Bubble alternative
The Bubble alternative for internal tools
Bubble can build almost any web application, which is exactly why it is the wrong tool for a CRM, an inventory tracker or a client portal. You design every pixel, model every table, wire every workflow, and then pay in workload units as it runs.
Emberblocks starts from the data and gives you finished blocks: a table with filters and inline editing, a kanban board, a calendar, a record page with related lists. The app is done in an afternoon, and it runs on Postgres you control.
Builders are always free. Facts about Bubble on this page were last checked on against Bubble's own site. Tell us if something is out of date: hello@emberblocks.com.
Why people look for a Bubble alternative for internal tools
Building from pixels
Bubble gives you a blank canvas and a responsive engine. Emberblocks gives you blocks that already know how to filter, sort, paginate, edit and validate.
Workload units
Bubble meters every app in workload units. Emberblocks plans list app users, rows, workflow runs and storage as monthly allowances.
Your own database
Bubble apps live in Bubble's database; Postgres access is through plugins or the API. Emberblocks connects Postgres directly or mirrors Airtable into it.
Learning curve
Bubble takes weeks to learn well. Emberblocks templates open in the editor without an account so you can judge it in ten minutes.
Roles built in
Roles decide which views a user sees and which fields they can read or edit; app users can be loaded from a table in your own data.
AI drafts the app
Describe the tool and Ember proposes tables, views and workflows for review before anything is created.
Emberblocks vs Bubble at a glance
| Capability | Emberblocks | Bubble |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in database | Yes | Yes |
| Connect your own Postgres | Yes | plugins or API |
| Airtable as a source (two-way) | Yes | plugins or API |
| Google Sheets as a live source | No | plugins |
| No code required | Yes | visual, but everything is built by hand |
| Formula language | Yes | expressions |
| Field-level permissions | Yes | privacy rules |
| Workflows and automations | Yes | Yes |
| Versioned publishing with rollback | Yes | development and live |
| Public links without accounts | Yes | public pages |
| Offline edits queued on phones | Yes | No |
| AI drafts the first version | Yes | Yes |
| Builders never pay | Yes | free plan while developing |
| Paid plans priced by | app users | plans plus workload units |
| Custom domains | not yet | Yes |
| SSO / SAML | not yet | unverified |
Emberblocks cells reflect what ships today. Bubble cells were checked against Bubble's public pages on the date shown at the top of this page; "unverified" means we could not confirm it and would rather say so than guess.
What you get in Emberblocks
Your data, live
Start on a built-in database, your own Postgres (Supabase, Neon, RDS, anything that speaks Postgres) or an Airtable base. Apps read and write live rows, so there are no exports to keep in sync.
Blocks on a grid
Drag tables, cards, record pages, kanban boards, calendars, maps, timelines, charts, stats, forms, buttons, comments, activity feeds, file viewers, signatures, barcodes and embeds onto a grid and wire them to tables. What you arrange is exactly what your team gets.
Real field types
Fields include text, email, phone, URL, number, boolean, date, date-time, time, duration, select, multi-select, reference, multi-reference, image, file, signature, address and JSON. Barcode scanning and signatures work in the browser without a native app.
Workflows
Workflows run when a row is created, updated or deleted, on a schedule, or from a button; steps update records, send email, call webhooks, branch on conditions and run code.
Roles and permissions
Roles decide which views a user sees and which fields they can read or edit; app users can be loaded from a table in your own data.
Publishing like software
Every publish is a versioned snapshot you can inspect and roll back, with a stable and a latest channel.
Phones and offline
Published apps are responsive, install on a phone's home screen, and queue edits made offline until the connection is back.
AI where it helps
Ember drafts a first version of an app from a plain-language description, and end users can ask questions of the data in plain language when you turn it on.
Where Bubble is still the better pick
- You are building a product for the public: a marketplace, a SaaS, a social app. Emberblocks is for tools and portals over business data.
- You need full design control over every screen. Emberblocks blocks are themeable, not freeform.
- You want a plugin marketplace, custom domains and a large freelancer market. Bubble has all three today.
How to move from Bubble
- 1
Bring the data
Connect the Postgres database the data already lives in, point Emberblocks at the Airtable base, or export a CSV and import it into a built-in table. Column types are detected on import.
- 2
Let Ember draft the app
Describe the tool in a sentence or two. Ember proposes tables, views and workflows; you review the plan before anything is created.
- 3
Rebuild the screens you actually use
Most teams find a third of their old views were never opened. Rebuild the ones that matter as blocks on a grid; the table, kanban, calendar and map blocks cover most of them.
- 4
Set roles, then publish
Decide who sees which views and fields, publish a versioned snapshot and send the link. Roll back in one click if something is off.
Questions
- Can Emberblocks build customer-facing apps?
- Client portals, yes: roles, per-user record filters, public links and a client-portal template. A consumer product with signups from the public is not what it is for.
- How long does a first app take?
- Most teams have a working internal tool in an afternoon: connect or import the data, let Ember draft the views, adjust, set roles, publish.
- How is Emberblocks priced?
- Builders are always free. Paid plans are priced by the number of people who sign in to your published apps: Starter $29, Pro $79 and Business $199 a month billed yearly. Every new workspace starts with a 14-day Pro trial, no card needed, and there is a free plan after that. Full details on the pricing page.
- Where does my data live?
- Wherever you want it. Use the built-in database, connect your own Postgres so rows never leave your server, or point an app at an Airtable base. Airtable bases are mirrored into Postgres and kept in sync both ways.
- What does Emberblocks not do yet?
- Custom domains, SSO and an Enterprise plan are not available yet. There is no live Google Sheets connector (import the sheet as CSV instead). Apps run in the browser and install to the home screen; there are no App Store or Play Store builds.
Try it on your own data.
Every workspace starts with a 14-day Pro trial without a card. You can also open a template in the editor first and sign up only when you want to keep it.