Looking for a GridBuddy Connect alternative? Whether you're concerned about the future of your current grid solution, frustrated with limitations, or simply want a more modern approach to Salesforce data management—this comprehensive comparison guide will help you make the right choice.

Executive summary - GridBuddy Connect vs. Valorx Wave

For Salesforce operations leaders evaluating GridBuddy alternatives and modern Salesforce grid solutions, here are the headline insights that matter:

$20

per user/month (Wave Pro)

17%

cost savings vs. GridBuddy

140+

productivity features

10 min

vs. 2–3 hours (mass updates)

Key takeaways

• Valorx Wave Embedded is 100% Salesforce-native. It installs directly from AppExchange as a managed package—your data never leaves Salesforce, and all security/permissions are enforced.
• Wave offers capabilities GridBuddy doesn't. Editable Salesforce reports (bypassing 2,000 record limits), Matrix views for forecasting, and real-time error validation.
• Lower TCO with better features. Wave Pro at $20/user/month vs. GridBuddy's ~$24/user/month. A 50-user team saves $2,400/year while gaining advanced functionality.
• Enterprise-ready with full governance. Role-based access, SSO, change history, and audit trails. Trusted by Capital One, GE Healthcare, Experian, and more.
• Risk-free evaluation. Free trial available on AppExchange. Deploy to sandbox alongside existing GridBuddy installation to compare directly.

The bottom line

For Salesforce-focused organizations, Valorx Wave Embedded delivers more features, faster performance, and lower cost than GridBuddy—without any risk to test and validate.

TL;DR — GridBuddy vs. Valorx Wave

• GridBuddy Connect has supported Salesforce teams for years with spreadsheet-style grid interfaces, but many organizations now seek alternatives due to evolving needs and uncertainty around future development.
• Valorx Wave Embedded provides a modern, high-performance grid experience with 140+ advanced productivity capabilities—directly inside Salesforce.
• Advanced features not available in GridBuddy include Smart Import auto-mapping, editable report grids beyond 2,000 record limit, matrix forecasting views, and real-time data validation.
• Pricing advantage: Wave starts at $20/user/month with a free trial vs. GridBuddy’s ~$24/user/month.

GridBuddy overview

GridBuddy, now part of Validity’s product suite (acquired in 2019), established itself as one of the first tools to simplify Salesforce data management with editable, spreadsheet-style grids. Its core premise was powerful and straightforward: combine data from multiple Salesforce objects into a single editable view to eliminate time-consuming, record-by-record updates.

For Salesforce admins, operations teams, and sales reps who spent hours clicking through individual records, GridBuddy delivered a meaningful productivity boost—offering faster multi-record editing and centralized workspace layouts.

GridBuddy's core features

• Multi-object grids: combine data from multiple Salesforce objects in a single view
• Inline editing: update records directly inside the grid
• Batch actions for mass create, update, and delete
• Tabbed role-based workspaces
• Conditional formatting for highlighting key data
• ReadyGrid templates for common use cases
• Multi-CRM support (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zendesk)

Why teams are actively looking for a GridBuddy alternative?

Despite GridBuddy's established presence in the market, a growing number of Salesforce teams are actively evaluating GridBuddy alternatives. Here's why:

[A] Strategic and capability concerns

1. Uncertainty about product direction

When a product becomes part of a larger portfolio (as GridBuddy did when acquired by Validity), customers often worry about continued investment and innovation. Teams building long-term processes on a platform want confidence that the tool will evolve with their needs—not become a maintenance-mode afterthought.

2. Legacy architecture concerns

GridBuddy's architecture includes both legacy and modern components. Some users report that customization often requires developer involvement, and the mobile experience remains limited. For organizations prioritizing agility and self-service administration, these constraints can become bottlenecks.

3. Pricing pressure

At approximately $24/user/month, GridBuddy represents a significant line item for larger teams. As organizations scrutinize their software spend, many are discovering alternatives that deliver comparable or superior functionality at lower price points.

