FileMaker Pro
Shares rank 2 of 4 low-code app builders by recommenders
People recommend FileMaker for building simple, low-traffic database apps without code, and it helped some start development careers. Critics say it needs many workarounds and costs around $500 per seat.
People recommend FileMaker for building simple, low-traffic database apps without code, and it helped some start development careers. Critics say it needs many workarounds and costs around $500 per seat.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 67%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Advanced for its era
“Access / FileMaker / 4D were all great solutions for low-contention, low-user count low / no code CRUD apps.”
Comment from 26 Nov 2025 in “After 15 years, I use Outlook as my build pipeline” “MS Access, FileMaker and HyperCard were more advanced in some ways than anything today”
Comment from 14 Jan 2026 in “So, You've Hit an Age Gate. What Now?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Results feel janky and messy
“Can’t wait for a world full of apps as janky as most spreadsheets (or Access or FileMaker databases)”
Comment from 5 Sep 2026 in “Kale: A Transformation-Safe Spreadsheet System” “data coupled with code brings up awful memories of MacOS FileMaker”
Comment from 10 Oct 2026 in “Talorys – A self-hosted personal AI agent on Cloudflare's free tier”
Other low-code app builders people recommend
The three most recommended other low-code app builders, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Power Apps | 11 | 8 | 58% | 4 | — | — |
| FileMaker ProThis page | 8 | 4 | 67% | 5 | — | — |
| Retool | 8 | 13 | 38% | 7 | — | — |
| Breadboard | 7 | 2 | 78% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
9 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“data coupled with code brings up awful memories of MacOS FileMaker”
“Can’t wait for a world full of apps as janky as most spreadsheets (or Access or FileMaker databases)”
“FileMaker is no longer affordable. A single seat is around $500.”
“FileMaker wasn't bad, but a bit more limited UI wise”
“the system that got me started on the development career path”
“But as you go deeper you'll see a rather strange mix of things that do not really work well together.”
“The way to develop on FileMaker is to be an expert of workarounds that would stun an outsider.”
“MS Access, FileMaker and HyperCard were more advanced in some ways than anything today”
“Access / FileMaker / 4D were all great solutions for low-contention, low-user count low / no code CRUD apps.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.