Anvil

What It Is

Anvil is a web app builder for people who write Python. Its about page promises that you can "spin up and deploy a web app in just 5 minutes, using nothing but Python," with a drag-and-drop editor that avoids "5 different programming languages." It is closer to a low-code tool than a no-code one: you design the interface visually, and everything that happens in it is Python. The company's own line is "Code beats no-code", on the grounds that code means no limits and Anvil gives you escape hatches to look under the hood.

The reader it fits is a developer, data person or small team that wants to ship internal tools, data apps or new products without learning a front-end stack. The navigation lists use cases for internal tools, data science, machine learning, new products, mobile web apps and education. The 2 founders, Meredydd Luff and Ian Davies, are named on the about page, which describes a team with expertise "from machine learning to manufacturing". Anvil, Anvil Works and the logo are trademarks of The Tuesday Project Ltd.

What You Build and How

The editor. The article on the drag-and-drop builder says you drag UI components onto a page with "No HTML or JS required." Every element you create is a Python object, and clicking a button calls a Python function. The home page adds that you can generate the front end or build it from scratch, then adjust it with the visual designer.

Code. Python runs on both the front end and the back end, so one language covers the interface, the server logic and the data access. The home page promises that you can "use all your favorite libraries", and the pricing page lists "Install any library" even on the free plan. The pricing feature list also has rows for "Persistent Server" and "Private GitHub Repos".

Data, users and boilerplate. The home page says Anvil removes the need to write user authentication or database access "for the millionth time." Data lives in Data Tables, which the pricing page measures in rows and storage. The paid Production plan adds SQL access to Data Tables, and a tutorial in the article's related list shows building an app on an external database.

Email. A blog post explains how to build email-driven apps. A Python function decorated with @anvil.email.handle_message receives incoming mail, so you can store messages in a table and reply, and anvil.email.send sends mail with attachments. Files travel as Anvil Media objects, which you can upload from a browser, store in a database and make downloadable. The same post says it covers authenticating senders. Forms-style apps are covered by the tutorial that collects feedback and sends it to you by email.

AI. The home page says you can use your favorite AI agent directly inside the Anvil Editor or from your own IDE, and generate "apps that you have full control over with code you can edit." The pricing grid also lists "Use AI in the IDE" on the free plan and "Use Custom AI Model Providers" as a feature row.

Publishing and hosting. One click puts the app on the web: "Anvil takes care of hosting, updating and deployment." The home page promises instant cloud deployment with no dev-ops rabbit holes. If you would rather run it yourself, Anvil's Open Source App Server lets you deploy "on any computer", from a Raspberry Pi to a public server. The pricing page lists custom domains (one on the Hobby plan), scheduled tasks, staging environments and an enterprise tier with a dedicated instance.

Collaboration and access. Collaboration on apps and SSO in apps arrive on the Business plan. The feature grid also names SAML login, Microsoft and Azure integration, app log retention and corporate authentication; the page text does not tie each one to a plan.

Evidence From the Pages

The pricing page lists 4 plans plus a contact option. In US dollars it shows Free at 0 and "Free forever", Hobby at 12, Business at 89 and Production at 1,050 + 220, each marked as billed annually and excluding VAT (Hobby carries a "one developer only" note). The page also has an Annual and Monthly toggle and USD, GBP and EUR options. The page text does not spell out the billing period of each figure or what the second Production number covers, so confirm both on the page.

What each plan holds, as listed:

• Free: one developer account, unlimited apps, cloud hosting, installing Python libraries, static files storage, AI in the IDE, light CPU and RAM, 50,000 Data Table rows, 100 MB Data Table storage and a 30 second background task timeout.
• Hobby: everything in Free, plus no Anvil banner, scheduled tasks, one custom domain, 150,000 rows, 10 GB storage, an unlimited background task timeout and 1,000 outgoing emails a month.
• Business: everything in Hobby, plus collaboration on apps, SSO in apps, staging environments and community support. The comparison grid shows 1,000,000 rows and 100 GB for the third column.
• Production: private support, reserved resources, unlimited extra compute and SQL access to Data Tables, with custom limits on rows.
• Enterprise: a dedicated Anvil instance with private deployment, on-premise or cloud, corporate authentication and full isolation.

The page also mentions educational licences, and a "Need help picking a plan?" link to sales.

For support, the home page points to documentation, tutorials and "a very active community forum", and says custom development support comes with the paid plans. The footer links a changelog and forum. A testimonial from David Topf, founder of AnkiBuddy, says Anvil "completely takes over DevOps and database setup for me." The pages state no user count and no SOC 2 or similar certification.

Who It Suits and Who It Does Not

Anvil suits a Python developer who wants a real web app with a login, a database and a live URL without touching HTML, CSS or JavaScript, and who values being able to read and edit the code an AI agent produces. The free plan lets you build unlimited apps, and the open-source app server is a genuine way out of Anvil's cloud for anyone who worries about lock-in. Teams that need staging, single sign-on or a private instance can grow into the Business, Production and Enterprise levels.

It is a poor fit for someone who does not write code: the page is blunt that "If you can write Python, you can create a web app", and the drag-and-drop tool sits on top of that skill. Free apps carry the Anvil banner, and the Hobby plan allows one custom domain and one developer. Row and storage limits on the lower plans mean a data-heavy product should check the numbers before committing.