4. Missing modern capabilities

Today's Salesforce power users expect features like intelligent import with auto-mapping, real-time error validation before data commits, native report editing, and sophisticated forecasting tools. Teams are increasingly seeking solutions purpose-built for modern workflows.

[B] Operational and reliability issues

In practice, many Salesforce teams that have moved away from GridBuddy describe a consistent pattern of operational pain.

See what customers are saying on G2 reviews tell the story.

1. Reliability and performance

• Unpredictable downtime hitting right when forecast commits or uploads are due
• Performance issues when handling large hierarchical datasets
• Occasional data mismatches between what users see in the grid and what's in Salesforce
• Filters that become fragile across deep hierarchies and complex relationships

2. Support and usability

• Difficulty getting timely, knowledgeable support when something breaks
• UI limitations that impact adoption and user experience

3. Business impact

For teams managing thousands of records per cycle or hundreds of users in parallel, these pain points compound into measurable business risk:

• Lost productivity during downtime and troubleshooting
• Unreliable numbers affecting forecasting accuracy
• Unnecessary operational strain on teams managing mission-critical processes

The bottom line

Organizations outgrowing GridBuddy face a dual challenge: the tool lacks the modern capabilities and architectural flexibility needed for evolving workflows, while simultaneously delivering unreliable operational performance when managing large-scale data operations. Together, these factors create both strategic risk (investing in an aging platform) and tactical risk (depending on an unreliable tool for critical business processes).

Introducing Valorx Wave Embedded: A modern GridBuddy alternative

Valorx Wave Embedded represents the next evolution in Salesforce data productivity tools. As a Salesforce-native application available on AppExchange, Wave Embedded delivers a familiar spreadsheet experience with capabilities that go far beyond basic grid functionality—all within your Salesforce environment.

Unlike browser-based workarounds, Wave Embedded is a managed package that installs directly into your Salesforce org. This means full integration with your existing security model, seamless user experience without context-switching, and enterprise-grade governance and controls.

Trusted by industry leaders

Valorx Wave is trusted by enterprise organizations including Capital One, Toast, Wolters Kluwer, GE Healthcare, Experian, Columbia University, and School Specialty—demonstrating its ability to scale across diverse industries and complex use cases.

100% Salesforce-native

Wave Embedded runs entirely within Salesforce as a managed package. Your data never leaves Salesforce, all native validation rules and permissions are enforced, and admins maintain complete control over who can access and edit data. This is critical for organizations with strict data governance requirements.

Features that set Valorx Wave Embedded apart from GridBuddy-style tools

When teams decide to move off GridBuddy, the first instinct is often to look for a like-for-like replacement: another grid-style add-on, a shinier UI, or a cheaper license.

The problem? Most of these alternatives only patch one part of the experience:

• They make the interface look more modern, but still rely on exports, imports, or background sync jobs.
• They speed up inline editing, but don’t give you structured ways to review and revert large changes.
• They add yet another browser extension, desktop tool, or mini portal that users have to juggle alongside Salesforce.

Valorx Wave Embedded is designed to solve the class of problems that show up across most GridBuddy-style tools—not just GridBuddy itself. Valorx Wave Embedded is designed to solve the class of problems that show up across most GridBuddy-style tools—not just GridBuddy itself:

1. Bulk editing at scale

Edit hundreds or thousands of Salesforce records in seconds—not minutes. Wave's bulk editing goes beyond basic inline updates with features like drag-and-fill, copy-paste operations, and mass modifier tools that mirror the spreadsheet experience users already know.

Handle unlimited records without the performance issues that plague other solutions.

2. Editable Salesforce reports (2-Way Sync)

Here's something GridBuddy doesn't offer: Wave Embedded makes your existing Salesforce reports fully editable with 2-way sync. Start with any Salesforce report, and Wave automatically maps your fields and filters. Add more fields, bring in related objects, edit data inline, and save changes—all while bypassing the 2,000 record limitation that frustrates so many Salesforce users. Share these tailored report grids with your team for consistent, governed data access.

