head to head · open source
AppSmith vs Palform
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Palform has 45 stars, 2 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. AppSmith leads on adoption by 90,776% (40,894 vs 45 stars). AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Palform is written in Rust under AGPL-3.0. AppSmith has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Palform 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 | Palform | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 45 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 2 |
| 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 Palform if
- You want the Palform feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Palform 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 Palform
Palform is an open source form builder built around end to end encryption, released under the AGPL 3.0 license. It is written primarily in Rust and JavaScript, and it lives in the Rust ecosystem: the backend uses the Rocket web framework with SeaORM, while encryption and shared logic are compiled to WebAssembly so that the same code runs in the browser and on the server. The entire codebase is open source, including the marketing pages, and this repository is stated to contain everything needed to operate the service. A free hosted instance runs at palform.app on European hosted servers.
read the full Palform overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppSmith or Palform more popular?
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars and Palform has 45. AppSmith has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppSmith and Palform free?
Both are open source. AppSmith is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Palform under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AppSmith and Palform?
AppSmith is written in TypeScript and Palform in Rust. 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 Palform?
Choose AppSmith if you want the larger community (40,894 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Palform if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.