# Glide expert: field and operations apps that stay fast as they grow. > SBD builds Glide apps for field and operations teams, designs the data so they stay fast as rows grow, and connects them to your systems of record, for teams of 5 to 1,000 people. Workflow automation builds start at $1,500 and internal tools at $3,000, with the fixed price set after a $500 Automation Audit that is credited to the build. - Canonical: https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/glide/ - Publisher: SmallBay Digital ## What a Glide developer from SBD builds Most teams that contact us already run something on Glide: an inspection app, a stock or job tracker, a staff directory. It was quick to build and people use it on their phones. Then rows pile up, computed columns slow screens down, and someone asks for the data to reach the finance system. We work with the app you have and tell you plainly where Glide stops. The work falls into three parts. Data: choosing between Glide Tables, Big Tables, a spreadsheet or a SQL database, and designing relations and computed columns that stay within their limits. Screens and roles: layouts that work one-handed on site, offline-tolerant forms, and row owners so each person sees only their own jobs. Workflows: Glide workflows for in-app steps, and n8n or Make where data crosses systems, needs retries or must be logged. We have not published a case study built on Glide, so we will not point you to one. The closest published work is an [order and dispatch app built on Retool](https://smallbaydigital.com/case-studies/order-management-app/) for a building materials supplier, with role-based views for warehouse and transport staff and WhatsApp updates. ## When Glide is the right choice, and when it is not Glide suits field and operations teams who need a clean mobile app quickly: inspections, site visits, deliveries, stock counts, simple approvals. Non-technical admins can change screens without a developer, which keeps small changes cheap. Where the data lives decides how far it scales. Glide documents a limit of 25,000 rows for a standard Glide Table and up to 10 million rows for Big Tables, and its FAQ ties the 10 million figure to Enterprise plans. Big Tables limit aggregations, lookups and rollups to 100 matching rows, so reporting logic may need to move elsewhere. A SQL database keeps the data in a system you control and other tools can read. We will steer you elsewhere when: - The app needs complex logic, heavy reporting or a strict audit trail; a database with Retool or custom code holds that better. - Many systems write to the data every minute; that belongs in Postgres with Glide as one of several front ends, or without Glide. - Permissions must be enforced on a server for external users; a custom app does that more reliably. - The team only needs a form and a sheet; a form tool costs less. ## Glide plans, credits and data choices Glide prices by plan, team members and usage credits. Its pricing page also gates published apps and enabled workflows by plan, so an organisation with several apps and automations usually lands on Pro or Enterprise. The pricing page does not publish row limits per plan, so we confirm the data choice against your plan during the audit. From Glide's pricing page in October 2026: - **Basic:** $25 a month; 2 team members; 2 published apps; 1 enabled workflow. - **Plus:** $50 a month; 3 team members; 5 published apps; 5 enabled workflows. - **Pro:** $125 a month; from 5 team members; unlimited published apps and workflows; 24-hour data backups. - **Enterprise:** priced on request; adds SSO, audit logs, publishing approval, project-level roles and permissions, premium and enterprise integrations and 30-day backups. ## How hiring a Glide expert from SBD works Every engagement starts with an [Automation Audit](https://smallbaydigital.com/services/audit/) at $500, credited in full to your build. For Glide we review the app, its tables and computed columns, which workflows run, how fast key screens load and how close you are to row and credit limits. You get a ranked list of fixes, each with a fixed price, and a blueprint for the first build. Workflow automation builds start at $1,500, internal tools at $3,000 and multi-module systems at $5,000, and the fixed price is set after the audit and agreed before work begins. Typical scopes are a new field app, a data restructure that moves heavy tables to Big Tables or SQL, or an integration with accounting, ERP or messaging. Work runs in two-week sprints with sixty days of hypercare, and care plans start at $50 a month. Nothing is billed by the hour; see the [pricing page](https://smallbaydigital.com/pricing/). Your Glide subscription is paid by you to Glide. We do not resell licences. ## What you own, and moving into or out of Glide The Glide team, the data source and every integration account are in your name. You receive a data document listing tables, relations, computed columns and row owners, a guide for your admins on what they can safely change, and a runbook for each integration. Migration runs both ways. Teams move into Glide from paper forms, WhatsApp groups and shared sheets; we map the data, set roles, pilot with one crew, then roll out. Teams also move the data out from under Glide, into Postgres or another SQL database, when volume or reporting demands it, keeping the app people already know. The audit tells you which path fits. Book a discovery call to talk through your app. ## At enterprise scale In larger organisations Glide is usually run by operations, facilities, field service, logistics and HR teams who need mobile apps for staff away from a desk. Apps often start in one region or depot and spread, so several apps and data sources end up owned by different people, and central IT becomes involved once the apps hold customer or staff data. - **SSO and access** Glide lists SSO, audit logs and project-level roles and permissions on Enterprise. We map your identity provider groups to Glide roles and row owners, so staff see only their own jobs and leavers lose access when their account is closed. - **Large data volumes** We choose Glide Tables, Big Tables or SQL from expected row counts and reporting needs, and design computed columns around the documented Big Tables limits so key screens stay fast. - **Publishing control** Glide lists publishing approval on Enterprise. We set who may publish, keep a written change log, and release changes in a scheduled window with a rollback plan. - **Systems of record** We connect Glide to your ERP, accounting or HR system through n8n or Make, with one system owning each field, retries on failure and alerts before data drifts. - **Field conditions** We design forms for patchy signal, gloves and bright light: short steps, large targets, photos and signatures captured once, and clear status when a submission has not yet synced. - **Governance and training** We write a short admin guide covering who may create apps and tables, naming and how to request changes, then train your admins on your own apps. ### Engagements - **Already on Glide, need more complex builds.** The first app works and other teams want their own: approvals, scheduling, stock across sites. We audit what exists, restructure the data where it slows you down, and add the workflows needed, priced as a fixed build. - **Already on Glide, app slowing down.** Rows have grown and screens take longer to load. We move heavy tables to Big Tables or a SQL database, simplify computed columns and keep the same screens your crews already know. - **Already on Glide, need it connected to the ERP.** Office staff still rekey jobs, stock or timesheets from the app into the ERP or accounting system. We build a sync with clear field ownership, retries and alerts, so both agree without a weekly reconciliation. - **Already on Glide, need governance across teams.** Several depots built their own apps and nobody is sure who can see what. We map apps, data and roles, set up SSO where your plan includes it, and write rules your IT team can review. ## Related - [Case study: order and dispatch app](https://smallbaydigital.com/case-studies/order-management-app/) - [Retool developer](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/retool/) - [Supabase](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/supabase/) - [Airtable consultant](https://smallbaydigital.com/integrations/tools/airtable/) - [Internal tools](https://smallbaydigital.com/services/internal-tools/) - [Pricing](https://smallbaydigital.com/pricing/) ## Sources - Glide: Pricing page (plans, team members, published apps, workflows, backups, Enterprise features), checked 29 October 2026 - Glide: Big Tables documentation (25,000-row Glide Table limit, 10 million rows, 100-row aggregation limits) - Glide: FAQ (10 million rows with Big Tables on Enterprise plans)