With superior built-in functionality, advanced security features, greater scale, and better customer support, Tadabase is the #1 Knack alternative.



Top 10 reasons why customers switch from Knack to Tadabase
1. Tadabase is the only platform you need to run your business
When you run your business on a Tadabase application, you’ll have all the services you need natively built-in to your app, including multi-file uploads, PDFs, app-side importing, auto-generating domain certificates, native integrations with any external service, and so much more. On Knack, many of these critical services you need to run your business are not included, requiring Knack customers to waste money on 3rd party tools and spread their data too thin among multiple unnecessary services. With Tadabase, you’ll get all the features and services you need to run your business from A-Z without ever having to leave the Tadabase platform. While more features and built-ins may make Tadabase a more complex platform to master, that slight learning curve is worth its weight in gold. A faster learning curve for a limited, simpler platform can seem tempting, but it can be penny wise, pound foolish.
2. Tadabase has Pipes
When it comes to integrations, specifically, Tadabase uses its internal integration system, Pipes, to dynamically integrate any external data into your app without the need for 3rd party integration tools like Zapier, Integromat, or Workato. Customers who switched from other no-code platforms such as Knack report an 80% decrease in their tech stacks since switching to Tadabase. By using Tadabase’s built-in Pipes integration system, these customers have saved thousands of dollars a month in integration costs and can now integrate their data seamlessly, and in real-time, with all their favorite external services without ever leaving their Tadabase apps.
3. Tadabase is scalable
While all technology will have some natural limitations, Tadabase thrives on breaking the tech ceiling with its all-powerful SQL-backed infrastructure. With over 30 years of combined experience with building robust infrastructures and scaling large applications as well as long-standing certifications in Microsoft Engineering and AWS architecture, the Tadabase founders built Tadabase from the ground up with scalability and limitless growth at the forefront of the platform’s design.
4. Tadabase is enterprise ready
With Tadabase’s superior, enterprise-ready infrastructure, your app will seamlessly scale alongside your business, with the ability to scale to millions of records at faster speed and greater efficiency than any other no-code platform. Scaling on Tadabase is smooth and easy with the ability to add dedicated resources on the fly, on a straightforward pricing structure, with our self-manageable dedicated servers. From the convenience of your dedicated server dashboard, you’ll enjoy the freedom and peace of mind of self-monitoring your app performance and dedicated resources and scaling your servers up and down as you see fit.
5. Tadabase apps can be white labeled, for real
While Knack claims to offer white-label apps, Knack’s information will still appear throughout its customers’ app codes and URLs, disabling customers from ever having truly custom or white-labeled apps. At Tadabase, when we say that our apps are customizable, we mean what we say. A white-labeled app on Tadabase will have zero mention of Tadabase throughout the app code, URL, or design, allowing your consumer-facing app to present entirely as your own or your app built for a client to present entirely as if you built it from scratch.
6. Tadabase is customizable
A Knack app is like any other Knack app, and once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. At Tadabase, we know your business is like no other and that your app should reflect your particular business brand and style. From custom login forms to drag and drop themes to over two dozen unique components, including the Custom Component, which empowers you to create your own custom designs, your app design is limited only to your imagination. Gone are the days of sticking square data in round views. With Tadabase, the custom app you envision is just waiting to be built.
7. Tadabase prioritizes your security
At Tadbase, the security of your data is our #1 priority. While Knack claims to value security, one look at a Knack app's code and you'll quickly find API keys and other sensitive data. To customize your app on Tadabase, you don't need to expose your API keys in Javascript- we have server-side methods for doing all of that. With Tadabase, you can achieve even greater customizations without ever having to expose your API credentials.
8. Tadabase offers more admin controls and app-side features
It’s your data, and Tadabase believes you should have the flexibility to control your data as you see fit. Tadabase provides more admin controls as well as greater flexibility for your app users to interact with your data from the app-side at your discretion. For instance, with app-side importing, you can choose to allow your users to systematically import records directly from the app and even run automation on those imports. With app-side logging of user logins and record changes, you can also choose to allow your users to view logs of user logins and record changes directly from the app. Knack does not offer similar features or flexibility, depriving their customers of the control and flexibility they deserve and depriving app users from interacting with data in critical ways.
