Analytics · checked 2026-10-19Can I vibecode Equals?
KINDA· weekend project
A personal version is a spreadsheet grid, a few synced tables and a way to turn cells into a dashboard. An agent can load Stripe and one Postgres database into DuckDB, put a formula grid on top and refresh it on a timer in a weekend. What it can't copy is breadth and trust: Equals leans on Fivetran for connectors like Salesforce and HubSpot, runs the warehouse for you, holds a SOC 2 Type II report according to its docs, and has an analyst build your first reports. One reader and two or three sources is a fair build; a team with many sources is why the product exists.
$2,000/moprice
$24,000you'd save a year
weekendbuild time
—people replaced it
What you need on hand.
DifficultyIntermediate · Some system setup or keys.
TimeA weekend; connector credentials and the formula grid take the longest
- Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
- Node.js 22DuckDB and better-sqlite3 both install native modules, so build tools must be installed.
- A Stripe restricted keyRead-only permissions on customers, subscriptions, invoices and charges.
- A read-only Postgres roleCreate it yourself and grant SELECT on the tables you want.
- A tunnel or small VPSOnly if other people need to open a dashboard link.
Before you buildEquals has no free plan and starts at $24,000 a year. For one person's reporting, a free Grist or Metabase install may already do the job, so try those before building.
- 1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
- 2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
- 3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.
The prompt
Build me a local spreadsheet on top of my own business data to replace Equals. Requirements:
- Node.js 22 + TypeScript: a Fastify API and a React UI built with Vite. The sheet is Univer
(`@univerjs/presets`, open-source core with formulas). `npm start` serves http://localhost:5300.
- Storage: DuckDB (`@duckdb/node-api`) in ./data/warehouse.duckdb for synced tables, and
better-sqlite3 in ./data/app.db for workbooks (Univer JSON snapshots), saved queries,
dashboards and sync logs. Secrets stay in .env, never in either database.
- Connectors behind one interface, sync(since) returning rows: Stripe (`stripe`, restricted
read-only key: customers, subscriptions, invoices, charges, incremental on `created`) and
Postgres (`pg`, a read-only role, tables and an optional updated_at cursor listed in
config.yaml). `node-cron` refreshes each connector hourly, with a Refresh button and a status
page showing last run, rows loaded and errors.
- Query to sheet: a SQL editor over the DuckDB tables; "Insert result" writes the rows into the
active sheet at a chosen cell. A saved query re-runs after each sync and rewrites its range, and
formulas that use the range recalculate. Cell values enter a query as bound parameters
(`{{Sheet1!B2}}`), never by string concatenation. Run queries on a read-only connection.
- Dashboards: pick ranges and charts (`recharts`) to build a page at /d/<random-token> that is
read-only and says "as of <last sync>". Clicking a figure in a query range shows its saved
SQL and sync time. A daily post to SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL sends the headline cells and a link.
- XLSX export of a sheet with values and formulas (`exceljs`).
- Single user. No accounts, no telemetry, local-first: only Stripe, your database and Slack are
contacted, and a test checks that the browser makes no other outbound requests (Univer ships
a telemetry package). Dashboard links need a tunnel or VPS, and the README explains the risk.
- Out of scope: Salesforce, HubSpot, NetSuite and other OAuth connectors, writeback to a CRM, an
AI agent, SSO, real-time multi-user editing.
- README: how to create the Stripe restricted key and the read-only Postgres role, where the data
lives, backups, and a warning that Univer's formula coverage is not identical to Excel's.Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.
Then keep going
Next prompts, same folder.
The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Equals.
Add a HubSpot connector to the data workbench in this folder. Requirements: - Implement the existing connector interface with a HubSpot private app token from .env, read-only scopes, for companies, contacts and deals. - Incremental sync on `hs_lastmodifieddate` through the search endpoint, paged, with backoff on 429 responses; store raw properties as JSON plus typed columns for amount, stage and close date. - Show the connector on the status page with last run and counts; a failed run keeps the previous data. - Update the README with the exact scopes to grant.
Add a question box to the data workbench in this folder. Requirements: - The LLM (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY or OLLAMA_URL from .env) gets only table and column names and types, never row data, and returns one SELECT statement. - Parse the SQL, reject anything but a single SELECT, show it for me to edit and run on the read-only connection with a row limit of 10,000. - A result can be inserted into the sheet or saved as a query. - Log each question, the SQL and the row count in SQLite. - Update the README with exactly what is sent to the LLM.
Add scheduled email reports to the data workbench in this folder. Requirements: - Per dashboard, choose recipients, a weekday and a time in the timezone from .env. - Render the dashboard to a PDF with Playwright after a fresh sync and attach it, with the headline cells in the email body; send through nodemailer SMTP from .env. - If the last sync failed or is older than 24 hours, send nothing and notify me instead. - A Send now button and a log of every send. - Update the README.