Steps to convert a mapped report to a custom grid and share globally:

3. Matrix views for forecasting and planning

Wave's Matrix feature enables sophisticated forecasting and planning scenarios directly in Salesforce. Create dynamic views with custom rows and columns, support up to 3 different objects in one view, and leverage telescoping capabilities to project data across time periods—daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. For manufacturing, sales operations, and demand planning teams, this transforms Salesforce from a static data repository into a living, collaborative forecasting tool.

Here's how you can zoom in and out from years to quarters to months for telescoping or view time intervals in a straight line format:

4. Real-time error validation

See errors as you work—not after you've tried to save. You can prevent import errors by catching and fixing issues in real time, reducing rework and ensuring accuracy.

Wave validates data in real-time, highlighting issues before they become problems. This prevents the frustration of batch operations that fail partway through or imports that corrupt your data. Every action runs through native Salesforce validation rules and permissions, ensuring data integrity.

5. Global grids with granular controls

Admins and designers can create global grids for business users with granular data editing controls. Define exactly which fields are viewable vs. editable for different user roles. Share standardized views across your organization while always honoring Salesforce permissions and data integrity. Standard users get exactly the interface they need—no more, no less.

6. Activity management

Build task lists, create follow-ups, and manage activities directly within Wave. Clone repetitive tasks to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Your to-do list lives right alongside your CRM data, eliminating context-switching between applications.

7. Enterprise-grade security and governance

With Wave Embedded, your data never leaves Salesforce. The application maintains a two-way integration with real-time syncs, fully respecting Salesforce viewing and editing permissions, sharing rules, and validation rules. Enterprise features include role-based access controls, single sign-on (SSO), change history tracking, and full audit trails. IT and compliance teams get complete visibility and control.

Use case: Mass updating opportunities in minutes

Let's walk through a common scenario that every sales operations team faces: it's the end of the quarter, and you need to update close dates, stages, and amounts across dozens (or hundreds) of opportunities. In native Salesforce, this means clicking into each record one by one. With Valorx Wave Embedded, you can do it all in a single view in minutes.

The scenario

Your VP of Sales needs all Q4 opportunities with close dates in December reviewed and updated before the forecast call. Specifically, you need to:

• Identify all opportunities closing in December that are still in early stages
• Push unrealistic close dates and discount rates to Q1
• Update amounts based on latest conversations
• Flag high-priority deals with a custom field

How long it takes?

In native Salesforce

This would take hours of clicking, opening records, editing, saving, and navigating back to your list view—hoping you don't lose your place.

In Valorx Wave Embedded

5-10 minutes, all within a single spreadsheet-style view.

Step-by-step: How to mass update opportunities in Wave

Step 1: Open your Opportunity Grid

Launch Valorx Wave Embedded from within Salesforce. Open a saved Opportunity grid. Select the Opportunity object and choose the fields you need: Opportunity Name, Account Name, Stage, Close Date, Amount, Owner, and any custom fields (like Priority or Next Steps).

Step 2: Filter to find the right opportunities

Use Wave's powerful filtering to zero in on exactly the records you need:

• Close Date: Set to "This Month" or a custom range (December 1-31)
• Stage: Filter to early stages like "Qualification" or "Negotiation"
• Amount: Optionally filter to deals above a certain threshold

Your grid now shows only the opportunities that need attention—no scrolling through hundreds of irrelevant records.

Step 3: Apply conditional formatting to spot issues

Set up rules to visually organize your opportunities:

• Select the Amount field and set a threshold (e.g., Greater than 300,000) to highlight high-value deals
• Add a Stage field with color bar formatting to color-code opportunities by stage (e.g. apply color code to opportunities in Negotiation stage or having an end date 15 December)
• Apply the formatting to instantly visualize which deals are high-priority and where they stand in the pipeline

Now your grid automatically highlights deals that need attention based on amount and stage—no manual sorting required.

