Coda is a doc that behaves like an app — it combines free-form documents, spreadsheet-style tables, and formulas/automations in a single canvas, built by Coda Inc. It ranks around #25 among collaboration tools with roughly 1% usage share, a smaller but dedicated following among teams building custom internal tools without code. Teams reach for it because a single Coda doc can hold the write-up, the structured data behind it, and the buttons/automations that act on that data — no separate app needed.
Coda formulas can reference other tables directly by name, filtering and aggregating rows the same way a spreadsheet formula would — but across linked tables rather than just cells.
// In a "Projects" table, sum the hours logged against each project
// from a separate linked "Tasks" table
Tasks.Filter(Tasks.Project = thisRow).Hours.Sum()
// mark a project "At risk" if any linked task is overdue and not done
If(
Tasks.Filter(
And(Tasks.Project = thisRow, Tasks.DueDate < Today(), Tasks.Done = false)
).Count() > 0,
"At risk",
"On track"
)Start from a blank doc or a template, then add tables and wire up formulas that pull from each other.
# 1. Sign up at coda.io and create a new doc (or start from a gallery template)
# 2. Insert a table, add columns, and type data directly like a spreadsheet
# 3. Add a formula column referencing another table by name, e.g. Tasks.Filter(...)
# 4. Add a button or automation ("When a row is added... do this") to act on the data