Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service comparison

Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs. Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Oracle Application Express ...

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

3rd

Ranking in Low-Code Development Platforms

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Development Platforms (2nd)

Oracle Visual Builder Cloud...

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

24th

Ranking in Low-Code Development Platforms

23rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is 4.9%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service is 1.6%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rapid Application Development Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Oracle Application Express (APEX)	4.9%
Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service	1.6%
Other	93.5%

Rapid Application Development Software

Featured Reviews

Dominik Grabiński

Oracle APEX Developer at Pretius

Fast low-code web development has transformed how I build complex data-driven business apps

Oracle Application Express (APEX) is a very great tool that is easy to learn but hard to master. The level of entry is very low, but the longer I work with this platform, the more I understand how it works and the great things I can create. For example, I can create report graphs and handle a lot of data across many levels. It's a great application to start with, and when I have experience in Oracle databases, I can utilize Oracle Application Express (APEX) as a front-end tool for the Oracle database. Oracle Application Express (APEX) helps me create reports and graphs by providing a plethora of out-of-the-box solutions that I can use. For example, I can upload data to and from the database, upload photos, create maps, and create various report types such as Interactive Report and Interactive Grid where I can manage, edit, and delete data. I have many solutions that are very helpful and ready to use right away from Oracle Application Express (APEX). My favorite feature of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is the Interactive Report because it's a straightforward report that I can create using a simple query or by selecting a particular table from the database. In the action button behind it, I have many great features that I can use out of the box, including graphs and download options for Excel files. There are many sorting functionalities and accounting features. The Interactive Report is a very great tool for quickly displaying interesting data to clients. Oracle Application Express (APEX) has positively impacted my organization by being very fast compared to other languages and products. For example, I don't have to build a site from the ground up, nor do I have to create tons of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript because Oracle Application Express (APEX) offers many built-in solutions. When I want to create a button, in another language, I would need to create it from scratch. In Oracle Application Express (APEX), I can simply use what's available out of the box. It's a very fast platform with many built-in components that I can utilize right away.

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Sherif Bashar

Head Of Digital Solutions at Aptec Ingrammicro

Offers low-code/no-code concept makes development much easier and faster and offers good community support as the development team actively answers questions on the community every day

There are very minor things, like the feature called "action chains," that could use a bit of enhancement. But the team is perfect; they're working on it. An action chain is a sequence of actions triggered by a button or an event. It executes code in order, from top to bottom. For example, it could call a code, call a REST service, and then insert data into a database. It needs enhancement because it can be a bit complex for fresh grads or new developers to understand. It would be better if it was made more readable. That's the main point. But if you have experience, you'll understand it easily. One more thing I want to add about Visual Builder: up until two years ago, it supported native mobile development. That's not available anymore. They replaced native mobile development with progressive web apps, and most customers are complaining about that. We need native mobile development back – the ability to put apps on stores like Google Play or the App Store. That feature is not available right now, and they deprecated it starting in 2024. It's very important. Otherwise, clients go with Flutter or other mobile development tools. It would be good for Oracle to regain that capability. We need the native mobile development feature back.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"This product allows us to manage our data processing using simple screens."

"The solution's most valuable aspect is its Graphics Form Design."

"The impact of Oracle Application Express (APEX) on our organization is huge because we build our software for all our customers with it."

"By using Express, we are able to load the data and integrate it into our data map."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of use."

"I think it's a very good solution for developing web applications."

"Our clients use this solution continuously, it has a well-designed architecture and is a simple 3rd party application, and our clients really like the new version because it does not need to be maintained very often."

"It's low code, or even no code. It's very flexible, allowing you to achieve what you want. You can customize applications with very little code, which is the best part."

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) pros

"The tool is very easy to use."

"You don't need a dedicated IDE to develop. You can work from any browser, which is very convenient. And, with the cloud concept, your code is stored in the cloud, so you can modify it from anywhere, at any time."

"The initial setup is easy."

"VBS is another tool that allows users to create enterprise applications without needing to store their projects in traditional databases like SQL."

"The most valuable feature was the visual drag and drop on the components."

"The action chains are really helpful, and the trigger event, along with those action chains, has been very helpful."

"You can avoid costly React developers that are required for building advanced UI."

Cons

"Oracle Application Express would be improved if you could use it on a mobile platform."

"From a technical perspective, APEX is not yet well received from developers because they think it is not mature."

"I see room for improvement in Oracle Application Express (APEX), specifically in the customer-facing UI, which could be better or more adjustable; you can do everything you want, but at a certain point, you must handle things in CSS."

"Reporting needs to be accessed via third party tools."

"For beginners, understanding the installation process can be challenging because documentation is limited."

"The grid reports contain a lot of bugs."

"Regarding features, the solution lacks the ability to integrate with different databases. Also, I feel that Oracle Application Express (APEX) is exclusively designed for other Oracle tools."

"There is a bit of a learning curve involved when first using the solution."

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) cons

"There was an attempt to enable front-end development, it did what it intended to do, but the side effects were too bad."

"The tool has minor bugs."

"My honest opinion is: do not use this solution — there are plenty of free options out there that will do the trick."

"There are some bugs in VBCS."

"I would improve the license structure as, for some companies, it may seem a little bit expensive, depending on what they're doing."

"If you're doing some, for example, extremely responsive applications for the web, it's not as good."

"The feature called "action chains" could use a bit of enhancement."

"The initial setup of Oracle VBCS can be challenging for those unfamiliar with DBS."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's a free solution with no additional costs."

