head to head · open source
PocketBase vs Alokai
PocketBase has 61,103 GitHub stars, 3,694 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Alokai has 10,944 stars, 2,064 forks, 52 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. PocketBase leads on adoption by 458% (61,103 vs 10,944 stars). PocketBase is written in Go under MIT; Alokai is written in various languages under a licence not recorded in this registry. PocketBase has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Alokai 19%. PocketBase was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| PocketBase | Alokai | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 61K | ★ 11K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Go | — |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-06-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PocketBase if
- You weight community size — 61K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Alokai if
- You want the Alokai feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You evaluated both and Alokai fits your workflow better
About PocketBase
PocketBase is an open source backend framework written in Go that bundles a SQLite database, authentication, file storage, admin dashboard, and REST API into a single executable file. It lives in the Go ecosystem and targets developers who want a lightweight, self contained backend without managing separate services like PostgreSQL, Redis, or a separate auth server.
read the full PocketBase overview →
About Alokai
Alokai is an open source ecosystem of developer tools and a Frontend as a Service solution for composable commerce. It lives in the headless commerce ecosystem, where ecommerce backends expose APIs and separate frontend applications deliver storefronts.
read the full Alokai overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PocketBase or Alokai more popular?
PocketBase has 61,103 GitHub stars and Alokai has 10,944. PocketBase has the larger community by that measure.
Are PocketBase and Alokai free?
Both are open source. PocketBase is licensed under MIT, and Alokai has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between PocketBase and Alokai?
PocketBase is written in Go and Alokai in various languages. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, PocketBase or Alokai?
Choose PocketBase if you want the larger community (61,103 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Alokai if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.