4D SAS

What 4D SAS does

4D SAS is a privately held French software company, founded in 1984 (originally as ACI) and headquartered in France, that develops and sells an integrated rapid application development platform built around a proprietary relational database engine, a 4D language and IDE, and an application server. The platform enables developers and SMB organizations to build, deploy, and run custom business applications across desktop, web (via the Qodly Pro low-code environment), and mobile (via 4D for Mobile) surfaces, with the latest release (4D 21 LTS, 2024) introducing the 4D AI Kit for AI-assisted file content processing. The company is majority owned by founder and CTO Laurent Ribardière, with Eric Teissandier serving as CEO since October 2013.

The firm operates with roughly 170 employees and reports more than 10,000 customers worldwide across government (including NASA and the US Social Security Administration), healthcare, education, retail, and manufacturing verticals. Revenue is generated through a mix of per-seat subscription licensing (entry pricing at $30 per user per month with a two-user minimum), traditional perpetual licenses with associated maintenance, paid training and certification, and a partner/reseller program; historical inorganic activity includes the 2000 acquisition of StarNine Technologies. 4D maintains direct subsidiaries in France, the United States, Germany, Japan, Morocco, and Australia/New Zealand, with additional distributor coverage in the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, and Turkey.

Name

4D SAS

Legal name

4D SAS

Website

https://us.4d.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

4D SAS is a French software company that sells an integrated low-code rapid application development platform combining a proprietary database engine, IDE, and application server, serving 10,000+ SMB and government customers worldwide across desktop, web, and mobile.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Application Development Platform

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Developer Experience Platforms for Enterprise (IDEs, CI/CD, Dev Portals) (HDAEAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data App Builders (Forms, Portals & Internal Tools) (HDAEAKAK), Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms (HDAEAKAA)

Keywords

• Rapid application development
• Relational database platform
• Cross-platform development tools
• Low-code mobile development
• Integrated development environment

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Pecq

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: Perpetual or subscription-based licenses for 4D Server and client access, with pricing per user. Includes access to current version, free updates, and bundled modules like 4D Write Pro and 4D View Pro.
2. Subscription Plans: Monthly subscription model starting at $30 per user per month (2 users minimum, invoiced annually). Includes 4D Server, user access, web server expansion, and all included modules.
3. Yearly Maintenance: Annual maintenance services providing access to upgrades (LTS and Feature Releases), hotfixes, and technical support through the Partner Program.
4. Training Services: On-demand and instructor-led training programs for developers, with free access for Silver Partners and higher.
5. Partner Program Services: Tiered partner program (Silver, Gold, etc.) providing preferential pricing, technical support, training, and exclusive resources to partners who develop and deploy 4D solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

4D SAS develops and sells the 4D rapid application development platform, which combines a relational database engine, an integrated development environment (IDE), an object-oriented programming language, and four built-in servers (data, application, web, SQL) into a single unified environment. The platform enables developers and software publishers to build and deploy cross-platform business applications for macOS, Windows, web, iOS, and Android from a single codebase, with add-on modules including 4D Write Pro (word processing), 4D View Pro (spreadsheet), Qodly Pro (web development), 4D for Mobile (no-code mobile apps), and the 4D AI Kit.

Product overview

4D is a comprehensive rapid application development platform combining a relational database engine, integrated development environment (IDE), object-oriented programming language, and four built-in servers (data, application, web, SQL) in a unified system. The core platform centers on 4D Server for deploying business applications and 4D Developer Professional for building them. The platform extends through specialized modules: Qodly Pro enables web application development; 4D Write Pro provides integrated word processing for document generation; 4D View Pro offers spreadsheet capabilities; and 4D for Mobile allows no-code native mobile app development for iOS and Android. Version 21 introduced the 4D AI Kit for AI-powered features. All components share the same code base and database, enabling cross-platform deployment across macOS, Windows, mobile, and web from a single development project. The platform is available through perpetual licensing or a subscription model starting at $30/user/month.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 4D for Mobile: Integrated solution for building native mobile apps for iOS and Android directly within 4D, featuring no-code app building, offline support, and mobile-specific features.
• 4D Write Pro
• 4D View Pro
• Qodly Pro
• ORDA
• FacilitatePro