9. Tadabase is developer-friendly
Unlike Knack, Tadabase segments your custom code to a page, layout, or app level. No more crashing your entire app by adding a breaking change. Tadabase also offers Page Versioning so developers can log their page versions and roll back changes in an instant. If you're working with a team, Tadabase offers more granular control over what each team member can do and modify, unlike Knack's full permissions for everything. With Tadabase, developers can also utilize our Builder API to manage their apps via API endpoints as well as show off their development skills by building any custom component design they can imagine with Tadabase’s Custom Component.
10. Our mission
At Tadabase, our mission is to help your business succeed. We view each customer as our partner, and we work with you to build the database solution that will unlock your company’s competitive advantage. We pride ourselves on listening to our customers, and our roadmap is ever-full with requests from our thriving community of engaged and satisfied Tadabase customers who know that at Tadabase, we like to say “yes.” We are committed, customer obsessed, and we steadily release updates at ~20X the rate of Knack.
Hosting and Deployment
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Custom domain |
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SQL-backed infrastructure |
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SEO |
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SSL certificates |
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True white label |
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App embed |
Integrations
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Tadabase Pipes |
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AWS S3 |
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Cloudinary |
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Dropbox |
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Google Data Studio |
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PDFs |
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Slack |
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SMTP |
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Stripe subscriptions |
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Tableau |
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Twilio |
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Webhooks |
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API |
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E-Commerce |
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Integromat |
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Tray.io |
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Workato |
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Zapier |
Design and Customization
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Custom component designer |
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Advanced page customization |
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Custom themes |
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CSS |
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Javascript |
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Page redirect rules |
Security and Compliance
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2FA |
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Builder change logs |
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Granular page security |
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Login logs |
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Logout existing sessions |
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Record delete history |
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View change logs app-side |
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Backups |
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Email logs |
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HIPAA |
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IP white listing |
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Password policy |
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Privacy shield |
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Record change history |
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Single sign on |
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SOC2 Type2 |
Forms and Fields
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Multi-step forms |
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Advanced form redirect |
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Advanced form layouts |
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Assign score values to dropdowns |
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Color badges in options |
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Enable/disable display rules |
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Get form values from URL |
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Insert non-connected records in rules |
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Logged-in user values for record rules |
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Require/unrequire fields in display rules |
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See connected values in forms |
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Slider field |
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Validation error messages |
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Basic formulas |
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Complex formulas |
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Dependent dropdown |
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Equation fields |
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Filtered dropdowns |
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Geo-code addresses |
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Record rules |
Components
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Custom component designer |
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Accordion |
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Cards |
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Kanban |
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Resource grid / Gantt chart |
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Timeline |
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Forms |
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Advanced search component |
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Calendar |
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Charts |
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Lists / Galleries |
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Pivot tables |
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Tables |
Automation
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Tadabase Pipes |
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Batch updates |
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Export templates |
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Front-end importing |
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Import templates |
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Triggered related tasks |
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Triggered tasks |
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Scheduled tasks |
Advanced Features
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App variables |
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Builder API |
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Filter by records connected to logged-in user |
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Hide columns in filter tabs |
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Multi-select update/delete |
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Send emails to/from the logged-in user |
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Universal inline editing |
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Action links |
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Shared builder |
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Table filter tabs |
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Distance search |
Coming Soon
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Frequently Asked Questions
We can probably do better. Contact our sales team at sales@tadabase.io with 2 of your most recent Knack invoices and we'll be happy to work with you.
For one, think of all the money you'll save on your monthly/ annual Zapier subscription. With Pipes, Tadabase's internal integrations system, you'll be able to integrate with all your favorite services directly from your Tadabase app without having to pay for extra 3rd party integration tools. Secondly, Pipes work in real-time, not after the fact. View integrated Pipe values dynamically without even having to save the records. Click here to learn more about Tadabase Pipes.
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