head to head · open source
PocketBase vs AppSmith
PocketBase has 61,070 GitHub stars, 3,688 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. AppSmith has 40,894 stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PocketBase leads on adoption by 49% (61,070 vs 40,894 stars). PocketBase is written in Go under MIT; AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. PocketBase has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, AppSmith 12%. 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
| PocketBase | AppSmith | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 61K | ★ 41K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-16 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 4.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PocketBase if
- You weight community size — 61K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick AppSmith if
- You want the AppSmith 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 AppSmith fits your workflow better
About PocketBase
PocketBase is an open source backend framework written in Go that bundles a SQLite database, authentication, file storage, admin dashboard, and REST API into a single executable file. It lives in the Go ecosystem and targets developers who want a lightweight, self contained backend without managing separate services like PostgreSQL, Redis, or a separate auth server.
read the full PocketBase overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PocketBase or AppSmith more popular?
PocketBase has 61,070 GitHub stars and AppSmith has 40,894. PocketBase has the larger community by that measure.
Are PocketBase and AppSmith free?
Both are open source. PocketBase is licensed under MIT and AppSmith under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PocketBase and AppSmith?
PocketBase is written in Go and AppSmith 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, PocketBase or AppSmith?
Choose PocketBase if you want the larger community (61,070 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose AppSmith if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.