Stacker alternative
The Stacker alternative that is still moving
Stacker was one of the first tools to turn an Airtable base or a Google Sheet into a permissioned portal, and many agencies still run client portals on it. It has been quiet for a while, and teams looking around want the same job done with a builder that is actively shipping.
Emberblocks does the same job with a broader toolbox: two-way Airtable sync, your own Postgres, a full set of blocks, workflows and versioned publishing, priced by app users rather than per user.
Builders are always free. Facts about Stacker on this page were last checked on against Stacker's own site. Tell us if something is out of date: hello@emberblocks.com.
Why people look for a Stacker alternative
Momentum
Stacker's public changelog has slowed. Emberblocks ships weekly and publishes what is coming next in its docs.
Beyond the portal
Stacker is a portal over a data source. Emberblocks adds tables, cards, record pages, kanban boards, calendars, maps, timelines, charts, stats, forms, buttons, comments, activity feeds, file viewers, signatures, barcodes and embeds, plus workflows and Ember.
Per-user pricing
Stacker prices by user. Emberblocks includes a block of app users per plan and never charges for builders.
Airtable sync
Airtable bases are mirrored into Postgres: the app reads and writes the mirror at database speed, your edits push back to Airtable within seconds, and changes made in Airtable arrive through Airtable's own webhooks.
Postgres
Connect your own Postgres and rows never leave your server.
Publishing
Every publish is a versioned snapshot you can inspect and roll back, with a stable and a latest channel.
Emberblocks vs Stacker at a glance
| Capability | Emberblocks | Stacker |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in database | Yes | Stacker Tables |
| Connect your own Postgres | Yes | unverified |
| Airtable as a source (two-way) | Yes | live API |
| Google Sheets as a live source | No | Yes |
| No code required | Yes | Yes |
| Formula language | Yes | limited |
| Field-level permissions | Yes | Yes |
| Workflows and automations | Yes | limited |
| Versioned publishing with rollback | Yes | unverified |
| Public links without accounts | Yes | unverified |
| Offline edits queued on phones | Yes | No |
| AI drafts the first version | Yes | unverified |
| Builders never pay | Yes | No |
| Paid plans priced by | app users | per user |
| Custom domains | not yet | unverified |
| SSO / SAML | not yet | unverified |
Emberblocks cells reflect what ships today. Stacker cells were checked against Stacker'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 Stacker may still be the better pick
- Salesforce or Google Sheets as the live source. Emberblocks connects Postgres and Airtable.
- You already have a working portal and no complaints. Migrations cost time; only move when something is actually wrong.
- Custom domains today. Emberblocks does not have them yet.
How to move from Stacker
- 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 I keep the Airtable base behind my Stacker portal?
- Yes. Connect the same base to Emberblocks; it is mirrored into Postgres with two-way sync and the portal reads the mirror at database speed.
- How do per-user record permissions work?
- A view or block can filter rows by the signed-in user with RECORD and user expressions, and roles decide which views and fields each user can see or edit. App users can be loaded from a table in your own data.
- 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.