Spreadsheet familiarity, database power
Take a quick tour of the Grist interface, customizable widgets, and relational capabilities.
Lightweight CRM Example
Spreadsheet comparison for modern data management
Grist vs Rows
When spreadsheet chaos is breaking your workflows, you need the right solution. But Rows and Grist solve fundamentally different problems. Find your fit.
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Choose Grist when: Unstructured data is breaking your workflows and you need to manage connected information, perform complex analysis with Python formulas, set granular access controls, or self-host sensitive data.
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Choose Rows when: Your spreadsheet workflows need enhancement. You want AI-powered automation, better integrations, and smarter analysis within the familiar spreadsheet model.
| Rows | Grist | |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet interface | ✔ | ✔ |
| Data visualizations | ✔ | ✔ |
| Reporting | ✔ | ✔ |
| Collaboration features | ✔ | ✔ |
| Automations | ✔ | ✔ |
| AI assistant | ✔ | ✔ |
| REST API / webhooks | ✔ | ✔ |
| Forms | ✔ | ✔ |
| Integrations | ✔ | ✔ |
| Customer support | ✔ | ✔ |
| Data types / structured data | Conventional spreadsheet capabilities. Not strictly enforced. | Strictly enforced. |
| Interactive API console | X | Developers can explore, test, and experiment with the Grist API. |
| Granular access controls | X | Access controls down to the individual cell. |
| Relational data | X | Relational database structure. |
| Self-hostable | X | Self-hostable and open-source. No data lock-in. SQLite format. |
Rows vs Grist
When your team is drowning in spreadsheet chaos and unstructured data is breaking your workflows, you need database power, not just a better spreadsheet.
Rows transforms spreadsheet workflows with easy-to-use automations and AI analysis. It’s built for teams who want to enhance how they work with spreadsheets.
Grist transforms data management itself. When you need granular access controls, or Python formulas for advanced analysis, Grist’s relational database foundation solves problems that enhanced spreadsheets can’t.
How Rows compares to Grist
Many businesses start looking for alternatives when outgrowing basic spreadsheets. But the right solution depends on your specific pain point.
If your team needs better spreadsheet workflows with AI assistance and integrations, Rows offers convenient enhancements to the spreadsheet model.
But when your core problem is managing interconnected data at scale, enhancing spreadsheets won’t solve their inherent limitations. You need a tool with a powerful database foundation.
Why businesses choose Rows
Spreadsheet interface
- Rows enables users to leverage their existing spreadsheet skills within a user-friendly, familiar interface.
Integrations & automations
- Rows makes common spreadsheet tasks easier, more automated, and more easily connected to other services.
AI-powered analysis
- The Rows AI Analyst excels at natural language querying, helping users with reporting and business insights without having to know complex formulas (like Grist’s AI Assistant).
No-code tool building
- Users can create their own custom tools without having to write code, and take advantage of ready-to-use templates.
What are the disadvantages of Rows?
Advanced statistical functions: users may find common formulas within their workflows are not available in Rows.
Performance with large datasets: conventional spreadsheet users report poorer performance handling larger datasets.
No self-hosting options: businesses with vendor lock-in or data privacy concerns cannot self-host using Rows.
Data standardization: reporting struggling with parent/child relationships.
Data ingestion: data imported from multiple sources or with mismatched headers require manual standardization.
Why businesses choose Grist
Data standardization
Strict types within columns enforces consistency and prevents manual data entry errors. Reference columns enable linking data between tables.
Technical power
Full Python support + Excel-like functions. Built-in drag-and-drop dashboards and support for custom-coded views—all while maintaining a relational SQLite file. Trigger formulas for automation and data integrity.
Granular access control
Evolved from traditional CRUD permissions, users can define who can view and edit specifics parts of a document – down to the individual cell.
Data ownership
Businesses with data privacy concerns or who would prefer not to host their data on US servers can fully self-manage Grist.
Flexibility + customization
Custom widgets, column customizations, conditional styles, and integrations allow SMBs and technical users to build exactly what they need.
Database power
Grist combines the convenience of a spreadsheet with robustness of a database. Documents are automatically backed up, and snapshots are easily exported in full. Data restoration is supported.
“I love Grist. It’s crazy powerful. I still can’t believe what we’ve been able to achieve in it. It’s the dream that low-code was sold as for years – we can do incredible things in each column with Python and we can build our own widgets to run on those! Wild!”
Elliot Lee
User Researcher
“The more I use Grist, the more I LOVE it. I have been surveying self-hosted database GUI tools, and I was consistently disappointed with their shortcomings or bugginess. Grist is the first to have tilted the balance the other way.”
Stephen S.
Publications, Personal City Guides
“Grist has given us incredible flexibility to solve data problems and find solutions, whether it is for a small team at the district, or at scale with the entire district staff. We’re really excited about the different ways we can use it going forward.”
Director of Product
EdTech Company
“What I like about Grist the most is its focus. It appears simple, but it’s very powerful in a focused way. Grist has really improved our workflow and communication.”
Chris Scott
Co-founder in Digital Marketing
“If people spend some time learning a new tool they’ll have more power to do their work and research. I said to one of my students, ‘You will be very very happy using Grist because you are miserable using Excel!'”
Eduardo Dalcin, Ph.D.
Biodiversity Informatics Expert
“Most CRMs don’t work the way Grist works. Grist’s layouts are simple and do exactly what we need.”
Jennifer Bledsoe
IT Tech at Law Firm
“I recently discovered Grist after becoming frustrated with the limitations of traditional spreadsheets like Excel and Google Sheets. Grist has been a breath of fresh air, especially with its ability to handle structured data in a way that feels familiar to anyone with experience in relational databases, but with the added flexibility of Python.”
Will Bailey
Small Business Manager
How businesses can get started with Grist
Easily import existing XLSX and CSV files to start using Grist right away.
Grist’s incremental imports feature allows users to import new activity to existing data and Grist intelligently combines it without creating duplicates or needing manual cleanup.
Pre-built templates
Jump right into Grist’s spreadsheet-like interface with these pre-built templates:
The evolution of spreadsheets
Excel set the standard, but data chaos demands more than spreadsheet enhancements.
Rows augments spreadsheet experiences with AI and automation. Grist tackles unstructured data head-on.
When interconnected data is breaking your workflows, Grist’s database foundation delivers relational power without abandoning spreadsheet familiarity.