Products and services

• 4D Platform Rapid application development platform combining a relational database engine, integrated development environment, object-oriented programming language, and four built-in servers (data, application, web, SQL) for building and deploying cross-platform business applications on macOS, Windows, mobile, and web from a single codebase.
• 4D Server Server component of the 4D platform that runs business applications simultaneously on desktop and mobile clients and on the web, supporting client/server architecture with automatic scaling across multiple cores.
• 4D Developer Professional The full IDE of the 4D platform enabling design and creation of professional business applications for client/server, web, mobile, and desktop solutions from a single project.
• 4D Write Pro Integrated desktop publishing and word processing engine for 4D applications enabling document creation, PDF generation, and letter/brochure/invoice generation in HTML within applications.
• 4D View Pro Fully programmable and integrated spreadsheet tool within the 4D platform for data display, analysis, and management within business applications.
• Qodly Pro Web application development component of the 4D platform that enables developers to build and deploy fully personalized web-based business applications.
• 4D for Mobile No-code mobile application development solution fully integrated into 4D for building native iOS and Android mobile apps, with offline support, push notifications, barcode scanning, and signature capture.
• 4D AI Kit AI-powered development toolkit introduced in 4D 21 that enables AI capabilities including file content processing, integrated into the 4D platform for intelligent assistance and automation features.
• 4D 21 LTS / Feature Releases Long-Term Support and Feature Release versions of the 4D platform that provide access to AI Kit features, ORDA, Qodly Pro, 4D Write Pro, and cross-platform deployment capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Set up development environment including database structure, application and web servers in five minutes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.

• Netroute SROregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Czech Republic, handling local sales, support, and distribution of 4D products in the region.
• Italsoftware SrlregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Italy, managing local sales and support operations for 4D products in the Italian market.
• Use Tomasz BordaregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive partner for Poland providing local sales, support, and partner services for 4D products.
• Kutlu Bilisim Inc.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive partner for Turkey handling local sales and support of 4D products and services.
• 4D Partner Program MemberscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal network of software developers, ISVs, and consultants building and deploying 4D-based solutions. Tiered program (Silver, Gold) with technical support, training, and marketing resources.
• 4D Morocco (4D Logiciels Maroc)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary in Morocco created in 2011, managing operations across Africa and Middle East, led by Aziz El Ghomari as Managing Director.
• LineheartTechnology or IntegrationCustomer using 4D for Mobile to create iPad app for managing on-site interventions, replacing paper forms and triggering automated invoicing.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Claris (FileMaker): Claris, an Apple subsidiary, develops FileMaker — a low-code database and application development platform that is the closest historical peer to 4D, targeting the same SMB and workgroup market with a similar integrated database-plus-IDE model.
• OutSystems: OutSystems is a leading enterprise low-code platform for building mission-critical web and mobile applications with strong cross-platform support — competing with 4D for the same line-of-business application development use cases.
• Mendix (Siemens): Mendix, owned by Siemens, is an enterprise low-code application development platform targeting business users and developers — a direct competitor to 4D's cross-platform rapid application development positioning.
• Alpha Software (Alpha Anywhere): Alpha Software's Alpha Anywhere is a low-code development platform for building mobile and web business applications from databases — a niche but closely comparable peer to 4D for cross-platform database-driven application development.
• LiveCode: LiveCode is a cross-platform rapid application development environment that allows developers to build desktop, web, and mobile apps from a single English-like codebase — a philosophically similar peer to 4D's single-codebase deployment model.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft Power Apps: Microsoft's Power Apps is part of the broader Power Platform and offers low-code application development tightly integrated with Microsoft 365, Dataverse, and Azure — representing the dominant low-code competitor to 4D's platform approach.
• Appian: Appian is an enterprise low-code platform for process management and case management applications — competing with 4D in the business process automation and custom application development space.

Emerging players

• Retool: Retool is a low-code platform focused on building internal tools and business applications with pre-built UI components and direct database integrations — overlapping with 4D's data-driven internal application use cases.
• Bubble: Bubble is a no-code platform for building web applications without coding — overlapping with 4D's Qodly Pro web development capabilities and target audience of non-traditional developers.
• Caspio: Caspio is a low-code platform for building online database applications without coding — comparable to 4D's offering for users seeking to create custom business applications with minimal programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/4dDeveloper
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/4d
• Xx.com/4Dsoftware
• Facebookfacebook.com/4Dsoftware

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 4D SAS