head to head · open source
AppSmith vs Convex
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Convex has 12,567 stars, 814 forks, 220 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AppSmith leads on adoption by 225% (40,894 vs 12,567 stars). AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Convex is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. AppSmith has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Convex 6%. 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 | Convex | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 13K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 814 |
| 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 Convex if
- You want the Convex feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Convex 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 Convex
Convex is an open source reactive database for web application developers, with a Rust backend and TypeScript packages, in the backend, database, and TypeScript ecosystem. It combines a database, server functions, and client libraries so developers can fetch data and perform business logic in pure TypeScript while keeping strong consistency and live updating behavior.
read the full Convex overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppSmith or Convex more popular?
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars and Convex has 12,567. AppSmith has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppSmith and Convex free?
Both are open source. AppSmith is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Convex has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between AppSmith and Convex?
AppSmith is written in TypeScript and Convex 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 Convex?
Choose AppSmith if you want the larger community (40,894 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Convex if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.