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Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs Zoho Creator comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Oracle Application Express ...
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
3rd
Ranking in Low-Code Development Platforms
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (2nd)
Zoho Creator
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
12th
Ranking in Low-Code Development Platforms
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is 6.0%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoho Creator is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rapid Application Development Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Oracle Application Express (APEX)6.0%
Zoho Creator1.4%
Other92.6%
Rapid Application Development Software
 

Featured Reviews

Rodrigo-Mesquita - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software developer at QV Systems
Rapid application development empowers big projects in months
The ability to quickly develop applications without needing to code a lot is very valuable. It is very quick to create a page, and one can use AI to speed up software development. It is easy to learn. In my company, we could develop a very big application in a couple of months.
VishalKumar7 - PeerSpot reviewer
Zoho Developer at Evoluz Global Solutions
User experience metadata and workflow customization have been streamlined
The creator needs improvement; for instance, if I create a widget that has dynamic data, it cannot get published. When we publish a page that contains a widget, dynamic data does not appear. That is the problem with Zoho Creator, so it needs improvement. The portal user aspect is also costly; for example, purchasing 250 portal users can be expensive for clients who require them monthly. It creates a financial burden similar to how customer logins on e-commerce websites such as Flipkart or Amazon are generally free. Thus, Zoho Creator needs to offer free access for all portal users as they are essential for the application's usage. In Zoho Creator, we cannot work on UI customization as expected; if I want an application resembling a Figma design, there are limitations on UI changes.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Efficient software delivery and a solution that works quickly."
"The ability to quickly develop applications without needing to code a lot is very valuable."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."
"What I like best about Oracle Application Express (APEX) is that it doesn't require hard coding for reporting and building applications. It's a GUI-based application builder that even end-users with little development and language knowledge can develop applications on Oracle Application Express (APEX). The software is also very user-friendly, which I find valuable."
"It helps us create web pages quickly."
"The product is easy to use."
"The most valuable features of Oracle Application Express (APEX) are the ease and speed of development. Instead of engaging a large team of middleware, front-end, and database engineers, we can have professional look at the front end and have the user interface up and running in a matter of days. However, if you want to go far and implement very custom features, it doesn't require a lot of knowledge of front-end development, such as HTML, JavaScript, or other aspects."
"The solution can build functionalities in a very short time."
"Zoho Creator is one of the best tools; I also have experience converting applications to Android and iOS, which is essential because customers want to install APK files and iOS application files."
"The impact of the Deluge Scripting language on my application's customization options and workflow automation has been significant, reducing a manual process from two or three weeks to just two days and significantly decreasing the manual process and reducing work hours for the organization."
"The integration capabilities in Zoho Creator are quite good and support our existing workload. It provides open and proprietary APIs, making interfacing with other applications easier."
"Zoho Creator boasts a multitude of impressive features, but one of the most outstanding is its flexibility in creating interactive reports and pages. With Zoho Creator, users have the ability to utilize HTML and CSS to create visually appealing pages that are rich in information, utilizing data from the system itself. This exceptional feature provides a remarkable advantage and adds immense value to Zoho Creator."
"Zoho Creator is a flexible and powerful solution. I like the tool's advanced modification feature which helps to modify its layout and setup scripts."
"Can access information from other Zoho packages and you can write custom scripts."
"The most valuable feature of Zoho Creator is that we can easily create applications because there is 360-degree flexibility available."
"Zoho Creator provides complex flexibility, allows creation of multiple modules and fields that are easily accessible, enables dynamic and stateless forms, and offers robust automation with Deluge script, workflows, and analytics tools like custom reports, dashboards, KPIs, and widgets."
 

