Anvil

Overview

Anvil is a browser-based Python environment for building and deploying full-stack web apps. It is best suited to developers who want one workflow for interface design, application code and hosting, rather than a separate web stack assembled from individual tools. Its strongest case is that integration; the trade-off is that free usage has meaningful data and background-task ceilings.

Key features

Design and development

A drag-and-drop designer handles the interface, while Python can run on both the client and server. An integrated debugger and profiler, Python environment tools and AI-assisted code intelligence round out the development environment. This combination lowers the amount of separate tooling needed for an app, though teams committed to a conventional desktop IDE workflow may prefer a focused editor.

Data, deployment and connections

Data Tables provide a built-in Postgres-backed database, and apps can be published on Anvil hosting or exported to the open-source Anvil App Server. That gives projects a path beyond Anvil-hosted deployment, including self-hosting, while keeping app development within the same environment. Anvil also supports HTTP APIs and Uplink connections to external Python code.

Built-in authentication and email cover common app requirements. Documented integrations include Google, Microsoft Entra ID, Facebook, Stripe and Tableau; Python SDKs can connect additional services. These options make Anvil more than a visual mock-up tool, but teams should still assess whether its built-in data model and deployment approach suit their existing architecture.

Mobile, security and hosting

Apps are responsive on phones and tablets. Anvil describes them as Progressive Web Apps installable on Android, iPhone and Chromebook, with offline operation. Its hosted infrastructure is in London on AWS eu-west-2, a relevant consideration for teams evaluating hosting location. Anvil says its API removes common flaws including injection, XSS and CSRF; that is a product claim, not a substitute for a team's security review. Its AI agents run in isolated sandboxes without access to user infrastructure or the local machine.

Pricing

Free

The Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free, billed free forever. It includes unlimited apps, cloud hosting, library installation and one developer, with 50,000 Data Table rows and 100 MB of storage. A 30-second background-task timeout also applies. This is a substantial starting point for individual prototypes and small apps, but the storage and task limits can constrain data-heavy or longer-running work.

Hobby and Business

Hobby is intended for personal projects and one developer only. It adds scheduled tasks, one custom domain and no Anvil banner, with 150,000 Data Table rows and 10 GB of storage. The pricing page shows 12 / 10 / 14 under Annual and 13 / 11 / 15 under Monthly, with USD, GBP and EUR selectors; the plan price is custom pricing. Compared with Free, it is a more workable personal deployment, but it does not add collaboration.

Business is for professional use and supports one or more developers, app collaboration, SSO in apps and staging environments, with community support. Its Data Table allowance is 1,000,000 rows. Pricing is custom pricing; the page shows 89 / 79 / 99 under Annual and 99 / 87 / 109 under Monthly, with USD, GBP and EUR selectors, and excludes VAT. It is the relevant step up for teams needing collaboration and staging, though community rather than private support is the included support tier.

Production and Enterprise

Production includes private support, reserved resources, unlimited extra compute, SQL access to Data Tables and isolated resources. Pricing is custom pricing; the page shows 1050+220 / 900+190 / 1200+250 under Annual and 1150+240 / 990+210 / 1320+275 under Monthly, with USD, GBP and EUR selectors, excluding VAT. Private support responds to development questions within 24 working hours. This tier is aimed at production workloads where support and compute headroom matter; it is a substantial step beyond the free and personal plans.

Enterprise has custom pricing and offers private deployment, on-premises or cloud, corporate authentication and full isolation. It is the fit for organizations that need deployment and authentication controls beyond a hosted shared-product setup.

Platforms

The development platform is web-based, and Anvil lists Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows among its platforms. Created apps are responsive and can be installed as PWAs on Android, iPhone and Chromebook, so mobile access does not require a separate native app workflow.

Who it's for

Anvil suits Python developers and small teams building database-backed web apps who value a visual UI workflow, integrated hosting and the option to export to an open-source server. Free is credible for exploration and modest workloads; Hobby addresses personal projects, while Business adds collaboration and staging. Choose another approach if you need a standard desktop IDE first, or if the stated free-plan data and task ceilings conflict with the workload.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Client- and server-side Python plus visual UI design consolidate app work in one environment.
• Pros: Postgres-backed Data Tables, hosting and an export path to the open-source App Server offer a connected build-to-deploy workflow.
• Pros: Built-in authentication, email, APIs and documented integrations address common application needs without requiring every connection to be built from scratch.
• Cons: Free storage is limited to 100 MB, with 50,000 rows and a 30-second background-task timeout, which may rule it out for growing or long-running workloads.
• Cons: Hobby is restricted to one developer, and Business includes community rather than private support.
• Cons: Business, Production and Enterprise use custom pricing, so teams must obtain a quote to compare total cost.

Alternatives

For a more conventional Python IDE rather than an integrated web-app builder, PyCharm offers a free plan with one month of Pro included and a Pro plan at 200.00 USD per year, billed per user per year. Spyder is a free open-source scientific Python IDE and is a better match when that specialized desktop use is the priority. Positron is another free desktop option for Linux, macOS and Windows.

Eric is a free IDE for Linux, macOS and Windows; PyScripter is a free Windows IDE for Python 3.8 or later. Thonny is a free desktop alternative for Linux, macOS and Windows, while CodeSkulptor3 is a free web option. Juno is a freemium iOS alternative.

Readers comparing broader categories can browse Python IDEs or Low-Code Development Platforms.

Verdict

Anvil is a strong choice for Python builders who want to move from interface design through data-backed web app deployment in one environment, with an export route when Anvil hosting is not the endpoint. Its free plan makes a useful starting point, but its storage, row and background-task limits are real constraints; teams that outgrow them should compare the custom-priced tiers carefully or choose a conventional IDE when integrated app building is not their priority.