Knack Review: Databases Made Incredibly Easy

Knack is an easy to use database management app that requires no coding knowledge to setup powerful databases on Mac and PC.

Knack is elegant, simple to use yet still powerful.

In our opinion, among the no-code database apps, it’s by far the easiest database software to use on both macOS and Windows and the best Microsoft Access for Mac alternative.

It’s also the best Bento for Mac alternative for anyone that misses the much loved but now discontinued Bento database software.

It also works on the latest versions of macOS including Sonoma and the latest M1 and M2 Macs based on Apple’s silicon technology.

You can quite feasibly build your own CRM, HRM or project management tool using Knack for a fraction of the cost of buying a bespoke solution.

Knack features both back-end and front-end hosting so all the heavy lifting is done for you from the start.

Knack is used by everything from small associations and businesses to blue chip companies including giants like Intel and Panasonic so it’s very scalable and accessible to all.

You can try Knack for free with no credit card required and get 1 hour of free support to help you get up and running.

In this review, we look at what Knack can do.

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What Is Knack Database Software?

Knack is a Cloud based tool that allows you to quickly create an online database which can be accessed remotely and requires no coding knowledge.

Knack is used by a wide range of industries including Education Management, Marketing and Advertising, Higher Education, Information Services and Government Administration.

Knack consists mainly of an application builder, customization tools, analytics, reporting tools an API and even payment processing.

How To Create A Database With Knack

Knack makes it extremely fast and easy to create databases.

You can start from scratch with no coding knowledge or there are many database templates which you can tweak and modify for your own custom solution.

For instance with the employment portal template you can quickly setup a recruiting tool with customized fields that applicants can fill in.

Other Knack templates include a customer portal, inventory manager, donations manager, CRM manager, project manager, events calendar, job listing, product catalog and more.

You can also add search, forms, maps, reports, eCommerce, calendars, tables and more to your Knack portal

Knack calls databases “apps” so every database you create is a different app.

Simply define the data your app will store and use, structure your data with fields and then connect it all together.

You then simply build an interface by dropping in elements that define how your users view and update your database.

You can choose interfaces such as tables, lists, search fields, maps or forms.

You can then deploy your app by embedding it in websites, show different pages to different users and display on mobile devices.

If you don’t want to start from scratch, you can choose one of the many Knack database templates covering Search, Forms, Maps, Reports, Tables, E-Commerce, E-Commerce and more.

If you want to deploy your database online, you can either use your own domain name or you can use a Knack subdomain as you get a certain amount of free storage space with each plan.

Knack is incredibly good at dealing with large amounts of data and allows you to pivot large data-sets with simplified permission based views.

Knack Analytics

Monitoring database activity is made clear and easy with data delivered to charts, graphs and pivot tables in real time.

The reports are a bit limited in range but you can also add Google Analytics to Knack although it can’t track page loads or clicks because Knack pages are dynamically created with Javascript.

Knack Third Party Integration

You can also connect Knack to third party applications via Zapier such as Mailchimp, Google Docs and Dropbox so that it dynamically updates databases.

These “Zaps” can send information back and forth to Knack from over 750 different applications and as long as the application you want to connect to has an API (which most do) it’s insanely easy to setup.

Knack is also integrated with payment solutions such as Visa, PayPal and Stripe if you’re building an e-commerce database.

More recently, Knack has introduced a new AI app builder into the product.

This allows you to give the app a description of what you want to create, target users and main data tables and Knack will create a database for you which you can then customize.

Importing Microsoft Access Files

Although Knack can’t import MS Access files, it can if you convert them to CSV format (Comma Separated Values) format which is the most common way to export databases from Access, Excel and other database tools.

You can do this online using a conversion tool although the imported file may require some manually formatting afterwards to correct any import errors.

Is Knack Hipaa Compliant?

Yes, Knack offers special HIPAA compliant plans and it also supports PCI compliant user logins.

Disadvantages Of Knack

Although generally it’s a superb tool, there are some downsides to Knack.

The user interface is quite rigid although it’s easy to use and can change the look, colors, and font layouts without any coding.

Another issue is that some users may find it a bit limited in features than other database software. Although tools like Microsoft Access have become increasingly bloated, they do offer a level of control not possible in Knack.

You also can’t send PDFs from your HTML Knack apps although there are online converters that will convert HTML to PDF for you.

Knack Customer Support

With anything as complex at database creation, you need good support if things go wrong.

Knack offers support via phone, email and Skype 10am-6pm EST, Monday-Friday. Knack aims to respond to emails by the next business day although we have read reports of users claiming it can often be considerably longer than this.

There is also a Knack user forum which isn’t very active although this is slowly changing as the app gets more popular.

Knack Pricing Plans

Knack plans start at $49 per month for up to 20,000 records, 2GB of storage, 3 apps and basic support.

There are also pro ($99 per month) corporate ($219 per month) and enterprise (pricing upon request) solutions for needs of almost any size.

There are no setup fees, contracts or database size limits. All data stored in Knack also remains the property of the owner at all times, not Knack itself.

There are no additional expenses for more user, views or roles.

You can try Knack for free with no credit card required and get 1 hour of free support to help you get up and running.