Step 4: Mass update records

Here's where Wave's spreadsheet power shines.

For example, to update discount rates across multiple opportunities:

• Select the rows you want to update by clicking and dragging (just like Excel)
• Edit the date column to your new date
• Use drag-and-fill or copy paste to apply the same change to all selected rows

10 opportunities updated in seconds. No clicking into individual records.

Step 5: Update amounts and custom fields

While you're in the grid, update other fields just as easily:

• Adjust amounts by typing directly into cells—Wave validates the format in real-time
• Update Stage using dropdown selections, with copy-paste across multiple rows
• Flag Priority by selecting multiple rows and applying a value to your custom picklist field
• Add Next Steps notes directly in the grid for quick reference

Step 6: Review changes and save

Before committing, Wave shows you exactly what's changed:

• Changed cells are highlighted so you can review your edits at a glance
• Real-time validation catches errors before you save (e.g., invalid date formats, required fields)
• Revert capability lets you undo changes to specific cells if needed

When you're ready, click Save. All changes sync to Salesforce instantly—with full audit trail captured.

The result

What would have taken 2-3 hours in native Salesforce is done in under 10 minutes:

45

Opportunities reviewed

22

Close dates pushed to Q1

15

Amounts updated

8

Deals flagged as high priority

All changes tracked and auditable. Your forecast is clean, your VP has accurate data for the call, and you didn't spend half your day clicking through Salesforce.

GridBuddy Connect vs. Wave Embedded: Feature-by-feature comparison

Feature	GridBuddy Connect	Valorx Wave Embedded
100% Salesforce native (managed package)	✓	✓
Multi-object grids	✓	✓
Inline/bulk editing	✓	✓
Unlimited record editing	✗	✓
Conditional formatting	✓	✓
Real-time error validation	✗	✓
Editable Salesforce reports (2-way sync)	✗	✓
Bypass 2,000 record report limit	✗	✓
Matrix views for forecasting	✗	✓
Telescoping (time-based projections)	✗	✓
Global search across all grid data	✓	✓
Activity/task management	✗	✓
Shareable grids	✓	✓
Role-based access controls	✓	✓
SSO support	✓	✓
Change history/audit trail	✗	✓
Data never leaves Salesforce	✓	✓
Free trial available	✓	✓

• Valorx Wave Embedded offers a significantly broader feature set than GridBuddy Connect, including unlimited record editing, matrix forecasting views, telescoping projections, editable Salesforce reports, and real-time error validation — all missing in GridBuddy.
• Stronger enterprise readiness: Valorx includes advanced capabilities like role-based access, SSO support, global search, activity/task management, and shareable grids, making it more scalable for large teams.
• Purpose-built for forecasting and operational speed, offering tools that eliminate Salesforce record limits and allow 2-way sync, enabling faster workflows and higher productivity vs. GridBuddy’s limited functionality.

Pricing: More value with Valorx Wave Embedded vs. GridBuddy Connect

Plan details	GridBuddy Connect	Valorx Wave Pro
Price per user/month	~$24	$20
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Record updates	Limited	Unlimited
Smart Import	Unlimited	Unlimited
Custom objects	Varies by plan	Unlimited
Salesforce instances	Varies by plan	Unlimited
Support	Email, Knowledge Base	Chat, Email, Phone

• Cost advantage: For a team of 50 users, switching from GridBuddy to Valorx Wave Pro saves approximately $2,400/year—while gaining access to advanced features like Matrix views, Smart Import, and editable reports that GridBuddy doesn't offer.
• Matrix Add-on: For teams needing advanced forecasting capabilities, the Matrix add-on is available at $20/user/month with Wave Pro, or as a 30-day free trial.