Cons

"Source control could be stronger in Oracle Application Express (APEX). It needs some work."
"Apex has effectively incorporated new market trends into its features. The platform's user-friendly nature is notable, guiding developers through the development process. While advanced customization of the user interface with HTML and CSS is possible, the out-of-the-box options often suffice, providing 80-90% of the required functionality. The IDE is commendable, yet an enhancement in the Page Designer to allow a real-time preview of layout changes would be beneficial. Currently, running the page is necessary to visualize layout adjustments, but an immediate preview during the design phase would be a valuable improvement."
"Reporting needs to be accessed via third party tools."
"I would like to see easier integration into active directory authentication. Also, maybe integration of JavaScript frameworks would resolve some issues."
"Connecting with Oracle and the relation with Oracle at the database as a procedure needs improvement."
"When exporting, we can't export dynamic reports, only static reports. For example, when we want to export charts or tables it is only exported as a static report so we can't drop down on these reports; however, we can see this information when we are on the dashboard itself."
"There is a bit of a learning curve involved when first using the solution."
"Occasionally when trying to un a page, I would be faced with an error number; however, not much information would be provided on the error itself outside of the programming language. It would be nice if more information could be provided."
"I would like them to keep enhancing their user interface, as while functionality is essential, improvement in UI would also benefit developers and end-users alike."
"When you're developing database-type applications, there is no way to see the actual database tables. They call them forms, and I don't like that. Zoho should also provide better user guides."
"I would like to see a simpler layout and interface. I would also like to see Zoho CRM and Zoho Campaigns integrated with the product."
"Improvement could come from the ability to implement and create custom dashboards or subforms in Zoho Creator."
"The platform's technical support services need improvement."
"Zoho provides different channels for support, like chat and email. There's also a multi-brand support self-service support portal, but it's time-consuming to deal with it. If we create a portal on Zoho, we need to pay an additional cost per user. It's a flexible platform, but there are limitations, such as the EBI. We need to purchase additional EBIs and other features that some businesses require. If we are developing complex applications, we need to set up many virtual automation and use API calls."
"If I create a widget that has dynamic data, it cannot get published. When we publish a page that contains a widget, dynamic data does not appear."
"Could have more pre-built integrations for pulling data from the wider Zoho ecosystem as well as other systems."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"APEX itslelf is a free product, but you will need to license peripheral components."
"I would rate it around an eight in terms of price, with one being low and ten being high."
"Apex is not priced separately; instead, it is associated with the Oracle database. A free option for Oracle database and Apex can be downloaded and installed on this complimentary database version. This aligns with our current approach."
"The tool is free with the Oracle Database license."
"The pricing is mid-range so is neither expensive nor cheap."
"The tool is not expensive."
"Oracle Express comes with the Oracle license, it is a bundle."
"Pricing is expensive, overall on an enterprise system but we consider that it gives corresponding value in the product."
"It is at the bottom end of the price range."
"The tool has three plans and one of them costs 50 dollars per month."
"I rate the solution an eight out of ten for pricing since it is really cheap."
"Zoho Creator is the cheapest option in the market right now that can deliver this level of quality."
"The tool's licensing costs are annual. You need to pay more if you need a bigger database."
"We would prefer it if the price went down drastically."
"Zoho Creator's pricing is fine. It's subscription-based."
"Zoho Creator started at 800 rupees, about $10 per month."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise28
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
I have only tried it with an Oracle database, not with other databases. For beginners, understanding the installation process can be challenging because documentation is limited. It is hard to unde...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoho Creator?
I find the pricing of Zoho Creator to be very cheap. When compared to other low-code platforms, Zoho Creator consistently ranks at the top regarding functionality. Their native Android and iOS appl...
What needs improvement with Zoho Creator?
Regarding improvements in the Deluge scripting language, I would like to see enhancements in its loop feature, which behaves differently compared to loops in other languages. Additionally, the exec...
What is your primary use case for Zoho Creator?
There can be several different use cases for Zoho Creator that I work with. I can use Zoho Creator for all types of custom applications. I have built BOM applications and manufacturing-related appl...
 

Also Known As

Oracle APEX
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Hepart AG, pharmasol, SATLOG, Collège Bois-de-Boulogne
Estate Crush Winery, Integra Services, Avidpays, Napa Valley Film Festival, Marionnaud, The Institute of Hormonal Health, Stone Tapert
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs. Zoho Creator and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.