head to head · open source
AppSmith vs HeyForm
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. HeyForm has 8,977 stars, 708 forks, 10 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. AppSmith leads on adoption by 356% (40,894 vs 8,977 stars). AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; HeyForm is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. AppSmith has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, HeyForm 8%. 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 | HeyForm | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 9.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 708 |
| 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 HeyForm if
- You want the HeyForm feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and HeyForm 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 HeyForm
HeyForm is an open source form builder written in TypeScript and released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. It lives in the JavaScript and TypeScript ecosystem, and its repository is organised as a monorepo of packages: a Node server, a React webapp, a form renderer, an embeddable JavaScript library, and shared utilities and type definitions used by both the server and the webapp. The project describes itself as an open source form builder built for small business success, and it is positioned as an open alternative to Typeform.
read the full HeyForm overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppSmith or HeyForm more popular?
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars and HeyForm has 8,977. AppSmith has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppSmith and HeyForm free?
Both are open source. AppSmith is licensed under Apache-2.0 and HeyForm under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppSmith and HeyForm?
AppSmith is written in TypeScript and HeyForm 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 HeyForm?
Choose AppSmith if you want the larger community (40,894 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose HeyForm if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.