Ninox vs. Access:
The Full Comparison
Below, we've broken down how Ninox and Access compare across every feature that matters. Collaboration, automation, access control, compliance, and more. Take your time with it.
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The full comparison
Access ties your data to one desktop and one file. Ninox frees it, so your whole team works from the same live system, anywhere.
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Access
TIER 1
Remote / hybrid access
Not supported natively; requires VPN or workarounds
Available from any location with internet access
GDPR compliance
Not GDPR compliant
GDPR-compliant by design
Real-time editing
Not supported; file locking causes conflicts
Full simultaneous real-time editing
AI for building
Not available
AI copilot helps non-technical users build tables, views, and automations
Free entry point
No free tier; requires Microsoft 365 subscription or one-time purchase
Free plan available. Paid plans from €25/month
TIER 2
Database size limit
2GB hard cap per .accdb file
No comparable hard cap; cloud-native architecture
Automation capability
Requires VBA or macros; significant technical knowledge needed
Built-in triggers, conditional logic, and scripting; no developer needed
Audit trail
Not available
Audit logging built in
Document generation
Not available natively
Generate contracts, invoices, and reports directly from live records
TIER 3
Operating system support
Windows only
Any OS via browser
Concurrent users
Supports up to 255 connections; real-world performance degrades significantly beyond ~20
Cloud-native architecture built for concurrent team use
SSO / SAML
Not supported natively
SSO, SAML, OAuth 2.0, MFA, OIDC
Data Structure
Data model
Relational desktop database; tables and queries via Jet Engine
Relational tables with defined field types, linked records, and modularity
Record relationships
Supported via defined relationships in table design
Native relational links between tables
Data type enforcement
Enforced at table level; can be overridden in forms
Enforced field types; data integrity maintained automatically
Database size limit
2GB hard cap per .accdb file
No comparable hard cap; cloud-native architecture
Records per table
Practical ceiling well below enterprise scale; degrades with complexity
Up to ~10 million records per table
Data import
Import from Excel, CSV, ODBC sources
CSV and Excel import with structured field mapping on ingestion
Data export
Export to Excel, CSV, PDF
Export to Excel, CSV, JSON via API
Backup and restore
Manual file-level backups; no native automation
Workspace-level automated backups with restore
Deployment & Access
Deployment model
Windows desktop application only
Cloud-native; fully browser-based
Operating system support
Windows only
Any OS via browser
Mobile access
Not supported
Fully accessible via browser on any device; native app planned
Remote / hybrid access
Not supported natively; requires VPN or workarounds
Available from any location with internet access
On-premises hosting
Desktop by default; no cloud option
On-premises hosting available alongside cloud
Offline access
Works offline as a desktop app
Web only at launch; offline planned on roadmap
Collaboration
Real-time editing
Not supported; file locking causes conflicts
Full simultaneous real-time editing
Single source of truth
File-based; multiple copies common across a team
One live database; everyone works from the same data
Concurrent users
Supports up to 255 connections; real-world performance degrades significantly beyond ~20
Cloud-native architecture built for concurrent team use
Comments on records
Not available natively
Native comments tied directly to records
Email tied to records
Not available
Built-in mailboxes; emails linked directly to records
Forms and surveys
Basic forms via Access UI; not web-shareable
Native web-based forms and surveys connected to live data
Calendar and scheduling
Not available
Built-in calendar with event-to-record linking
To-do lists and notes
Not available
Native to-do lists and notes built into the platform
Notification center
Not available
Native notification center
Automation
Automation capability
Requires VBA or macros; significant technical knowledge needed
Built-in triggers, conditional logic, and scripting; no developer needed
Scheduled automations
Not available natively; requires VBA + external scheduler
Native scheduled execution
Trigger on data change
Not available natively
Native data-change triggers
Scripting for power users
VBA (Visual Basic for Applications); significant technical investment
Built-in scripting layer for logic beyond no-code; lower barrier to entry
Access & Security
Role-based permissions
Basic user-level security; limited granularity
Org, workspace, and user-level roles with custom permissions
Audit trail
Not available
Audit logging built in
SSO / SAML
Not supported natively
SSO, SAML, OAuth 2.0, MFA, OIDC
Data residency
Local machine or network share; no cloud control
Configurable; on-premises hosting available
GDPR compliance
Not compliant
GDPR-compliant by design
ISO 27001 certification
Not certified
ISO 27001 certified
AI
AI foundation
No AI capabilities
AI-native from day one; built into the platform core
AI for building
Not available
AI copilot helps non-technical users build tables, views, and automations
AI for end-users
Not available
AI copilot assists end-users in navigating and working with data
Document Management
Document generation
Not available natively
Generate contracts, invoices, and reports directly from live records
Document versioning
File system only; no built-in versioning
Built-in versioning, change control, and tagging
Approval flows
Not available
Built-in document approval flows and annotations
Document storage
Local or network file system; no access permissions layer
Built-in storage with access permissions and retention rules
Integration & API
Public API
Not available
RESTful API with CRUD, upsert, batch operations, and scoped API keys
Third-party integrations
ODBC connections; limited modern integrations
Native integrations; API connects to external systems bi-directionally
App Building
Custom UI and views
Forms and reports builder; tightly coupled to data structure
Modern page builder with rich widgets, charts, buttons, and role-specific views
No-code building
Not applicable; all customization requires technical knowledge
Drag-and-drop builder; non-technical users build and modify without IT
Pricing & Access
Free entry point
No free tier; requires Microsoft 365 subscription or one-time purchase
Free plan available. Paid plans from €25/month
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can import data from CSV files using our import assistant, which guides you through mapping columns to your Ninox tables.
Yes. Create a free account without a credit card and start building right away. The Free plan is available indefinitely for up to 5 users. No trial period, no expiry.
Ninox is ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified, fully GDPR-compliant, and hosted in secure data centers in Germany. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. You own your data — and you can export it as a CSV at any time.
Ninox runs in any modern browser on desktop, tablet, or mobile. Native apps for iOS and Android are in development.
Yes. Ninox connects to tools like Zapier, Make, and n8n — and offers a public REST API so you can integrate with virtually any system. The Free plan includes 1,000 API calls per month. Team and Business plans scale up to 10,000 and 50,000 API calls per month respectively. For custom or enterprise-level integrations, talk to our team.
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