Opal— What It’s Best At (2025)

Build AI‑powered mini‑apps just by typing what you want. Opal is great for non‑technical users who want to prototype tools or workflows—like draft generators, calculators, or smart forms—without touching code. Just describe your logic, tweak it visually, and publish a shareable AI app, all in your browser. It’s currently in public beta (U.S. only) and is best for experimentation, not full-scale deployment.

Visit Opal (Google) →
Watch Tutorial

Quick Facts

Best For

Lightweight web apps and tools built directly from Google Sheets or Workspace data. Great for educators, small teams, and non-technical users who live in the Google ecosystem.

Learning Curve

Beginner-friendly. If you already know Google Sheets or Docs, you can get started quickly. The tradeoff is fewer design and customization options compared to dedicated site builders.

Hosting/Deploy

Hosted on Google’s cloud with automatic scaling and SSL. Apps are shareable via link, with tight integration into Google Workspace permissions.

Free/Tiers

Free to start for individuals with Google accounts. Paid tiers (expected through Google Workspace) likely scale by storage, users, and enterprise security features.

Integrations

Deeply tied to Google Workspace (Sheets, Drive, Docs, Gmail). Includes AI-assisted app generation. Third-party add-ons may expand over time as the ecosystem matures.

Who It’s For

  • Founders and solo builders who want to test AI-powered ideas without writing code or hiring a dev
  • Product managers and marketers prototyping simple tools, workflows, or interactive demos
  • Educators, creators, and coaches looking to share bite-sized AI utilities with their audience
  • Tinkerers and prompt-nerds exploring what’s possible with custom GPT flows and light automation

Who It’s Not For

  • You need logic beyond simple “if this, then that.”
  • Opal can handle basic flows, but not multi-step conditions, dynamic filters, or smart branching logic yet.
  • Your app depends on live data.
  • There’s no way (yet) to connect to Google Sheets, Airtable, APIs, or other sources. You work inside Opal’s sandbox.
  • Security and access controls matter to you.
  • No roles, no permissions, no SSO. You share a link, and anyone with a Google account can run your app.
  • You’re picky about layout and design.
  • Opal isn’t trying to be Webflow or Canva. You won’t find themes, colors, or layout tools — just basic interface blocks.

Pricing Overview

Plan

Price

Highlights

Beta Testing

Free

See Latest Pricing →

Strengths & Tradeoffs

Strengths

  • ⚡ Builds from plain English prompts — Just describe what you want, and Opal turns it into a working mini-app using AI. No code or UI setup required.
  • 🧠 AI handles the logic — Whether it’s drafting emails, summarizing notes, or chaining prompts together, Opal structures the flow for you behind the scenes.
  • 🪄 Simple drag-to-edit experience — Once Opal generates your app, you can tweak the steps using a visual editor — no technical knowledge needed.
  • 🔗 Share instantly — Every app gets a Google-hosted link you can share. It works on desktop and mobile, and no install is required.
  • 🧪 Great for quick testing — Ideal for prototyping ideas, building proof-of-concepts, or letting teammates try a flow before you invest in development.

Tradeoffs

  • 🧱 Not a full app platform
  • You can’t build full websites, portals, or multi-page apps. Opal is meant for lightweight, single-purpose tools.
  • 🔌 No external data connections
  • You can’t connect to Google Sheets, Airtable, APIs, or any live data. All logic runs inside Opal’s internal flow.
  • 🧠 Limited logic and flow control
  • No if/then conditions, loops, or memory across steps. You can tweak steps, but can’t define complex behaviors.
  • 🎨 No design or layout customization
  • There’s no way to control colors, fonts, themes, or layout. Every app looks the same.
  • 🛡️ Not secure or enterprise-ready
  • No roles, permissions, or SSO. Anyone with the link and a Google login can run your app—no advanced access control

So What Can You Build:

Tutorial

Why this tutorial matters — Beginner-friendly and practical: it walks you through building a working AI mini‑app step‑by‑step—from natural language prompt to visual workflow to a shareable tool—in minutes. Perfect for seeing how fast your first idea can become real.

Opal Free Sign up →

Alternatives & When to Pick Them

Glide

Glide is great for turning spreadsheets into sleek mobile-friendly apps. It’s ideal for internal tools, directories, and quick business apps with a native feel.

  • Pick Glide if you want to build from Google Sheets or Airtable, with simple logic and mobile-first design.
  • Skip Glide if you’re experimenting with AI workflows—Opal is purpose-built for that.

Softr

Softr helps you build client portals, internal tools, and membership sites from Airtable or Sheets data—no code needed, and with user roles included.

  • Pick Softr if you need user login, dashboards, or content gating built on structured data.
  • Skip Softr if your goal is to prototype AI logic flows or conversational tools—Opal fits that better.

