head to head · open source
AppSmith vs Onlook
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Onlook has 26,752 stars, 2,101 forks, 380 open issues and last shipped 24 days ago. AppSmith leads on adoption by 53% (40,894 vs 26,752 stars). AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Onlook is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. AppSmith has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Onlook 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 | Onlook | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 27K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| 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 Onlook if
- You want the Onlook 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 Onlook 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 Onlook
Onlook is an open source, Apache 2.0 visual editor for Next.js and TailwindCSS projects that lets designers and developers edit a running React app in the browser while the underlying code changes in real time.
read the full Onlook overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppSmith or Onlook more popular?
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars and Onlook has 26,752. AppSmith has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppSmith and Onlook free?
Both are open source. AppSmith is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Onlook under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppSmith and Onlook?
AppSmith is written in TypeScript and Onlook 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 Onlook?
Choose AppSmith if you want the larger community (40,894 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Onlook if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.