Migration guide
Migrate from AppSheet to Emberblocks
Emberblocks reads AppSheet's own Application Documentation export and recreates the parts of your app it can bind: tables, columns, formulas, views, actions, format rules and roles. The export contains no row data, so that comes separately. Most single-app migrations take an afternoon, and the review step tells you what will not carry over before you commit.
Builders are always free. Facts about AppSheet on this page were last checked on against AppSheet's own site. Tell us if something is out of date: hello@emberblocks.com.
The migration, step by step
- 1
Export the documentation
In the AppSheet editor open Manage, then Documentation, and download the Application Documentation HTML file. It is 10 to 30 MB and contains your full app definition, including sample data, so treat it as sensitive.
- 2
Create a workspace and open the importer
Sign up, then choose AppSheet when the setup wizard asks where your data is today, or open Import from AppSheet from your workspace.
- 3
Upload the file
Your browser parses the file into a compact manifest and sends only that, compressed. The raw export never leaves your machine.
- 4
Review the mapping
You see every table with its columns and detected types, the users table the importer found, views it could not bind to a table, and a live coverage report. Fix the bindings you care about here.
- 5
Create the app
Emberblocks creates tables, fields, formulas, views, actions, style rules and roles. Anything it skipped is listed in the report you can download.
- 6
Bring the rows
Export each AppSheet table (usually a Google Sheet) as CSV and import it into the matching Emberblocks table, or connect the database the data already lives in.
- 7
Rebuild automations and publish
AppSheet bots are not imported. Recreate the ones you use as workflows, set roles, publish a version and send the link. Keep AppSheet running in parallel for a week.
What carries over
| Capability | Imported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tables and columns | Yes | types mapped: text, number, date, time, duration, enum, enumlist, ref, image, file, signature, address, yes/no and more |
| Formulas (app formulas, virtual columns) | most | translated to the Emberblocks formula language; untranslatable ones are listed |
| Views | those the importer can bind | table, deck, card, detail, form, calendar, map, chart and dashboard shapes |
| Slices | as filtered views | row filters become view filters |
| Actions | Yes | navigation, set values, phone, SMS, email and external links |
| Format rules | Yes | become style rules |
| Roles and users table | Yes | detected users table becomes the app's user source |
| Row data | No | the export has no rows; import CSV or connect the database |
| Automation bots | No | recreate as workflows |
| Apps Script, Google-only integrations | No | no equivalent |
The importer is in beta. The review step shows a per-app coverage report so you know before creating anything.
What changes for your users
The URL
Published apps live at an emberblocks.com address. Users sign in with email and password or Google; app users can also be loaded from your users table.
Phones
Published apps are responsive, install on a phone's home screen, and queue edits made offline until the connection is back. There is no separate app to install from a store.
Sharing
Views can be shared as public links with no account for people outside the team.
Pricing
Builders are always free; paid plans are priced by the people who use your published apps, from $29 a month billed yearly, with a 14-day Pro trial and a free plan.
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.
Questions
- How long does it take?
- A single app of ten to twenty tables usually takes an afternoon including data import. The importer step itself is minutes; the time goes into rebuilding automations and checking views.
- Does the importer touch my AppSheet account?
- No. It reads only the documentation file you export and upload. Your AppSheet app keeps running until you turn it off.
- What about AppSheet expressions the importer cannot translate?
- They are listed in the coverage report with the column they belong to. Most are rewritten in a few minutes in the Emberblocks formula editor, which has autocomplete and inline checking.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.