Exotool vs Zoho Creator
Zoho Creator is a low-code builder for business apps inside the Zoho world: forms, workflows and reports, licensed per user, with customers reached through a paid portal add-on. Exotool builds apps you give to anyone, from one diagram, and hands you the generated code to run where you choose, with no licence per person who uses the app.
Side by side
| Zoho Creator | Exotool | |
|---|---|---|
| Who the app is for | Your licensed users; external users through the Customer Portal add-on, priced by portal-user tier. | Anyone: customers, members, the public. No licence per user of the app. |
| What describes the app | Forms, workflows, reports and Deluge scripts in the Creator builder. | One diagram: the screens, how they connect, and the activities behind them. |
| How it is built | Interpreted by the Zoho platform. | A patented engine generates the device side, the server side and the APIs between them, the same way every time. |
| Where it runs | On Zoho's cloud. | In Exotool's sandbox while you build; then on any web-capable hosting platform you choose. |
| The source code | Not exportable; the app lives in Zoho Creator. | Yours. Exotool gives you the generated code; deploy it where you want. |
| Your data | In Zoho's database, with the Zoho ecosystem around it. | In your own database, with the app. |
| Leaving | The app stays in Zoho Creator. | Take the code and the database with you. No lock-in. |
| AI | AI assistance inside the builder. | Claude builds and changes the app through the Exotool connector; you see every change in the diagram. |
| Phones and tablets | Zoho's mobile apps; rebranded mobile apps as an add-on. | A progressive web app that runs on iOS and Android alike, installed from the browser; no app-store build. Native iOS apps: in beta. |
| Pricing (published October 2026) | Per user per month, Standard (one app), Professional and Enterprise (unlimited apps), billed yearly or monthly; a Free edition with one app; a 15-day trial; the Customer Portal and custom domains as add-ons. | Free (one app); Basic $19 a month (three apps); Pro $49 a month (unlimited). Per builder, nothing metered. |
Zoho Creator's facts and prices are as published on its own site on October 17, 2026, and may have changed since; check there before deciding. Zoho Creator is a trademark of its owner. Exotool is not affiliated with it.
Where Zoho Creator is the better choice
- You run your business on Zoho and want the app next to Zoho CRM, Books and the rest.
- Your users are your staff, and per-user pricing fits the headcount.
- You want forms, approvals and reports out of the box.
Where Exotool is the better choice
- The app is for customers or the public, where a per-user licence or a portal fee makes no sense.
- You want to own the code and the data, and to run the app anywhere.
- You want Claude to build and change the app, and to see exactly what changed, in one diagram.
Try it
Exotool is free to start: one app, the editor, the preview, and the Claude connector. Sign up on the pricing section of the home page, or read how to build an app with Claude: connect Exotool, describe the app you have in mind, and Claude builds a first version you can open on your phone within minutes.
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