Glide alternative
A Glide alternative for apps on the App Store
Glide makes business apps that open in a browser and can be added to the home screen, and its help centre says publishing to the App Store isn't supported. Borel is the alternative when the app has to be in the App Store: it writes native Swift and SwiftUI from a chat and publishes on Pro, from $20 a month.
Updated
Apps built by Borel, in the iOS Simulator.
Glide
Who is Glide for?
Glide turns spreadsheets and business data into apps for a team: inventories, field reports, client portals and dashboards, built with AI by people who aren't developers. For internal tools, that's often exactly right.
On a phone, a Glide app opens in the browser, and people can add it to their home screen.
The iPhone question
Where does Glide stop for an iPhone app?
Glide apps are progressive web apps, and Glide's help centre says publishing them directly to the App Store or Google Play isn't supported.
So if customers should find your app by searching the App Store, or it should use Face ID, the camera or in-app purchases the way iPhone apps do, it needs to be a native app from the start.
Borel
What Borel does differently
On the App Store
On Pro, Borel builds, signs and uploads the app to App Store Connect, under your own account.
A native iPhone app
Swift and SwiftUI, compiled by Xcode, with the iPhone's own screens, gestures and features.
Data and accounts included
Every app comes with sign-in, a cloud database, file storage and Borel AI, with no spreadsheet to connect.
At a glance
How do Glide and Borel compare?
From Glide's own site, as of October 2026. The full comparison has every row.
| Borel | Glide | |
|---|---|---|
| Publish to the App Store | Yes, on Pro | No |
| What you get | A native iPhone app | A progressive web app |
| Paid plans from | $20 a month | $25 a month |
| Build with AI | Yes | Yes |
Switching
How to switch from Glide to Borel
- 1
Describe the app, not the sheet
Tell Borel what people do in the app: the screens, the lists and what they save.
- 2
Bring the data you need
Borel's app keeps its records in a cloud database per account. Ask for starter rows to see screens filled.
- 3
Ship it to the App Store
Test it in the iOS Simulator, put it on your iPhone with Companion, and publish on Pro.
Choose Borel if…
- The app has to be in the App Store.
- You want Face ID, the camera or in-app purchases.
- The app is for customers, not only your team.
Frequently asked questions
Borel apps keep their data in the cloud database Borel runs for each app, rather than in a spreadsheet. Describe the records you need and Borel builds the screens around them.
A web app runs in the browser, even when it's on the home screen. A native app is installed from the App Store and written for the iPhone itself, in Borel's case in Swift and SwiftUI.
Yes. A Borel app is listed on the App Store under your own name, so customers can search for it, install it and sign in with their own accounts, while you see their data only through the app you designed.
For the App Store, yes: Apple asks for its Developer Program, $99 a year. To keep the app just on your own iPhone, a free Apple ID is enough with Borel Companion on Pro.
Yes: 5 free credits a day, up to 30 a month. The iOS Simulator costs nothing on any plan, so you can see the App Store version before you pay.
Put your app on the App Store
Describe it and watch the native version run in your browser.