1,000 on Economy and 25,000 on Business.
- AI columns with your own API keys
- AI columns call OpenAI, Gemini or Anthropic models using the customer's own API keys to generate content, analyze documents or do web research.
- Column-linked API connectors
- Columns can pull data from third-party APIs: 2 connectors on Free, 10 on Economy and 15 on Business. The Free plan refreshes cells manually; paid plans refresh automatically.
- Interface designer and portals
- An interface (app) designer is on every plan, with publishing from Economy and a custom domain from Business. Client portals are a paid add-on, from $60 a month for 10 guests.
Plans
Retable
Team$12
per user / month, billed monthly ($120 per user billed yearly)
Unlimited workspaces and projects, 50,000 records per project, 10 GB attachments per workspace, 10 automations with 1,000 runs per project a month, public API.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users and records, unlimited automations, on-prem or dedicated cloud, priority support, with SAML SSO, SCIM and a 99.9% uptime SLA.
Stackby
Free$0
Up to 5 editors and 50 read-only guests: 20 stacks, 1,500 rows and 2 GB of attachments per stack, 1 app per stack and manual API refresh.
Economy$4.2
per user / month for 3 users, billed annually ($149 / year)
1 user is $99 a year; monthly billing is $10 per user. 25 stacks, 7,000 rows and 6 GB per stack, 1,000 automation runs and branded forms.
Business$8.3
per user / month for 3 users, billed annually ($299 / year)
1 user is $199 a year; monthly billing is $18 per user. 50 stacks, 50,000 rows and 20 GB per stack, all powerups, granular permissions and 2FA.
Pro$12.5
per user / month for 3 users, billed annually ($449 / year)
1 user is $299 a year; monthly billing is $30 per user. 100 stacks, 100,000 rows and 50 GB per stack, an enterprise admin panel and priority support.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited stacks, 250,000 rows and 1,000 GB per stack, 3 years of activity history and snapshots, and SAML single sign-on.
Ways to pay less
Retable
- Annual discount
Annual billing price on Team
The Team plan shows $144 struck through and $120 a year per user for annual billing, against $12 a month.
Stackby
- Annual discount
Annual billing saves 18% to 74% by team size
The pricing page labels the annual saving as 18% for 1 user, 58% for 3 users and up to 74% for 100 users. Economy for 1 user is $99 a year against $10 a month.
- Startups
$500 in credits for startups
Startups can apply for $500 in credits toward the Economy or Business plan. Each application is verified, and startups working with a partner use the partner's code.
- Nonprofit
Discounts for eligible nonprofits
Stackby's homepage FAQ says it offers special discounts for eligible nonprofits. The amount is not published and is arranged through support chat.
- Education
Discounts for educators
The same FAQ says special discounts are available for educators. The amount is not published and is arranged through support chat.
- By country
Rupee prices for buyers in India
The pricing page switches between USD, EUR and INR and opens in rupees for a browser on India's time zone. On Oct 9, 2026, Economy for 3 users on annual billing was ₹11,920 a year in rupees and $149 in dollars.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Retable or Stackby?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Retable starts at $12 per user / month, billed monthly ($120 per user billed yearly), and Stackby starts at $4.2 per user / month for 3 users, billed annually ($149 / year). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Retable or Stackby?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Stackby has a free plan. Retable does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Retable and Stackby run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Stackby lists macOS, Windows, 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.