Migrating from GridBuddy to Valorx Wave Embedded

Switching from GridBuddy to Valorx Wave Embedded is straightforward, with minimal disruption to your team's workflow:

Step 1: Start your free trial on AppExchange

Install Valorx Wave Embedded directly from Salesforce AppExchange. The managed package installs into your Salesforce org in minutes, with no complex configuration required. Start with a sandbox environment to explore the interface and capabilities risk-free.

Step 2: Recreate your key grids

Wave's intuitive grid builder makes it easy to recreate the views your team relies on. Start with your most-used grids and expand from there.

Many teams find Wave's additional features—like editable reports and Smart Import—unlock new productivity gains immediately. You can also start from existing Salesforce reports and make them editable instantly.

Step 3: Configure global grids for your teams

Use Wave's admin controls to create standardized global grids for different user roles. Set granular permissions for who can view vs. edit specific fields. Roll out governed, consistent data views across your organization while respecting existing Salesforce security settings.

Step 4: Leverage Valorx support

Valorx provides responsive support to help with migration questions and enterprise deployment. Wave Pro users get chat, email, and phone support to ensure a smooth transition. The Valorx team can also assist with custom configurations and best practices for your specific use cases.

Who Should Use Valorx Wave Embedded?

Sales Ops

Compress days of work into hours with bulk editing and real-time validation.

Salesforce Admins

Say goodbye to Data Loader errors. Smart Import handles it all.

Revenue Planning

Matrix views eliminate spreadsheets and keep forecasts in sync.

Manufacturing & Ops

Manage complex data relationships without leaving Salesforce.

Any Salesforce User

Save hours weekly on routine data tasks with spreadsheet-style efficiency.

Final verdict: Which GridBuddy alternative is right for you?

GridBuddy has served Salesforce teams well, and for organizations heavily invested in Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Zendesk alongside Salesforce, its multi-CRM capabilities remain a differentiator.

However, for Salesforce-focused teams prioritizing:

• Modern, high-performance architecture
• 100% Salesforce-native deployment
• Advanced import and validation capabilities
• Sophisticated forecasting and Matrix views
• Lower total cost of ownership
• Enterprise-grade governance with change history

Valorx Wave Embedded emerges as the clear choice.

The free trial makes it easy to evaluate Wave alongside your existing GridBuddy installation. Deploy to a sandbox, recreate your key grids, and let your team experience the difference firsthand before making any commitment.

Get started with Valorx Wave Embedded today

Ready to experience a better way to work with Salesforce data? Install from AppExchange to start your free trial or contact our team to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Valorx Wave Embedded really 100% Salesforce native?

Yes. Wave Embedded is a managed package that installs directly into your Salesforce org via AppExchange. Your data never leaves Salesforce, all operations respect native permissions and validation rules, and IT maintains full visibility and control.

2. Can I run both GridBuddy and Valorx Wave during evaluation?

Absolutely. Many teams install Wave Embedded in a sandbox alongside their production GridBuddy deployment. This lets you evaluate the experience, recreate key grids, and train users before making any changes to your production environment.

3. Does Wave work with my Salesforce validation rules and permissions?

Yes. Wave Embedded fully respects Salesforce's security model, including object and field-level permissions, sharing rules, and validation rules. Your data governance stays intact—Wave enhances the user experience without bypassing your controls.

4. How long does migration from GridBuddy take?

Most teams can be up and running with Wave Embedded within days. Installing the managed package takes minutes. Recreating primary grids is typically straightforward, and Wave's intuitive interface means minimal training is required. Enterprise deployments with complex requirements may take longer, but Valorx support is available to assist throughout the process.

5. Does Valorx Wave support other CRMs like Dynamics 365?

Valorx Wave Embedded is purpose-built for Salesforce. If you need multi-CRM support across Salesforce, Dynamics 365, and Zendesk simultaneously, please get in touch with us.

6. What kind of support does Valorx provide?

Wave Pro users receive chat, email, and phone support. Valorx is known for responsive, hands-on assistance—whether you need help with migration planning, grid configuration, or troubleshooting. Enterprise customers can also access dedicated support resources and custom implementation assistance.