"Apex is not priced separately; instead, it is associated with the Oracle database. A free option for Oracle database and Apex can be downloaded and installed on this complimentary database version. This aligns with our current approach."

"Oracle Application Express (APEX) is free, so this is another magic of the solution. You just get charged for the database license, which I don't need."

"I believe APEX comes bundled with the database, including autonomous database and other related database products, so the pricing is quite reasonable."

"The tool is free with the Oracle Database license."

"Pricing is expensive, overall on an enterprise system but we consider that it gives corresponding value in the product."

"When you have a licensed database in an Oracle environment, APEX is free."

"The product is completely free of cost."

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) pricing and cost advice

"It's not expensive when you consider what it provides: low-code/no-code development, faster development time, good quality, and good stability."

"Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service is much too expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

10%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	28

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Application Express (APEX)?

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing has been that Oracle Application Express (APEX) is free, so we do not have to buy anything besides the database.

What needs improvement with Oracle Application Express (APEX)?

I see room for improvement in Oracle Application Express (APEX), specifically in the customer-facing UI, which could be better or more adjustable; you can do everything you want, but at a certain p...

What is your primary use case for Oracle Application Express (APEX)?

My main use case for Oracle Application Express (APEX) is building software platforms for our customers.A specific example of a platform I have built for a customer using Oracle Application Express...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service?

I actually don't have much experience with pricing, so I can't comment on it right now.

What is your primary use case for Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service?

There was a requirement to build a custom form to raise AI invoices, using Oracle Fusion. We created a form, and another use case was that users wanted to create and update customers.

What advice do you have for others considering Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service?

VBCS is very flexible. If there is a custom solution or requirement that requires doing something out of the box with Oracle Fusion, you can easily achieve it using VBCS. I'd rate the solution eigh...

Microsoft Power Apps vs Oracle Application Express (APEX)

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Product Reports

Oracle Application Express (APEX)

Download Oracle Application Express (APEX) product report

Oracle Application Express (APEX) report

Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service

Download Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service product report

Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service report

Also Known As

Oracle APEX

No data available

Overview

Oracle Application Express (APEX) offers rapid development with user-friendly design, built-in solutions, and efficient data handling in a low-code environment, integrating seamlessly with Oracle databases.

Oracle Application Express provides robust capabilities for developing web applications, featuring an intuitive interface and seamless Oracle database integration. It facilitates complex process simplification through Interactive Reports and smart sheets. Although it demands a continuous database connection, challenging integration with third-party applications, and workflow enhancements, APEX supports low-code development, making it suitable for swift application deployment. Users mention the requirement for better mobile and offline usage, enhanced reporting features, and improved Oracle Cloud integration.

What are the main features of Oracle Application Express?

Rapid Development: Enables fast application development through an intuitive interface and low-code environment.
Interactive Reports: Simplifies data presentation and management with customizable reports.
Seamless Database Integration: Integrates smoothly with Oracle databases for efficient data handling.
Graphical Capabilities: Offers powerful tools for data visualization and graphical representation.
Security and Stability: Provides robust security features and stability across applications.

What benefits and ROI should users expect from Oracle Application Express?

Efficiency: Speeds up application deployment and reduces development time with low-code tools.
Cost Reduction: Lowers costs by integrating existing Oracle technologies.
Scalability: Supports scalable solutions adaptable to diverse environments and business needs.
User-Friendly: Offers a straightforward design that simplifies user interaction despite being customizable.
Process Optimization: Helps streamline and modernize internal processes, replacing outdated systems.

Companies leverage Oracle Application Express for creating web applications in banking, healthcare, and government sectors. It aids in rapid application development, integrating with Oracle technologies, and updating obsolete systems. Organizations employ it for HR platforms, healthcare portals, complaint management, ERP systems, and interactive reporting tools, emphasizing low-code capabilities for prompt application delivery.

Oracle

Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service delivers a low-code environment featuring drag-and-drop capabilities for seamless development without vendor locks, ensuring scalability and versatility.

Offering drag-and-drop functionality and a low-code environment, Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service supports both beginners and experienced developers by integrating JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, enhanced with Oracle JET packages. This service facilitates browser-based development and easy integration with existing systems. However, improvement is needed in its licensing structure, functionality for less experienced developers, and native mobile development support. Performance can be affected by minor bugs, especially with complex tasks.

What are the key features?

Drag-and-Drop Builder: Simplifies UI/UX development with intuitive design tools.
Low-Code Environment: Accelerates application development with minimal coding.
Integration Capabilities: Easily integrates with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for complex scenarios.
Scalability: Adapts to growing business needs with robust architecture.
Comprehensive Documentation: Provides detailed resources for assistance and learning.
Action Chains & Trigger Events: Enhances application interactivity and functionality.

What should users consider for ROI?

Development Speed: Reduces time to market with efficient design tools.
Cost Effectiveness: Offers long-term savings compared to custom coding solutions.
Flexibility: Supports diverse business applications from case management to AI invoices.
System Integration: Works seamlessly with Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP.

Businesses leverage Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service in industries like legal, healthcare, and enterprise resource planning. It aids in developing software for case management, creating worklists for medical companies, and extending Oracle SaaS applications. Companies also benefit from its capability to build custom forms and streamline business processes.

Oracle

Sample Customers

Hepart AG, pharmasol, SATLOG, Collège Bois-de-Boulogne

Transcom Worldwide, Latham Pool Products

Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs. Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service