Internal tools platform · Ranked 33 of 37 in the index
Knack Review (2026)
Builds online database applications with forms, roles and reports, aimed at organisations replacing a shared spreadsheet with something that has permissions.
3.3 / 5Last verified: · Next scheduled check: The quick answer
Assessed for 2026Unfashionable and quietly dependable. Knack has been building database applications for fifteen years and it shows in both directions: the data modelling and role handling are solid and it stayed up through every one of our tests, but the interfaces look like 2016 and the AI assistance is the weakest in this cohort at 2.8. There is no free tier, which is unusual here. Good fit for a charity or association replacing a spreadsheet. Poor fit for anything a customer sees.
- Best for
- Membership registers, applications and case management for organisations without engineers
- Not for
- Anything design-led, customer-facing, or expected to look current
- Price from
- 39 EUR
- Free tier
- No
The ten axes
Every builder in the index is scored on the same ten axes with the same published weights. This is how Knack performed on our test briefs.
- Reliability16%
- 4.2
- Integrations16%
- 3.5
- SEO and GEO13%
- 2.6
- Design quality12%
- 2.9
- Agent performance10%
- 2.8
- Speed9%
- 3.4
- Value9%
- 3.3
- Scalability7%
- 3.3
- API and MCP access5%
- 3.6
- Code ownership3%
- 2.1
Every axis is scored from 0 to 5 stars. The percentage is that axis's published weight in the overall 3.3 rating.
The verdict
Unfashionable and quietly dependable. Knack has been building database applications for fifteen years and it shows in both directions: the data modelling and role handling are solid and it stayed up through every one of our tests, but the interfaces look like 2016 and the AI assistance is the weakest in this cohort at 2.8. There is no free tier, which is unusual here. Good fit for a charity or association replacing a spreadsheet. Poor fit for anything a customer sees.
Builds online database applications with forms, roles and reports, aimed at organisations replacing a shared spreadsheet with something that has permissions.
The dissenting view
One panellist rated the design axis higher, arguing the theming options are better than the defaults suggest. The score reflects what a buyer gets without design work.
One member of the panel disagreed with the consensus. We publish the disagreement rather than average it away.
What it looks like
Pricing
Free trial only, paid plans from about 39 EUR per month
| Plan | Price | Billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 39 EUR | monthly | Core app, records allowance, three roles |
| Pro | 79 EUR | monthly | More records, e-commerce, custom domain |
| Corporate | 179 EUR | monthly | Higher limits, priority support, more apps |
Feature by feature
The same eleven checks, run on every builder in the index.
| Capability | Status |
|---|---|
| Full-stack backend | Yes |
| Database included | Yes, own store |
| Auth included | Yes, with roles |
| Code export | No, data export only |
| GitHub sync | No |
| One-click deploy | Yes |
| Custom domain | Yes, paid plans |
| Mobile or native output | Responsive web only |
| Team collaboration | Yes |
| Public API or MCP server | Yes, REST API |
| Self-hosting the output | No |
What works / What does not
What works
- Data modelling and role permissions are genuinely mature
- Stayed up through every brief we ran, scoring 4.2 on reliability
- REST API means it can be integrated rather than isolated
What does not
- Interfaces look a decade out of date without significant theming work
- Weakest AI assistance in the second cohort
- No free tier and no code export
User reviews
24 ratings for Knack, editor panel first. Community ratings accumulate on top of our seeded launch score.
Community rating
- 5 ★42%
- 4 ★29%
- 3 ★13%
- 2 ★8%
- 1 ★8%
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- Editor panel
I could not make it look acceptable
Hannah Lindqvist@hannahlindqvist
Product designer. I judge a builder by what it does to my spacing.
Brought in to improve a client's member portal built on Knack. I spent two days in the theming options and could not get it past looking like a form from 2015. The underlying data structure was sound, so we kept it and put a different front end on top, which was more work than it should have been.
- Pros
- Solid data model underneath.
- Cons
- Theming cannot rescue the visual output.
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- Editor panel
Unglamorous and it has never once fallen over
Laila Benali@lailabenali
Programme coordinator at a non-profit. Every tool I choose has to survive a grant audit.
Our volunteer register, applications and case notes have lived here for three years. It looks dated, my colleagues mention it monthly, and it has not lost a record or gone down. For an organisation where continuity matters more than appearance that trade is worth making. Wish there were a free tier for testing ideas.
- Pros
- Very stable. Roles and forms work properly out of the box.
- Cons
- Interface looks a decade old and no free tier to trial.
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Frequently asked
- Does Knack have a free plan?
- No, only a trial. Paid plans start at about 39 EUR per month, which is worth knowing before you invest time in a build.
- Is Knack good for customer-facing apps?
- Only if appearance does not matter. Design scores 2.9 and SEO 2.6. It is built for logged-in operational use.
- Knack or Airtable?
- Knack if you need roles, forms and permissions out of the box. Airtable if you need collaborative data plus a bigger integration ecosystem.
Sources
- Knack product site · 14 August 2026
- Knack pricing page · 14 August 2026