head to head · open source
AppSmith vs Fonoster
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Fonoster has 8,113 stars, 555 forks, 22 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. AppSmith leads on adoption by 404% (40,894 vs 8,113 stars). AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Fonoster is written in TypeScript under MIT. AppSmith has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Fonoster 7%. 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 | Fonoster | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 8.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 555 |
| 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 Fonoster if
- You want the Fonoster feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Fonoster 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 Fonoster
Fonoster is an MIT licensed TypeScript platform for programmable voice and telephony that is positioned as the open source alternative to Twilio, and it is aimed at developers and platform teams building cloud communications, voice applications and customer engagement products.
read the full Fonoster overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppSmith or Fonoster more popular?
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars and Fonoster has 8,113. AppSmith has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppSmith and Fonoster free?
Both are open source. AppSmith is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Fonoster under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppSmith and Fonoster?
AppSmith is written in TypeScript and Fonoster 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 Fonoster?
Choose AppSmith if you want the larger community (40,894 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Fonoster if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.