What you lose
- Connectors to Salesforce, HubSpot, NetSuite, QuickBooks and others that run on Fivetran
- A warehouse that Equals runs for you, refreshed as often as every 15 minutes on the top plan
- The analyst who builds your first reports, and the AI agent with its MCP server
- Writeback of values from the spreadsheet into HubSpot or Salesforce
- SOC 2 Type II and SSO for a company's security review
Why people still pay
Revenue and finance teams pay so the numbers in a board deck come from one place where every figure links to its formula and source query, and the CRM sync doesn't go stale. The price also includes an analyst to build the first reports, which a DIY spreadsheet does not.
Equals or your own copy?
Over
Your usage
12h ×$/h
Equals, 1 yr$24,000
Your own copy, 1 yr$44running + build session
You keep$23,957pays for itself in the first month
Estimate · Runs on your machine; a $5 VPS or a free tunnel only matters if you share dashboards. Stripe and Postgres reads cost nothing. The build is token usage on your agent plan.
Take your data, then cancel.
1 · Take your data out of Equals
- 1Equals's docs list no workbook export in what we read; dashboards can be exported as PDF. Ask your account contact how to export workbooks and saved queries before you sign or leave.
- 2Copy the SQL of every saved query and view into files yourself: the docs offer version history for queries but no bulk download.
- 3Your data lives in your own sources, so the clean way out is to reconnect them to the new tool: the Stripe, CRM and database connections are re-created there.
- 4Query results can be written back to HubSpot or Salesforce objects: note which fields Equals fills in, since those stop updating when you leave.
2 · Cancel Equals
- 1Neither the pricing page nor the docs publish cancellation steps: plans are annual contracts signed through sales.
- 2Read your order form for the term, the renewal date and the notice period, then give notice in writing to your account contact.
- 3Ask whether data in the Equals-managed warehouse is deleted after the contract ends, and when.
- Equals says it is SOC 2 Type II certified and keeps customer data separated per datasource: keep that report if an auditor asks about the period you used it.
- Non-SQL connectors run on Fivetran; extra connectors and AI usage are billed on top, so check the final invoice.
- Rebuild the dashboards you rely on in the new tool before the contract ends and compare the numbers side by side.
The escape hatch
Don't feel like building it? These are already free.
GristOpen sourceApache-2.0 relational spreadsheet that mixes a grid with a database; the Community edition self-hosts, with import and formulas but no live connector library.★ 12k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗MetabaseOpen sourceOpen-source edition under the AGPL: connect a database, ask questions and build dashboards; the repo also holds paid commercial editions under another licence.★ 50k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗EvidenceOpen sourceMIT tool for writing reports as SQL and Markdown that build into a site; code-first, so no spreadsheet grid.★ 7.0k · active Oct 2026 · one-click install
WebVisit ↗
WebVisit ↗MetabaseOpen sourceOpen-source edition under the AGPL: connect a database, ask questions and build dashboards; the repo also holds paid commercial editions under another licence.★ 50k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗EvidenceOpen sourceMIT tool for writing reports as SQL and Markdown that build into a site; code-first, so no spreadsheet grid.★ 7.0k · active Oct 2026 · one-click install
WebVisit ↗
The numbers
Equals pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual, per month | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | — | $2,000/workspace | Unlimited viewers and editors, 3 connectors, data refresh every 6 hours, BI spreadsheet and dashboards, push to Slack, an AI agent with $250 a month of AI spend included, and an analyst who builds the first reports. |
| Business | — | $3,000/workspace | Everything in Essential plus 5 connectors or a warehouse, hourly refresh, writeback to your CRM, Infinity (no row limits) and $500 a month of AI spend. |
| Enterprise | — | $5,000/workspace | Everything in Business plus unlimited connectors or a warehouse, 15-minute refresh, enterprise SSO and $1,000 a month of AI spend. |
- Free tier
- No free plan.
- Billing
- Prices are annual contracts ($24k, $36k or $60k a year) and the page lists no monthly billing, so the monthly figure is the annual price divided by 12. Payment schedule, renewal and cancellation terms aren't published and come with the sales contract. Older directory listings that show a per-user price are out of date next to this page.
- Hidden costs
- Extra connectors cost $199 a month each for databases and scripts and $699 a month each for everything else on Business and Enterprise (Essential's price isn't published). AI use beyond the included monthly spend is billed by usage, extra implementation work is $5,000 per 10 hours, and a fair-use policy lets Equals pause Fivetran-powered syncs and quote custom pricing for high volumes.
- Source
- equals.com
Also on the list
Related apps
No free plan. A trial is tailored to each customer and arranged through a demo.
Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: Connectors to Salesforce, HubSpot, NetSuite, QuickBooks and others that run on Fivetran, A warehouse that Equals runs for you, refreshed as often as every 15 minutes on the top plan.
About $2,000 a month on the Essential plan, $24,000 a year (checked 2026-10-19).
Connectors to Salesforce, HubSpot, NetSuite, QuickBooks and others that run on Fivetran; A warehouse that Equals runs for you, refreshed as often as every 15 minutes on the top plan; The analyst who builds your first reports, and the AI agent with its MCP server; Writeback of values from the spreadsheet into HubSpot or Salesforce; SOC 2 Type II and SSO for a company's security review. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.
Yes: Grist (open source), Metabase (open source), Evidence (open source).