Bubble

Bubble is the most powerful visual app builder—supporting custom logic, databases, APIs, and full front-end control. But it comes with a steeper learning curve.

  • Pick Bubble if you’re building a full web app or SaaS product with multi-user logic and backend workflows.
  • Skip Bubble if you want fast, low-friction testing of small AI-powered tools—Opal is much simpler.

Webflow

Webflow is best for beautiful, custom-designed websites and marketing pages. It’s a visual builder with pixel-level design freedom and CMS support.

  • Pick Webflow if you care about brand polish, CMS control, and responsive layouts.
  • Skip Webflow if your goal is logic, automation, or AI app creation—Opal isn’t about layout, it’s about flow.

Adalo

Adalo is focused on building downloadable iOS and Android apps with simple logic and built-in database support. Ideal for app store projects.

  • Pick Adalo if your end goal is a native app on the App Store or Google Play.
  • Skip Adalo if your idea is better as a web-based AI tool or chatbot—Opal fits that scenario better.

Base44

Base44 is a code-forward builder for full-stack apps. It lets you design UI, structure databases, and deploy—all in one tool, assisted by AI.

  • Pick Base44 if you want a more dev-style builder with real hosting, data modeling, and logic flows.
  • Skip Base44 if you’re just trying to test an AI-driven idea or chain prompts—Opal is simpler for that.

Rule of Thumb: Choose Opal when your goal is to turn a plain-English idea into a working AI mini-app—fast. If you need databases, design control, or complex logic, look at Bubble, Softr, or Base44 instead.

  • Webflow

    Posted on
    Webflow— What It’s Best At (2025) Turn your design ideas into fully responsive, pixel-perfect websites — all without writing code. Webflow is ideal when you want total visual control over…

  • Softr

    Posted on
    Softr — What It’s Best At (2025) Quickly turning your existing spreadsheets or data into polished, user-facing web apps without touching a line of code. Softr is perfect when you…

  • Glide

    Posted on
    Glide — What It’s Best At (2025) Turn spreadsheets into polished web apps fast. Glide is built for non-coders: connect Google Sheets, Airtable, Excel, or Glide Tables, then design screens…

  • Bubble

    Posted on
    Bubble — What It’s Best At (2025) Build and iterate full-featured web apps quickly with Bubble’s visual, browser-based builder. It’s a powerful platform that handles everything—from front-end design to back-end…

  • Bolt.new

    Posted on
    Bolt.new— What It’s Best At (2025) Build full-stack apps fast in your browser—with AI that listens, scaffolds, and hosts for you. Bolt.new shines when you’re launching micro‑SaaS tools, dashboards, or…

  • Adalo

    Posted on
    Adalo — What It’s Best At (2025) Build and iterate web apps fast with a visual, drag-and-drop workflow.Adalo is built for people who want web and mobile apps up and…

  • Free No Code Apps

    Posted on
    Discover the Best No-Code & Low-Code Tools Compare platforms, explore tutorials, and start building without writing code.   Top No-/Low-Code Platforms Pricing at a Glance Platform Free Plan Paid Starts…

FAQs

Yes.
As of September 2025, Opal is completely free to use. It’s in public beta (U.S. only), and there are no pricing tiers, usage caps, or paywalls at this time.

No.
Opal apps can’t be exported or downloaded. You don’t get access to the underlying code, and there’s no way to move the app to another platform. Everything stays hosted on Google’s system and runs inside Opal’s own environment

It’s no-code.
Opal is designed so anyone can build apps using plain English. You don’t write code, set up APIs, or manage databases. You describe what you want, and Opal turns it into a functional mini-app—no technical skills required.

Not yet.
As of September 2025, Opal is a single-user experience. There’s no live collaboration, multi-editor support, or shared editing features like Google Docs or Figma. You can share a finished mini-app via a link, but you can’t co-build in real time.

No.
Opal only creates lightweight, shareable web apps—there’s no option to publish to the App Store or Google Play. Apps run in the browser via a Google-hosted link and aren’t designed for native mobile deployment.

None (yet).
Opal doesn’t support integrations with tools like Google Sheets, Zapier, APIs, or third-party services. Everything runs inside Opal’s self-contained workflow. You can’t connect data, trigger outside events, or sync with other apps—for now, it’s a standalone builder.

Bonus Questions

Can I use a custom domain?

No. As of September 2025, Opal only publishes apps on Google‑hosted links; there’s no support for custom domains or branding.

Can I monetize apps (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)?

Nope. Opal doesn’t offer any payment integration or monetization features—it’s built for experimentation, not sales.

Do I own the code that’s created?

No. Opal auto-generates apps as visual workflows only—you don’t get access to source code or the underlying logic.

Can I export the app and use it in another tool?

No. There’s no export or download option—Opal mini‑apps run only on Google’s platform. You’d need to rebuild them elsewhere.