head to head · open source
AppSmith vs ProcessWire
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars, 4,761 forks, 4,467 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ProcessWire has 1,151 stars, 207 forks, 93 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. AppSmith leads on adoption by 3,453% (40,894 vs 1,151 stars). AppSmith is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; ProcessWire is written in PHP under a custom or non-standard licence. AppSmith has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, ProcessWire 18%. 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 | ProcessWire | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 41K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 207 |
| 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 ProcessWire if
- You want the ProcessWire feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and ProcessWire 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 ProcessWire
ProcessWire is an open source PHP content management system and framework (CMS/CMF) with a strong API, aimed at web developers, designers, and the clients who maintain the sites they build.
read the full ProcessWire overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AppSmith or ProcessWire more popular?
AppSmith has 40,894 GitHub stars and ProcessWire has 1,151. AppSmith has the larger community by that measure.
Are AppSmith and ProcessWire free?
Both are open source. AppSmith is licensed under Apache-2.0, and ProcessWire has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between AppSmith and ProcessWire?
AppSmith is written in TypeScript and ProcessWire in PHP. 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 ProcessWire?
Choose AppSmith if you want the larger community (40,894 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose ProcessWire if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.