head to head · open source
AppSmith vs Bknd
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Bknd has 3,762 stars, 145 forks, 42 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. AppSmith leads on adoption by 987% (40,894 vs 3,762 stars). AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Bknd is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. AppSmith has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Bknd 4%. AppSmith 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
| AppSmith | Bknd | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-04-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 145 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AppSmith if
- You weight community size — 41K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Bknd if
- You want the Bknd feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Bknd fits your workflow better
About AppSmith
Appsmith is an open source, Apache 2.0 low code platform written primarily in TypeScript that lets teams build custom internal tools such as admin panels, dashboards, and CRUD applications on top of their own databases and APIs.
read the full AppSmith overview →
About Bknd
Bknd is a lightweight TypeScript backend platform that provides a visual backend for database management, authentication, media, and workflows. It is positioned as a Firebase and Supabase alternative that can run inside many JavaScript environments, including Next.js, React Router, Astro, Cloudflare, Bun, Node.js, and AWS Lambda.
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppSmith or Bknd more popular?
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars and Bknd has 3,762. AppSmith has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppSmith and Bknd free?
Both are open source. AppSmith is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Bknd under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppSmith and Bknd?
AppSmith is written in TypeScript and Bknd in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, AppSmith or Bknd?
Choose AppSmith if you want the larger community (40,894 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Bknd if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.