DolphinCSV alternative with a free plan and no per-import fee
Updog is free up to 100,000 rows a month. Team costs $100 per production domain, with no import counter and no row cap. It renders inside your own page and works from the columns you set in code.
100% client-sideWhite-labelFree up to 100,000 rows/month
Updog and DolphinCSV at a glance
| Dimension | Updog | DolphinCSV |
|---|---|---|
| Data privacy | Files are parsed, validated, and edited in the browser. Row data never reaches Updog's servers, so there is no data processor, DPA, or residency to manage. | The importer runs in an iframe served from DolphinCSV's domain. With the Frontend passthrough destination, which hands the rows to your page, the FAQ states that files are processed in the browser and that only your credentials and the column header names reach DolphinCSV's server, for automatic column matching. With the Bubble destination, the FAQ states that DolphinCSV processes the rows and forwards them to the Bubble app. The FAQ says uploaded CSV data is never stored. The pricing cards say DolphinCSV never sees your data, without the Bubble exception. |
| White-label | Full styling through CSS variables and class overrides. No Updog logos or "powered by" on any plan, including the free one. | A theme sets colors, corner radii, and typography, through a prop or a theme saved in the dashboard. Every plan lists theme customization and branding removal. The importer renders in an iframe, so your page's own CSS does not reach inside it. |
| Pricing | Free up to 100,000 rows a month across all production domains, with no limit on localhost and preview domains. Team is $100 per production domain per month, or $1,000 a year, with no row limit, and your first paid domain includes a free one for staging. | Public and self-serve. Basic is $20 a month with 100 imports, Standard $29 with 250, and Professional $79 with 1,000. Each extra import costs $0.30, $0.20, or $0.15 by plan. Development and demo modes return the first 10 rows and do not count against the quota. |
| Data mapping | Schema in code. Fuzzy column matching with a built-in synonym dictionary you can extend, or connect the AI your organization already approves through a hook, so it runs on infrastructure you control with no new AI vendor to clear. Updog keeps no mapping history. Your app owns that state and can supply saved selections on later imports. Maps incoming values to your options. Auto-detects number and date formats. Combines files by upserting on a key. | Columns live in a template you build in DolphinCSV's dashboard or through its management API, and your code can override them. The header row is detected automatically, with a manual fallback. Column matching is AI-assisted and runs on DolphinCSV's server, which receives the header names. No step maps incoming values to your picklist options, so a value outside the list is an error. |
| Data cleaning | Cells edit inline through a typed editor per column, from text, email and url through number, boolean, date and time to select, multiselect, country and currency, with clipboard, fill handle, and full undo and redo. Values pass a transform on the way in, then validation runs at three levels, built-in rules, your own checks, and asynchronous ones. Sorting, full-text search, filters on the columns you enable, and formulas. Invalid rows can block submit or come through flagged. Any view also exports in any supported format. | The review step is an AG Grid table with editable cells and a one-click action that fixes formatting errors across the file. Validation comes from twelve column types, among them email, URL, picklist, date, and US and international phone numbers, each with options such as length, letter casing, and minimum and maximum. Submit stays disabled until every error is fixed. Sorting is switched off in the review grid. |
| Scale & performance | About one million rows at around 20 columns in the browser, with a filter on every column. No fixed row cap, the browser tab's memory is the ceiling, and fewer columns reach further. Filtering and sorting run in a worker, measured at 30 to 250 milliseconds over a million rows. | Files are parsed and validated in the browser, inside the iframe. Each plan stops a file at a row count, 1,000 rows on Basic, 10,000 on Standard, and 100,000 on Professional. The FAQ says the importer works well until about 100,000 rows and that validation slows down beyond that. |
| Integration | React component, plus a Web Component for Vue, Angular, Svelte, and vanilla JS. Renders inline in your page's DOM. Imports CSV, TSV, Excel, JSON, and XML, plus any other format through a parser you register yourself. | React and vanilla JavaScript packages, plus a script-tag build. The importer opens as an iframe from DolphinCSV's domain, and rows return to your page through a callback. Each template carries a list of allowed domains. Imports CSV, TSV, XLSX, and XLS. A Bubble.io plugin is available. |
| Languages & RTL | English by default, with every interface string overridable, so you can localize into any language. Right-to-left is first-class. It flips layout, text alignment, scrollbars, and column pinning, and carries through to export. | English only, per the FAQ. |
| Accessibility | An ARIA grid with full keyboard navigation and screen-reader support. WCAG 2.2 AA is the level Updog builds to, with automated rule checks over every component and every step of the importer on each test run. Updog holds no independent audit or VPAT. | The review step is built on AG Grid, which carries grid roles and keyboard navigation, and the dialogs come from the Radix primitives. The importer runs in an iframe, so its ARIA relationships stop at that boundary. |
Both DolphinCSV npm packages were last published in April 2025. The hosted importer and the homepage pricing were live on the date of the check. Facts checked against DolphinCSV's public pages in September 2026.
Which one fits your team
DolphinCSV may fit better if
- You want columns kept in a dashboard template that a non-developer can edit, with a management API to create templates from code.
- You want AI-assisted column matching hosted by the vendor, with no AI provider of your own to connect.
- Your app is built on Bubble.io and you want a plugin that delivers rows into the Bubble app.
Updog may fit better if
- You want an importer and spreadsheet editor embedded in your own app.
- You want to match your app's design exactly, styling the editor with your own CSS through variables and class overrides.
- You want to handle large files in the browser, with nothing stored on a server.
- You want flat, public pricing with no per-import fees.
- You want to use the AI your organization already approves, with no new vendor to clear.
Questions people ask
Is Updog a drop-in replacement for DolphinCSV?
No. Updog renders in your page's DOM from the columns you set in code, while DolphinCSV opens an iframe from its own domain and reads its columns from a template in its dashboard. Updog is also a spreadsheet editor that opens on existing data.
How do the two handle data privacy?
Updog has no server mode, so row data never reaches Updog. DolphinCSV's FAQ states that files are processed in the browser and only credentials and header names reach its server. With the Bubble destination, DolphinCSV processes the rows and forwards them to Bubble.
How does Updog pricing compare?
Updog is free up to 100,000 rows a month, then $100 per production domain per month with no row limit. DolphinCSV's plans start at $20 a month for 100 imports, and each import past the plan's count is charged separately.
Can Updog handle large files like DolphinCSV?
Yes, about 1 million rows in the browser, bound by the machine's memory. DolphinCSV stops a file at 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000 rows depending on the plan, and its FAQ says validation slows down beyond about 100,000 rows.
Can Updog be used to view or edit existing data, without an import?
Yes. Load existing data straight into Updog's editor to view and edit it, with a read-only mode. DolphinCSV's review grid belongs to the import flow, which starts with a file.
How do the two handle accessibility?
Updog's grid uses ARIA semantics with full keyboard navigation and screen-reader support, and the importer is checked against WCAG 2.2 A and AA rules on each test run. Updog holds no independent audit or VPAT. DolphinCSV's review step is built on AG Grid, so it carries grid roles and keyboard navigation, and it runs in an iframe, so its ARIA relationships stop at that boundary.
Can the interface be translated, and does right-to-left work?
Updog ships in English with every interface string overridable, so you can localize into any language, and it renders right-to-left layouts natively. DolphinCSV's FAQ says the importer is offered in English only.
See how Updog compares to other CSV importers
Try Updog for free
Install the package, add your columns, render the component. Free on localhost and preview domains. Every feature included.